Don't Forget To Stretch For Fitness

Being flexible - having well lubricated joints and stretchable muscles - is one of the best ways to reduce the prospect of injury and give you the basis for a wide variety of workout routines such as weight lifting.

What you should be aiming for is to have a really good range of motion and then you can over time, improve to match your fitness level. There are several different ways to accomplish that goal, and you should use at least a few of them before every workout.  Exercising is very important for health and as a weight loss program, it's just very important that you do things correctly.

A warm-up is not something that you should ignore. Cold muscles are much more likely to tear and lead to stretched or torn cartilage and other painful results. If you want to lubricate your joints then warming up is very important and also helps encourage your muscles to become more elastic. Those both lead to safer, higher performance workouts.

Ten to fifteen minutes is the minimum for most people. This can be done by low-impact jogging in place, simple stretches and other techniques.

Everyone should be familiar with the static stretch which you hold for 30 seconds. This should be done with the arms, trunk, legs and neck. Dynamic stretching and ballistic stretching involve more active, bouncing-style or weight-assisted stretching, sometimes with extra force applied. Both types are helpful.

Some dynamic stretches involve holding the arms out to the side, then swinging them back and forth across front of the body, repeating for 30 seconds. Another technique involves using a short bar across the neck, lying on the shoulders. Place your hands on the bar, then bend slowly left, then right, moving the head toward the outer edge of the foot.

Abdominal muscles can be prepared by lying backwards on a large rubber ball. Push back slowly and raise the arms above your head. Repeat a further 10 times. There are many ways to stretch your hamstrings however one way that this can be done is by lying on your back and then lift your out-stretched leg using a towel which you have wrapped around your foot. Take hold of the ends and then pull up gradually. Switch legs, then repeat for 10 reps.

if you want to do a back stretch then you can do this by lying on your back and bringing both knees to the chest, hands clasped behind the knees. Roll forward until your feet hit the floor, then roll back until the head touches. 10 rolls should be done.

Groin stretches can be done safely by using a large rubber ball. Place one knee on the ball and slowly rotate the ball a few inches away from your body. Move the ball back toward your body, then switch legs. Do 10 movements.

Toe taps are ideal for warming up both your leg and back muscles. When standing up straigh, your feet should be about shoulder width apart. With your left hand you need to lean over and touch your right foot. Do the same again but on the opposite side. It's important that those who suffer from lower back problems to discuss this with a trainer before doing any exercising.

If you want you body to be as flexible as possible then you should stretch yourself a good few times a week. This will help maximize the range of motion and decrease the potential for injury.