5 Muscle Stretching Tips to Avoid Injury and Improve Flexibility
If you’re going to be using a treadmill to burn fat and lose weight, then you’ll want to make sure that you stretch your muscles before you begin. Stretching is important because it prevents injuries that could impede your performance.
It is best to fully stretch both before and after you begin walking on your treadmill. By stretching before your exercise you will help to warm your muscles allowing yourself extra flexibility, and by stretching afterwards you will help to prevent your muscles stiffening up.
Here are some stretching tips to help you prevent injury to your muscles:
1. Never stretch until it hurts! The majority of people think that there’s ‘no gain without pain’. This is never the case - you should only ever stretch to a position that is comfortable for you, and then hold this position for about 20 seconds.
2. Always remember to breathe while you are stretching. By practicing some deep breathing exercises while you stretch you will actually be able to give your muscles a much better workout.
3. Many people see the stretching as a warm up, but it’s really important that your muscles are actually warmed up before you stretch, so always walk or jog for a few minutes to get blood flowing to your muscles.
4. After your workout, you can stretch after you take a warm bath or shower. The hot water will help relax your muscles, and the after workout stretch will feel good.
5. You may have seen professional athletes bouncing while they stretch, but you should never ever do this! Bouncing during stretching exercises can actually cause serious injuries to your muscles rather than prevent injuries.
The most important muscles that you need to stretch are not always your leg muscles. Of course, it is important to stretch your calf muscles, quadriceps, and hamstrings, but you also need to stretch her shoulders, abs, neck, and back. Believe it or not, walking on a treadmill provides a full body workout.
Don’t be scared to mix up your stretching exercises a bit. Instead of just trying to touch your toes, you can also try a number of other different stretches. Try doing the splits or some lunges, or even some calf stretches. Stand on the edge of a step and lower your heel over the edge, but remember to stop just before it gets painful.
Keeping your movements slow and precise will give you the best results, in fact by keeping some tension in your muscles you will be sure to get the most from your stretching exercises. It is really important that you remember to stop stretching before it becomes uncomfortable though.
