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Why
Stretch?
1. Muscles do one thing, and one thing only: contract. That is
how they work. All muscles cross over at least one joint, (sometimes
two) and the action of contracting a muscle causes that joint
to move. Here's a good example: Your quadricep (thigh) muscle
originates from the front of your hip (the anterior superior iliac
spine, for the technically curious). It crosses over your knee
joint, and inserts (as a tendon, since tendons are how muscles
attach to bone), to your shin bone (tibia). The action of contracting
your quadricep muscle lifts your leg, and moves your lower leg
forward, as it straightens your knee.
2. Muscles are the motors of your body. All action is due to their
contraction. They can do more work if they have greater contractile
strength. Contractile strength is greater when the muscles are
longer. In other words, the longer the muscle, the more work it
can do when acting on a joint. Stretched muscles are longer muscles.
3. Stretching allows greater extension of a joint when moving.
For example, if you are a runner, if you stretch prior to running,
your stride will be longer. If the stride remains the same length,
then the involved muscles will be doing less work.
4. Stretching helps prevent injuries. The more flexible a person
is, the less the likelihood of a torn or strained muscle. Over
time, proper stretching strengthens both ligaments and tendons.
Ligaments attach bone to bone, tendons attach muscles to bone.
When you stretch properly, you are microtearing the fibers of
your muscles, tendons, and ligaments. When you rest, your body
repairs those tears, and you are left with longer, stronger, more
resilient muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
5. Stretching promotes faster recovery. Stretching the muscles
helps to move the toxins and waste products of muscular exertion
out of the muscles and into the bloodstream, where they can be
broken down and eliminated.
6. Stretching relaxes your body. Relaxing your body allows you
to experience less intense negative emotional states.
7. Muscles that are tight waste energy. Stretching allows you
to become aware of areas in your body that are held with undue
tension, so you can release those areas.
8. Stretching feels GOOD!!! Anyone, at any age,
can stretch. It does not matter where your flexibility level is
when you begin, as long as you work at it you will improve.
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for golf, golf stretching, Tiger Woods stretches, running stretches,
stretches for running, martial arts stretching, karate stretches,
kung fu stretches, swimming, shoulders tightness from swimming,
stretches for martial arts, carpel tunnel stretches, pain prevention
thru stretching, yoga, pilates, back stretches, eliminate back
pain by stretching, back pain, neck pain, ergonomic, tight muscles,
sore muscles, tight tendons, pain in tendons, tight legs, tight
back, chiropractic, physical therapy, core muscles