Flexibility is an underrated aspect of fitness. Especially since we tend to lose some mobility as we age. How many seniors in your life can comfortably reach above their heads? But whether it’s lifestyle changes or athletics, stretching can be tedious and progress can be slow. How do you know if you’re stretching enough? Fortunately, new research gave us some guidelines.
These guidelines are for the traditional type of static stretching that holds your posture. (Other mobility workDoing things like dynamic stretching are also good for your health, but were not included in this study).
Stretching has both short-term and long-term effects. We often think of flexibility as a long-term journey (we However, there are also more dramatic temporary effects that occur during and immediately after a stretching session. Let’s talk about that first.
As some of you may remember, when I filmed a 3-minute video that included a toe touch exercise, I couldn’t quite touch the ground at first. In the end, I had my palms on the ground..
This short-term effect is a great way to free up the flexibility you need for specific purposes. For example, dancers stretch right before a performance. And if you need a little Improving ankle mobility to get the most out of your squator extra shoulder mobility for doing overhead lifts, that’s a great reason. Stretch each part of your body during your warm-up.
Recent research shows that stretching as little as 4 times can maximize short-term benefits. total Stretch that muscle for a few minutes. This doesn’t have to be a single four-minute stretch. You can also do 8 30 seconds or 4 1 minute. Also, it doesn’t have to be the same type of stretch as long as it stimulates the same muscles.
While less than 4 minutes can have some effect, 4 minutes is the longest time researchers have found to be effective.
Should stretching hurt?
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that the harder you stretch, the more effective it will be. Stretching doesn’t have to be painful to be effective. A recent study found that both hard and gentle stretches are about equally effective.
Flexibility trainers often say the best bet is: kind stretch. You can feel the stretch, but it’s not painful. By being gentle, you can stretch for longer and more often (and enjoy the process more!), which is a factor that will help you progress.
How much stretching should you do each week?
If you want to increase your flexibility in the long term, aim for 10 minutes per week per muscle. Again, this can be broken down. If you have a routine that stretches each muscle for a total of 1 minute (for example, 2 sets of 30 seconds), you can reach your goal by doing that routine 5 days a week.
Or maybe you’re already interested in the short-term benefits mentioned above and are doing a 3-4 minute warm-up session for each muscle. These count towards your 10 minutes for the week, so as long as your warm-up includes all the muscles you’re targeting, you don’t need to do any additional stretching sessions outside of your warm-up.
You don’t need to do all the stretching. Simply select a few muscles or body parts that you want to make more flexible. Pick one or two of your favorite stretches and make it a habit to do them for one minute every day. To get you started, here are some of my favorite stretches.
