The Benefits of Regular Stretching: Why You Should Make It a Part of Your Routine

Are you stretching after every workout? Do you know the importance? Let's get you educated on all things stretch!

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Many of you would have heard that it is important to stretch, especially after a workout - But you may be asking why?

Stretching in general on a daily basis can provide the body with so many wonderful benefits both physically and also mentally, but stretching after a workout is especially important to help reduce the risk of injury and promote recovery.

I know the temptation is big to leave the gym immediately after finishing the last set of your workout or running out immediately after a group fitness class finishes before the stretch/cool down. But you are doing yourself an injustice and may be exposing yourself to more harm than good.

In this post, I want to talk about stretching after a workout specifically and why it is important!

Stretching After a Workout:

You may have experienced that feeling of stiffness throughout the body the day after exercising, even if you are a frequent and consistent gym goer. If you are not stretching after working out, this can be a likely cause of your muscle stiffness. When your muscles and tendons are not stretched properly after a workout, you are more susceptible to injury and prolonged recovery.

Below is a list of some of the many benefits of stretching after a workout.

Benefits of Stretching After a Workout:

• Reduce the likelihood of injury

• Promote blood flow and recovery

• Increase circulation around the muscles and joints

• Increase flexibility

• Decrease muscular tension

• Help prevent aches and pains

• Promote relaxation both mentally and physically

• Reduce stress

• Help keep muscles and tendons healthy and strong

As you can see, stretching after a workout provides the body with so many benefits. I hope you can begin to see how important stretching can be for our bodies and will be making time to stretch after your workouts from now on!

How Long Should I Stretch After a Workout:

So, now you know some of the many benefits, a common question is - How long should I stretch for after a workout?

Now this is somewhat dependent on how much time you actually have. A short stretch targeting the main muscle groups you have worked out in that session is better than no stretch at all.

I would encourage always fitting in a quick stretch after a workout, even if it is just 5 minutes. Ideally, you want to be stretching out the target muscles you have just worked out and any specific areas of tension or stiffness that feel need to be stretched.

I personally like to stretch for about 15-30 minutes after each workout. However, I completely understand that this may not work with everyone’s schedule.

My recommendation is to opt for at least a 5-10 minute stretch after every workout. If you happen to be able to spend a little longer stretching then that is great! Otherwise, at least 5 minutes should give you sufficient time to get a stretch of the main muscles of the workout you just completed.

How Long Should I Hold Each Stretch For:

When we are warming up we try and utilise “Dynamic Stretches” to promote mobility and prepare the body for exercise. These types of stretches incorporate gentle movement within a stretch or between a few stretches. In contrast, we can utilise “Static Stretches” after a workout to encourage flexibility and recovery. Static stretches are where we hold a particular stretch and try to promote relaxing and deepening into stretches as our bodies release tension.

In the fitness and health industry, recommendations frequently change as new research comes to light. Currently, holding static stretches for anywhere between 10 seconds to 3 minutes is an approximate guideline for most.

Now that is quite a large range of variation of time, so how do you know if you should hold a stretch for only 10 seconds or 3 minutes? Well again this will depend on your time availability, your current level of experience with stretching, and also your own comfort levels.

After a workout, I would recommend aiming to hold each stretch for around 30 seconds. This will allow you enough time to soften and relax into the stretch without spending too long trying to fit in every necessary stretch post-workout.

Short on Time?

If you are short on time and feel like you cannot fit in a stretch post-workout. I recommend shortening your workout by just 5 minutes to fit that stretch in. Your body will honestly thank you for it later and I cannot repeat enough times just how important stretching is! If you do happen to run out of time, or forget to stretch and have already left the gym, try and find sometime later in the day to do a gentle stretch, again your body will thank you for this later.

Be Gentle and Don’t Forget to Breath!

One of the most important elements of stretching is trying to relax and release tension. There is no point in stretching if you are forcing your body into uncomfortable positions that create more tension and holding your breath to try and make it through the stretch, as you are more likely to cause yourself an injury or strain yourself this way.

Always aim to stretch gently and slow down your breathing. After a workout we can be super energised and need to allow time to calm our bodies and minds down, so we want to encourage deep breathing to help us relax. As you are holding a stretch, you may find you can come deeper into the position as your body relaxes. Try to begin a stretch lightly and then come deeper as your body begins to soften.

Summary:

Aim to stretch after every workout for at least 5-10 minutes

Focus on stretching out the main target muscles you have just worked out

Hold each static stretch for around 30 seconds each

Work within your comfort levels and range of motion

Try to relax and breathe during each stretch to encourage the muscles to release tension

I personally love creating stretching routines for my clients. Including pre-workout, post-workout, and general daily stretching. If this is something you are interested in, please don’t be afraid to reach out anytime! You can contact me via my “Contact” page on my website.

The main takeaway point from this blog is - Don’t skip the stretch after your workouts! You can always make time!

Happy stretching!