What is the best way to stretch?

Ageless Fitness Tips for Flexibility Training

By Julie Pollard

​I get a lot of questions from my clients about stretching. During our one-on-one training sessions, we always incorporate stretching and flexibility training into the program. Today, I want to address the most common questions we hear regarding stretching. 

Why should I stretch?

When we think of exercising, we often think only of cardiovascular exercise and weight or resistance training. We rarely think about stretching as part of an exercise routine. However, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends including flexibility training 2-3 days per week.

Stretching helps increase blood flow to your muscles. Stretching also maintains (or improves) joint range of motion. Why have strong muscles and joints if you can't use them to the best of their ability?

When should I stretch?

You can incorporate stretching into your weekly routine at different times of the day. What is important is how warm you are when you stretch. 

Do not use static stretching as a warm-up to your exercise regimen. 

Studies have shown that static stretching prior to exercising can decrease your muscular strength by 30%. Static stretches are stretches like touching your toes or a standing quad stretch. Static stretching can also be something like a restorative yoga class. This type of stretching should be performed after exercise, but make sure to approach it gently.

Warm muscles are more prone to injury from stretching.

What should I stretch?

If you are new to stretching, focus on targeting all the major muscle groups. For the lower body, target your hamstrings, quads, calves. For the upper body, focus on stretching your shoulders, chest, arms, and neck. 

How should I stretch?

There are many different stretching techniques available. We may go into that in a later post, but here are a few pointers for your stretching practice: 

• Stretch in a gentle or friendly way. We usually recommend out of a scale of 1-10, you should aim for a 4 or 5 in stretch discomfort.
• Hold each stretch for at least 15-30 seconds. Most resources recommend 30-60 seconds
• Aim to stretch both sides with a goal of symmetry. You may have a tighter side, that is perfectly normal! 
• Do not bounce. Yes, Jane Fonda may look amazing when she bounces into her stretches, but you are placing your muscles at risk of straining. The rapid muscular contraction and release in a bouncing stretch can contribute to more muscular tightness.

Still not sure what to do?

If you want some help with your flexibility routine, we recommend consulting with an Ageless Fitness personal trainer to help you with form and techniques for safe stretching!