The Golden Rules of the Safe and Effective Stretching

Who does not want to be flexible, strong and fit? Everybody does, but some people just want while others try hard to achieve it. This task is not easy and requires devotion, many hours of hard work, tolerance and understanding the way everything works. This knowledge will save you from injuries and will help you achieve better results. Which muscles should I stretch and which ones I shouldn’t not? How much should I stretch?” These questions and many others appear in the head of those who dare. Not all of them find answers and, as the result, we have pain, traumas and the loss of motivation to go further. These are the most common mistakes to avoid if you want a split without problems with health. 1. Waiting for fast results. Never believe advertisements that promises “a split in a week (month, random number of trainings)”. It takes no less than two months to achieve a split without harm for the joints. Two months of hard everyday training if you have good natural flexibility, if not – it may take up to six months. 2. Stretching the wrong muscles. Not all of your muscles should be stretched. Never stretch fingers or the unbending muscles of the spine and be careful with the pelvic joints. Especially if you also do power sports. Overstretched muscles are not able to hold the joints and balance. Remember not to overstrain yourself. 3. Stretch your muscles, not the joints. Actually, it is hard to stretch them because they are not flexible, but the wrong strain distribution can do that. In this case, you will need long treatment or will have to say goodbye to sports at all. The risk of knee injury is big. How to save your joints? - Bend your knees a little while stretching the hamstring. - Turn your toes up while stretching legs. This will prevent your knees from overstretching. - Be gentle with small muscles on the upper limbs and lumbar area. - Stop if you feel unbearable pain. 4. Be persistent. Devote at least 30-50 minutes, 4-5 times a week to your stretching exercises. Never forget about warming up your muscles and relaxing them after the training. There is no other way to achieve a desired split except through hard constant work, which isn’t always pleasant and often is painful. Are you sure that you will handle this? If not, there is no sense to torture yourself. 5. Pain is normal, if it is not too strong. Persistency does not equal to self-harm. Stop if it is too much for you. It may slow down your progress but at least your body will be safe. 6. Do not forget about the symmetry. If you stretch one leg for ten minutes, stretch the other the same amount of time. A misbalance will bring no good to your health. Be sure that you work equally on both sides of your body. As you can see, there is nothing complicated and the rules of efficiency and safety are rather simple. Listen to your body and it will listen to you.