Question Should I stretch before or after my workout to assist prevent muscle injuries and soreness? I actually have received conflicting advice on this.
Oh We all remember the importance of stretching in our highschool physical education classes. However, recent expert opinion has shifted toward static stretching before activity and a gradual and energetic warm-up period before exercise. Stretching healthy muscles before exercise doesn't prevent injury or soreness.
Muscles are made up of bundles of small fibers. In a typical exercise-related muscle strain, these fibers develop microscopic tears. Theoretically, stretching before exercise should make the muscles more flexible and fewer more likely to tear. But when studies have compared rates of injury or muscle soreness in individuals who stretch before exercise and people who don't, they've found little profit from stretching. In fact, stretching cold, tight muscles can result in injury.
Instead, try a brief warm-up to get the blood flowing through your major muscle groups and loosen up your joints. For example, as an alternative of going for a brisk walk immediately, spend five to 10 minutes jogging at a leisurely pace, after which regularly increase the pace. Or whenever you start exercising on a treadmill or other gym machine, start at a lower setting. It can even allow your heart and muscles to regularly reply to the increased demands of exercise.
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