Ever wonder why you always stretch, but never seem to get any more flexible? It seems like a pretty simple concept right? Stretch your muscles to increase range of motion and flexibility right? Wrong! There is much more to increasing your range of motion and flexibility than bending over and touching your toes. Stretching a muscle that is cold does little good. This is because the muscle will contract back to its tightened state quickly after the stretch.
In order to get the most out of your stretching routine, you must first warm up your body’s core temperature. How do you do this? Light exercises that do not require high intensity. Some examples might include:
* pushups while resting on your knees
* swinging your arms in big circles
* squats with no weight
* crunches
* curling light weight
* dead lifts with no weight
* jog in place
Performing 10-12 repetitions of each of these exercises should help to increase your core temperature and get your muscles warmed up. Now that your core temperature is raised, your muscles will be less resistant to contracting back after you finish stretching. This will also allow you to stretch the muscle fibers further with a reduced risk on injury.
When stretching, the best way I’ve found to maximize your time is to hold each position for 12 seconds, relax for 3 seconds, then immediately hold the stretch again for another 12 seconds. This process does not allow the muscle enough time to begin to contract and helps to elongate the muscle even further. A few last tips that will help keep you injury-free:
* Never stretch to the point of pain- stretch until you feel strong resistance and then hold.
* Slowly come out of the stretch. Putting a muscle on a strong stretch and then immediately releasing tension can lead to a pulled muscle.
* Breathe during the stretch- holding your breath reduces blood flow and oxygen.
Follow these basics of stretching and you are well on your way to increased flexibility!
Great description of warming up body temperature to maximize benefits of stretching.
I think many people don’t realize that streching is pretty ineffective if not warmed up first. When you typically think of streching you picture it to be the first thing you ever do.
AJ
You’re right! Stretching is important!
I want to take it another step…specificity. Everyone is different. Everyone needs to stretch something different than the person.
We all have injury history’s, surgeries, other trauma’s, and things like the seated work place; these all create various compensations thru the body. And if these compensation patterns aren’t discovered and addressed, a golfer will never achieve his or her true ability to learn, perform, or play consistent golf!
Keep spreading the word on the importance of stretching and golf fitness…the industry certainly needs it!
Dee Tidwell
http://www.championshipgolffitness.com (and blogspot.com)
Dee, it is very important to target your limitations. Just like any large company, you are only as strong as your weakest link. The muscle groups of the body are all linked together, and if one groups is weak or tight, it effects everything else in the chain.
Add A Comment