Archive for February 18th, 2010
I would be remiss if I continuously talked about building muscles, burning fat, and weight loss, and did not include stretching. Stretching is a vital part of an exercise program. It can be done at the gym right after your workout, or at home while watching TV. You don’t need any equipment. Stretching will help you stay flexible as you age. When we age, flexibility becomes limited, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Think of it this way, when we are getting stronger and building muscles, the muscle itself actually contracts, which can sometimes make you “muscle bound”. Stretching on the other hand, elongates the muscles. Helping to make your range of motion much larger.
Men are more susceptible to tight muscles and have less flexibility than women. I’m not
saying to jump into a Yoga class (although that would help), but do some basic stretching when the muscles are warm. By the way, if you have tight hamstrings, (behind the thigh) and tight hip flexors (where thigh connects to the hips in front) it may cause some low back pain.
Stretching like anything else, the more you do it the deeper you can go and the better you get at it.