Properly Stretch Before Exercise.

In this Instructable I will show you how to stretch properly before an exercise.

This shows you how to stretch the following things:
Arms
Cavs
Thighs
Shoulders
Back

Step 1 First, Stretch Your Cavs and Thieghs.

Try to touch your toes down the center to the left and to the right. (See Pictures) You should feel a pull in the back of your legs.

Comments

[KnexFreek]

uhhh.. you leg izz broke

[superdood]

nice face man! lol =-D

[bannana inventor]

You like it? LOL :D

[jillg]

cool i just finished my intractable on stretching so i looked at this one good job like the face effects

[bannana inventor]

LOL Thanks!!! :D

[The Jamalam]

wow, you look cool! =D

[bannana inventor]

lol. Thanks.

[I_am_Canadian]

Is that make racist? Being pitch-black and all weird?

[DrWeird117]

step 3 looks like someone put a trash bag over your head to suffocate you, then threw you out of a tree.

[ZeroFlop]

I'm sorry but I have to point out that this is not a good method of stretching. First as mentioned warming up before exercising is more important. There is no supporting proof that prestretching has any benefit. Although post exercise you can get up to 40% improved muscle growth because your separating the muscle fibers improving opportunity for growth. Anyway standing and doing the toe touch is very dangerous because it puts more stress on the back then the hamstrings. There are better options available. And in any reputable gym will not instruct this stretch. Also the quadriceps stretch that your doing puts a lot of stress on the knee. A better stretch is standing or kneeling with your hands on your heals and raising your hips forward.

[acer73]

Pre Stretching significantly lowers the risk of injury on the bodies muscular system. Not only does it physically stretch out muscles but actually heats up from increased blood flow. If stretching had no positive effect there would be no reason why any sports team would warm up. Stretching does not improve muscle growth it decreases the injury risk.

[ZeroFlop]

Again I would suggest a little research before making any recommendations especially when your talking about someones health and well being.

With little effort I found the following. I know little about xtremetrainingsystems.com but it is a concise and fair article on pre-stretching. With a number of references which are referred to by other articles on different sites.
http://www.xtremetrainingsystems.com/Stretching.html

Unfortunately I don't have a good link to any information on the benefits of post stretching. It seems its popular among the bodybuilders and so the first several pages of search hits all point to body building articles. One of the reasons I resist linking to the body building sites is they feel that the muscle growth is enhanced by stretching out the fascia which is contrary to what I was taught. I was taught that the post stretching released the contracted sarcromeres and allowed them to develop. Potentially it's a combination of the two.

The bodybuilding articles are anecdotal evidence and should be treated as such. They do support muscle growth benefits with post stretching which should warrant further investigation.

[acer73]

I never said anything about post stretching. But actually, stretching after an activity is even more beneficial because it improves the circulation, stretching out a muscle more and lets it repair quicker.

[bannana inventor]

This is how I stretch in cross country and I feel fine when I run and stretch.

[ZeroFlop]

You are a sample size of one, statistically insignificant. Also just because you feel fine doesn't mean you are not causing progressive damage to your back and/or knees. I assume your younger then some of us. I'm sure this could go back and forth so I would suggest you do some research. Here are two reputable resources you can look up. If you don't have the time for the library you can go to books.google.com or do a search for "dangers toe touch stretch" ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription By American College of Sports Nsca's Essentials of Personal Training:National Strength & Conditioning Association (U.S.)

[bannana inventor]

Thanks. :D

[lawizeg]

You should NOT lie down in step four...you're hurting your hip. Just lean back a little that's all.

[bannana inventor]

Yeah, sometimes I do that one standing up.

[lawizeg]

I'm gonna do one on this hopefully.

[cmwslw]

Are you too ugly to show your face? And by the way, you spelled 'cavs' wrong.

[bannana inventor]

lol. No, I'm to hot for you mortals. And yeah I know I spelled it wrong I have yet to fix it. :D

[Stephen B]

Nice guide, but isn't it the wrong way round? I think you want the warm up in before and the stretch in after. Researchers have not yet found any evidence of benefit in a pre-training stretch, while a gentle warming up of the joints and muscles is recommended. Actually in higher a higher level of training stretching before a workout can actually decrease the performance.

When i go through the pics from right to left it seems much better :)

[tomonto]

Stretching prior keeps you from pulling a muscle though. And this instructable needs a lot more. It doesn't have nearly enough to be a good guide. What about stretches for your hamstrings, groin, obliques, theres a lot more you can do for your calves (not cavs) and arms. And the proper way to stretch your quads (not thighs) is standing and to pull your leg back staright.

[Stephen B]

I wish it was true, but pulling a muscle is mostly caused by over-exertion. That can mean going beyond your ability, or a decrease in ability caused by tiredness or some other negative factor that goes unnoticed until - 'pling!' Much better to have a good blood flow through the muscle fibers (warm muscles) than to stretch them. Thinking of the muscle as a sponge that before training is all dried up and hard (a bit extreme maybe) and then try to stretch that. Then instead wet the sponge (an increase in blood flow) before stretching or bending and the whole thing seems a lot more pleasant.

[tomonto]

yes but if you stretch your muscles you can increase the range of your muscles and avoid over extension.

[X3R0X77]

still see the mask

[X3R0X77]

nice mask lol

[X3R0X77]

nice mask lol