If you want to lose your weight or to sculpt your muscles, cardio and weight exercises are the key to achieve it. No matter how busy or how reluctant you are to go for a session at the gym, you are more than willing to do it. Because you know that your efforts will give you an ideal weight and body shape. However, this is what some people tend to underestimate: stretching!

I used to watch people around me when I am at the gym. I notice that most of them only do a light stretching for about 1 or 2 minutes before jumping to the core exercise, mostly weight or muscle exercises.

This light stretching contains only two or three movements where they stretch their arms or shoulder. That’s all. The worse happens in the aerobics classes. Women seem to just enter the class and jump to the dynamic moves of high impact aerobics. The same case happens on treadmill or elliptical machines. They might not understand the many benefits of stretching for their exercises. Stretching may not help in the weight loss, however it supports your entire exercises. Let’s move on to these points…

5 Benefits Of Stretching

The main purpose of stretching is to avoid injury during your exercises. Cardio, as well as weight exercises, can cause your muscles to contract and at the other side require flexibility. That is why you need to do stretching before and after both exercises in order to get these benefits,

#1 – Increase flexibility

Stretching before core exercises (cardio and weight training) will increase your flexibility, in order to maximize your muscle contraction. While doing stretching after exercises will help your muscle to regain its flexibility.

#2 – Increase your performance

Outside the gym, you have a lot of other daily activities that require strength and flexibility. Doing stretching during exercises can also help you to increase your daily performance in your routine activities, outside the gym. Carrying heavy bags after shopping? Not a problem anymore!

#3 – Increase your joint flexibility

Stretching will help you to keep your body balance and keep you from falling down so easily. That’s because stretching will increase the flexibility of your joint movement.

#4 – Increase blood circulation

Stretching helps you to recover from muscle strains and injury. It increases blood circulation into your muscles.

#5 – Remove stress

Stress comes from tight muscles, and tight muscles can lead to stress. Both can be cured with stretching. Stretching loosen the tight muscles, thus removing the stress.

How To Do The Right Stretching

You can find complete guides to do stretching in my stretching exercise.

Those stretching exercises involve all of your body parts. You just need to do one count for every movement, but follow the rule strictly.

First, do it slowly. Take your time!

Second, hold the position for at least 10 seconds (don’t cheat!) before returning to normal position and do the opposite side of your body.

Third, when you feel pain, loosen your movement until the pain vanishes, and hold on that position.

Forth, if you plan to train certain muscle, focus your stretching to that muscle.

Last, don’t forget to breathe and get relaxed.

Equipments To Support Your Stretching

Prostretch - Heel Stretch Device

A University of Colorado study proves the Prostretch stretches the heel cord more effectively by preventing the mal-alignment and compensatory pronation associated with wall or stair stretching. The ProStretch directs body weight into its heel cup, which prevents co-contraction and weight bearing on the metatarsals. Ideal for stretching ankle, Achilles tendon, and calf muscles.

Medi-Dyne StretchRite Exercise Strap

Polyester canvas strap is strong, durable, and won't break
Extra wide foot strap is easy to grip, and won't slip
Easy to grip ergonomically designed handles; tension adjusts easily, allowing for proper stretching
Multiple handles provides option for stretching stages, allowing for additional stretches
Canvas loops can be anchored over foot or other object

Medi-Dyne CoreStretch Core Body Exerciser

Safe and effective stretching device for your back, shoulders, hips, hamstrings and shins
Designed to stretch the back, shoulders and legs better than traditional and conventional methods
Elongates the back, stretching the muscles, tendons and ligaments in the back, and those in your legs that work in conjunction with the back
CoreStretch is light and collapsible making it easy to transport for use anywhere you go
3 levels of progression: beginner, intermediate, advanced

Find more books, DVD and equipment for stretching at my online Exercise Store!

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