How to Stretch After a Good Workout

by Natalie Belford

One of the most crucial parts of your workout is the cool-down stretches. Stretching keeps your connective tissues elastic. It also helps your body flush out the lactic acid that accumulates in your muscles after exercise—the same lactic acid that contributes to achiness. Finally, stretching improves the range of motion in your joints and muscles and helps relieve stress and prevent injuries.

Stretching is especially important as we get older. As we age, our joints tend to lose some of their flexibility, but this tendency can be combated by regular stretching. The younger you are when you start stretching, the more flexible you’ll be as you get older. If you’re over age fifty and just starting to stretch, though, don’t worry. It’s never too late to benefit from slow, luxurious stretches!

A stretching routine should focus on the static stretch — a slow, gradual, and controlled elongation that brings the muscles through the full range of motion and holds them for fifteen to thirty seconds in the furthest comfortable position (without pain). To stretch properly:

Stretch your muscles when they’re warm, not cold. That’s why most of the best workout videos have you perform a stretching routine right after your cardio activity when your large muscles are warm and flexible. Focus on the muscle you’re stretching.

Breathe deeply while you stretch. If you inhale as you begin your stretch and exhale as you hold your stretch, You’ll find that your muscles extend comfortably even further. For sretches that require you to bend forward, exhale as you bend forward and inhale slowly as you hold the stretch.

Move into the stretch until you feel a light tension—but no pain. The stretch should feel good, even if makes your muscle feel slightly achy. Hold the stretch for ten to thirty seconds. If you are a beginner or have rarely stretched before, start with ten seconds and gradually increase to thirty seconds.

Release the stretch slowly. Never bounce or jerk out of a stretch; that can trigger the stretch reflex, which causes the muscle to tighten, rather than relax, to protect itself from injury.

Benefits of Stretching

• Helps stimulate lymph flow
• Increases circulation
• Floods the body with oxygen
• Helps reduce muscle soreness
• Helps you relax, physically and mentally
• Increases flexibility of joints and ligaments
• Increases your range of motion

Although stretching may feel a bit odd if you’re not used to it, you’ll soon find this routine becoming second nature, so that you can focus not on the movement but on your body itself. And if you’d rather replace the routine we’ve outlined here with your own yoga or athletic stretches, feel free. Just make sure you’re taking five minutes to stretch and cool down after each twenty-minute cardio workout.

Stretching Do’s and Don’ts

DO
• Move slowly in and out of the stretch.
• Breathe slowly, deeply, and rhythmically.
• Check with your doctor before doing any stretching if you have osteoporosis, arthritis, or other bone or joint conditions.

DON’T
• Bounce when stretching.
• Continue to stretch when you feel any pain that is greater than a mild, relatively pleasant ache.
• Hold a stretch for more than thirty seconds.