Do you ever wonder why we encourage stretching before all exercise? Stretching prior to training helps your muscles become looser and can decrease the chances of injury and muscle soreness. Stretching helps to increase your flexibility which can amplify your stride, rate and pace. Pre-training stretching is also a great time to focus your mind and set an intention or goal for your walk/run. However, you should also be careful while stretching. If it’s not done properly, it can cause injury rather than prevent it. Here are some simple rules to remember when stretching:

#1: Stretch slowly and do not bounce when stretching. Bouncing can pull or tear the muscle you’re trying to stretch. Muscles should be stretched gradually. Stretch slowly and hold each stretch for 30 to 40 seconds.

#2: Do not go overboard. Hold a stretch when you start to feel tightness in the muscle but never  stretch to the point of discomfort and pain. Stretching should feel good!

#3: Develop a stretching routine. Start with the muscle groups that are most important to your workout and move your way through the remaining muscle groups. At the end of your workout, perform the stretches again in the same order. 

Once you have completed your walk/run or cross training exercise, it’s just as important to do a post-stretch. While your initial thought might be to sit and relax (especially as we get into longer walk/runs in the coming months), your muscles will be tight from exercising. Take the time to reflect on your workout during your post-stretch. Ask yourself questions about your performance and make goals for your next walk/run.

Stretching doesn’t need to be only about your muscles, use it beforehand to set goals for your workout and afterwards to congratulate yourself. Your body will thank you in the end!

Happy training,

Team GBI