Main Body
3. Fundamentals
Types of Stretches
Static: Holding a stationary pose for 20 seconds at a time
Examples of Arm Stretches
Examples of Leg Stretches
Ballistic: Passive stretch that has an added bouncing component. An example would be holding a hamstring stretch while rocking to try and touch your toes.
PNF (Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation): PNF is an advanced version of static stretching. PNF involves contracting the muscle you want to stretch for 6 seconds and the relaxing to perform a static stretch for 20 seconds. This is meant to help the muscle move through a greater range of motion.
Dynamic: This type of stretch takes a muscle through a full range of motion from contraction to relaxation. It is an effective way to stretch to prepare for sport training or exercise. An example would be performing high-knee or butt-kick running exercises. These exercises actively prepare the muscle for more intense exercise versus a static stretch and PNF which are primarily performed to lengthen the muscle.
Warm-Up
The purpose of a warm-up is to prepare the body for the more intense movements to come. It should slowly increase your heart rate thereby increasing blood flow to the working muscles. This provides the muscles with the oxygen and nutrients necessary for contraction. Doing proper warm up before training can greatly reduce the risk of injury.
A warm up should be movement specific. This is why it is important to plan ahead. If your plan involves working the lower body, the warm up should work the total body but significantly more time should be dedicated to dynamically stretching and working the lower body. If your exercise session involves the upper body, it is important to warm up and dynamically stretch the shoulders, neck, chest, back, and torso.
Cool-Down
The cool-down should be used for static stretching or PNF to return the muscles trained to their original resting length. During a training session muscles are constantly contracting, in other words, constantly shortening in order to lift weight. We want to return the muscle to its resting length so it remains flexible which will reduce risk of injury. A cool-down will also help prevent or reduce muscle soreness.
Examples of Seated Stretches
Mobility
Mobility work/stretching is an extremely important yet often neglected area of fitness. Many people believe it is unimportant to dedicate time to recovery and mobility work. Therefore, they often finish workout and leave the gym without ever working on mobility. Studies have shown an increased risk of injury associated with a decreased risk of mobility and flexibility.
Increasing your mobility can be done through foam rolling, mobility drills, and static/PNF stretching. Limited research has been done, but some research supports foam rolling as having benefits. Foam rolling should be thought of as a self massage.
Mobility drills can also be very beneficial in preparing the body for training, following a training session when the muscle are especially tight, and at anytime with helping increase mobility around a joint. Checkout the 10 Best Mobility | Flexibility Drills VIDEO by Athlean-X .