Weight Loss Program

Most muscle injuries in the gym come from 1) doing an exercise improperly or 2) not stretching your muscle. Don’t let an injury put a halt to all your hard work reaching your postal natal exercise goals. It’s the one thing motivation can’t overcome. For that reason, stop right now and really assess what you’ve been doing up until now to properly stretch.

If you’re like the rest of us, you need some direction in adding stretching to your workout routines. Here are 8 simple tips to maximize the impact stretching will have on your body.

• Stretch every day.
  Even on the days you don’t plan to exercise, take some time to stretch all of your major muscle groups. These are the days when your muscles are in recovery and you really need to make sure they regenerate properly.
• Stretch when your muscle are warm.
  Warm muscles are pliable muscles. When you try stretching cold muscles you’re asking for an injury. Don’t do it.
• Make sure your stretching every muscle group.
  Chest, shoulders, lower back extensors, hip flexors, rotators, quads, hamstrings and calves. They all need a little bit of attention. Even the ones that stretch as well. Give them extra attention.
• Don’t force it.
  You never want to truly force your muscles to stretch. Developing a flexible body takes time. Don’t try to force your body into a position it’s not ready for yet.
• Don’t bounce.
  Make your stretching slow and methodical. You don’t want to use your body weight to force your muscles to stretch. That’s what bouncing does and it’s not good. Nice, easy and smooth will get you further than jerky and bouncy.
• Keep it to your natural range of motion.
  If you don’t normally move your body in the way you’re stretching it, it’s probably not a good stretch. Keep it within what’s normal.
• Breath!
  Your body needs oxygen and when it’s stressed it needs it more, not less. When you hold your breath, your body tends to naturally panic and tense up. That’s the opposite of what you want.
• Keep the weird stuff to the circus guys.
  Don’t try wrapping your legs around your head. That’s an unnatural position and one you don’t need to put your body into. A lot of the people you see getting into these strange contortions are double-jointed. Don’t try it.

Hopefully, with these simple tips you’ll find stretching something you enjoy and look forward to doing every day. It will pay off in a leaner looking and more agile body. Good luck.