Hello dear readers!
In this article, I will touch on an important aspect of fitness - stretching the muscles after strength training. If you are interested in this topic and want your muscles to recover well after strength training, then this article is for you.
Stretching (in English, stretching) is a set of exercises that must be performed after any workout, both strength and aerobic. Stretching not only relaxes the muscles, but also tones the entire body.
Strong ligaments and joints are the dream of any athlete. Thanks to stretching, the tendons will become more resilient, which significantly reduces the likelihood of injury. The amplitude and range of motion of the joints will increase markedly, which will increase the amplitude during exercise and allow you to more fully work out the muscles.
Stretching will also protect you from premature aging, prevent physical inactivity, correct your posture and improve your emotional state. You will also be surprised at what your body is capable of.
If we talk about the types of stretching, then after strength training and aerobic exercise, it has no differences. Particular attention should be paid to those muscle groups on which the load was given.
What is stretching for?
Every time we do bodybuilding and doing strength exercises, we shorten the muscles, that is, we shorten their length. It takes some time to restore them (depending on the load, up to several days).
The main purpose of stretching after a workout is to help muscles regain their former length, as this parameter is one of the characteristics of muscle recovery after strength training. In other words, stretching your muscles after a workout allows you to speed up the recovery process.
But this is not the main reason to do stretching exercises.
When we work out in the gym more than once every 3 days, our muscles do not always have time to recover and regain their length. Joints and ligaments are forced to rebuild to fit a shorter muscle, which makes movements constrained, and also increases the risk of various kinds of joint injuries and inflammation.
By lengthening the muscles with stretching, we not only relax them, but also return our tissues and joints to their former comfort. This will help get rid of stoop, deflection in the lower back and other imbalances in muscle development.
In addition, by stretching after a workout, we relax both the muscles and the corresponding brain centers from training, this helps the body recover faster.
Scientists have proven that stretching after exercising in the gym helps remove lactic acid from the muscles, which prevents the appearance of pain the next day after training.
Benefits of stretching at the gym
1. Improving the flexibility of ligaments and joints. Good flexibility allows you to use a large range of motion in exercises. And the higher the amplitude of the exercise, the more effectively it works out the target muscles.
2. Acceleration of metabolism in muscles, regeneration of damaged tissues. Stretching helps muscles heal faster.
3. Increased blood circulation to the muscles. Due to the fact that the muscles receive more blood, their growth is possible faster. A stretched muscle contracts better, which affects strength.
4. Stretching after the main workout will relieve fatigue, return the fibers to their previous state, and reduce pain.
Stretching for men
Regular exercise has a general strengthening effect on the entire body, activates metabolic processes in the body, increases the tone of the body and nervous system. In other words, “movement is life!”
In recent years, maintaining a healthy lifestyle has been actively gaining popularity, more and more people are beginning to take care of their bodies and visit gyms. A fitness club with an area of 20,000 square meters is currently being built in my city. meters!!!
However, not everyone knows that not only regular physical activity is important for our body, but also periodic muscle stretching. Therefore, in order to increase the effectiveness of training, it is recommended to alternate power loads with stretching.
Stretching is a set of exercises, the main task of which is aimed at developing the flexibility of the body. Despite the fact that flexibility is more of a criterion for female beauty, men are also actively involved in stretching.
Anyone can learn to stretch, regardless of age or current body flexibility. You don't need to have any special skills to do this, everything can be trained. The exercises are performed easily and smoothly, according to your level of fitness and flexibility.
Stretching for bodybuilders
Bodybuilders should be aware that strength training can stiffen the joints, which contributes to the compaction of the connective tissue and deprivation of flexibility. This process entails many negative aspects that reduce the effectiveness of training, which subsequently leads to a decrease and stop muscle growth.
First of all, stretching exercises can increase muscle contractility, as well as speed up their recovery.
Secondly, stretching exercises help to relax the muscles. Based on this, it is logical to perform them after training. In addition, the ligaments at the end of the workout are warmed up and more elastic.
Stretching exercises
Let's take a look at some stretching exercises.
1. In a sitting position on the floor, place your legs apart and alternately tilt to the legs and to the middle.
Leaning towards the legs
forward bends
Leaning towards the legs
2. Being in the same position, bend one leg, leave the other straight. Reach for it with both hands. Then grasp the sock with the opposite hand. At the same time, try to turn your body forward a little.
Tilts to socks
3. Sit on your knees and heels. Bend forward until you feel the relaxation of the back muscles.
4. Step forward with your right foot into a lunge position. Hands are extended forward. Stay in this position for 15 seconds. After that, you need to change the leg and continue stretching.
Stretching the muscles of the back and spine
Back stretch after workout
If you have trained your back or legs, you should take the time to stretch your back, as it has received a lot of work and it definitely needs to recover.
Stretching exercises for the back muscles are relevant not only for athletes who practice strength training, but also for those who want to develop back flexibility. Below we will analyze a universal exercise that is suitable for people with any physical fitness.
The main working muscles of this exercise:
1. The extensor muscles of the spine
2. Deep muscles of the spine
3. Semispinous muscle
4. Rectus and oblique abdominal muscles
Technique:
1. Sit on a mat with a straight back.
2. Stretch your legs forward and slightly spread them to the level of shoulder width.
3. As you exhale, tilt your head down while arching your upper back and sliding your palms forward on the mat.
4. At the lowest point of the exercise, linger for 1-2 seconds, feeling a strong stretch in the muscles, and only then return to the starting position.
5. Perform 5 repetitions of this exercise.
Stretching the back muscles
Here are some more exercises that allow you to relax the muscles of your back and lower back.
1. In a standing position, move the body back, then forward and to the sides.
Curvature of the spine while standing
Body tilt forward
Torso tilt to the left
Trunk tilt to the right
2. Lie on your stomach, lift your body up, while your hands are laid back and hold this position from a few seconds to two minutes.
Stretching your muscles after a workout will help your muscles recover more easily, reduce pain, and make your body more flexible. It should be noted that you need to stretch regularly.
Sincerely, Arina Klishina
