Although often forgotten and overlooked, stretching is extremely important after your bodybuilding or sports session in general. After the effort, the hammered muscles need to be relaxed and stretched to regain flexibility and lower their level of shock. This is why a stretching session should be included in your sports routine to relieve your body.

But how to proceed? What are the benefits of stretching? Which stretches are the best? All the answers are in this article.

What is a stretch?

Stretching is divided into two categories: active stretching to do when warming up for a physical activity and passive stretching at the end of the session.

Stretching in addition to a sports session, or performed in its own right, makes it possible to re-oxygenate the muscle after an effort, and thus limit the risk of aches, but also stretch the muscle and therefore refine it.

Active stretching

These stretches are useful if you practice an activity that requires flexibility, such as gymnastics, for example. This allows the body to handle amplitudes without the risk of injury . On the other hand, sports that require speed, endurance, or explosiveness, such as running, cycling, swimming, or stretching, can prove to be an obstacle to performance.

These active stretches before exercise are important for those who do a session in the morning, because their body temperature is cooler. It is therefore essential to warm up your muscles before using them.

Passive stretching

After exercise, stretching allows you to regainflexibilityand lengthen the targeted muscle. This also helps to re-oxygenate the muscle and relax it.

There are several schools on the subject, those who think that you have to stretch a muscle that is still warm to be more effective and those who think that you have to wait until it has cooled down so as not to traumatize it further. It’s up to you to choose your camp, but the best thing is to listen to your body by testing both!

If you simply want to stretch at the end of the session, take the movements that target the muscle groups worked and adapt the program to your needs.

According to several studies, the best thing to do is stretch away from the weight training session, about 1 hour after the end of your training, once you get home.

What are the benefits of a stretching session?

To become flexible and stay that way, there is no secret: you have to stretch! And this is the objective of a stretching session, also called stretching! It is a discipline with multiple benefits:

• Improvemuscle strengthby gaining range of motion.
• Improve your recovery after an effort.
• It reduces the risk of injury.
• Relieve joint and muscle tension.
• Gain flexibility and lose stiffness.

Flexibility refers to the ability to perform bodily movements with the greatest joint and muscle amplitude possible on the different muscle groups. Each person reacts differently to flexibility: some are able to do the splits without flinching, others barely manage to touch their feet. The factors of flexibility are varied: genetic heritage, sex, age…

When we talk about muscular elasticity, stretching is the reference of the genre. In addition to having a very positive effect on your flexibility, stretching sessions will also strengthen your tendons and joints. As you practice, your silhouette will become more refined and your muscles will lengthen.

Do you really need to do a stretching session?

We sometimes hear that stretching pollutes sports “performance”. On the one hand, those who defend stretching and who maintain that it would reduceachesand the risk of injury, by making the muscles more flexible.

On the other, the anti-stretch supporters, who maintain that stretching would reduce the strength of the muscles and promote the appearance of injuries by making the musculature more fragile.

Stretching has mainly 3 consequences on the body:

• Put the receptors present on the muscles, the very ones that control pain, to sleep. It’s like “hiding” muscle pain.
• Reduce blood circulation in the muscles, reducing the supply of oxygen, among other things. But the muscle needs it to function, especially during an effort.
• Improve muscle elasticity.

Given these functions, it is obviously necessary to stretch, but not just any way and especially not at any time. Because if it is poorly done or at the wrong time in relation to the practice of a sport, stretching can maintain, or even cause, muscle damage.

On the other hand, by reducing the stiffness of the muscles, certain stretching exercises well executed, once again at the right time, make it possible to amplify the movements and to feel better in one’s body.

Some tips for practicing your stretching session

Stretching exercises must meet certain criteria to be effective. You can then practice global stretching, which engages the whole body, or active stretching, which consists of stretching exercises to be maintained over time in order to exert pressure on certain areas of your body.

For an active stretching session to be effective, it is advisable to practice for 15 to 30 minutes, holding each stretching position between 6 and 45 seconds. Always take a short relaxation break between exercises, for 5-45 seconds so your muscles can relax.

Here are some tips for doing your stretching session well:

• Stretch in a warm place so you don’t rush your muscles.
• Choose a quiet place to help release tension. A stretching session must, above all, remain a moment of relaxation.
• Warm up a little.
• Do not force your stretches, whether on the muscles or thejoints.
• Take a slow breath and exhale as you stretch. Proper breathing will allow your muscles to relax.
• Do not stretch an injured muscle, you may make the situation worse.
• Gradually increase the amplitude of each stretch, without forcing.
• Do not perform the stretches in a position of balance or imbalance, as is often observed: for example, when you are standing, stretch your thigh while standing, this will prevent you from becoming unbalanced and contracting the muscle instead of shoot it.
• At the end of each stretch, take a few seconds to relax your limbs.
• Remember to adapt the stretches according to the sports activity you practice.

How to do a stretching session?

Passive stretching can serve two distinct purposes. First, they are used to regain the initial length of the muscle or to seek a gain in flexibility. If you are looking to gain amplitude, you should favor longer hold times.

To do this, sit down gradually, until you feel the stretch that you will maintain for a longer or shorter time depending on your objective: between 10 to 15 seconds to regain the initial length of the muscle, and between 60, 90, or even 120 seconds to gain amplitude.

It is important never to stretch the muscle until you feel pain. And, when you finish your stretch, come out of your pose gently, avoiding tensing the muscle you just stretched.

Regarding dynamic stretching, in motion, it must be associated withmuscle contraction. Don’t look for hold time here. For example, for the downward facing dog pose, be sure to alternate extending one leg then the other to actively stretch the posterior chain.

3 upper body stretches

child posture

For relief and lengthening of the back and spine, place your buttocks over your heels and extend your arms as far in front of you as possible.

Keep your hands flat on the floor with your fingers pointing forward. Inhale then exhale, trying to extend your arms more for maximum elongation of your spine. Hold the position for 30 seconds.

Round back hollow back

This stretch targets the back muscles. Stand on all fours: hands below shoulders and knees below hips. Make sure your back is flat.

Inhale and round your back. Exhale and arch yourback. Feel the mobilization of each of your vertebrae.

Bust extension

To stretch your abs at the end of the session and help lengthen your back, lie on your stomach, hands on either side of your chest, then push back on the floor to lift your chest.

Lower your shoulders well, look straight ahead. Do not squeeze yourbuttocks. If you feel a pinch in your lower back, raise your thighs a little more. Exhale on the ascent.

3 lower body stretches

Quadriceps stretch

In a standing position, grab your instep and bring your heel close to your buttocks. Make sure your pelvis remains neutral and slightly tilted forward to feel the maximum stretch on the front of your thigh.

If you are uncomfortable with balance, you can perform this stretch while lying on your stomach. Adopt a slow and controlled breathing during the exercise.

Glutes stretch

While lying down, place your ankle on your opposite knee and grab the back of yourthighor your shin, depending on your level of flexibility.

Remember to relax your upper body throughout the stretch. Inhale and then exhale bringing your knee to your chest.

Adductor gap

Sitting cross-legged on your mat, press your knees lightly toward the floor. You should feel some stretch in your inner thighs. Inhale, then exhale while releasing your knees a little more toward the ground.

In conclusion

Depending on your sports activity, a stretching session is essential to re-oxygenate your muscles and relax them. If you do stretches before your session, this allows you to warm up, especially if you are more of a morning person.

The examples of stretches given are not exhaustive. Adapt your stretches according to your session and the muscles used.