woman stretching after workout

Most Important Benefits Of Stretching After a Workout

The best stretching benefits after you start your workout are essential. To explain it simply, it loosens and massages the muscles. Better still, stretching also reduces the risk and impact of injury during exercising.

If you are just starting a workout routine, it’s wise to do some stretching exercises first. To do them, first lay down on a flat surface (preferably with no backrest). Next, cross your arms over your chest. Then, without flexing or moving your arms, just simply pull your body up towards your legs, keeping your elbows in contact with the floor. Do some simple stretches, and you will be amazed by how much better you feel.

Loosen up tight muscles and promote flexibility

The following stretches are all great ways to loosen up tight muscles and promote flexibility and mobility. They will also work out those same muscles that will be hard to get to when exercising. Great for beginners, these stretches are all easy to do and can be done anywhere. Whether at home, the gym, or even when driving to the store – these stretches are a great way to stretch after working out.

These stretches should be performed just before you put on any athletic gear. Doing such stretches is not only a great way to warm up but also to stretch and loosen the muscles of the shoulders and arms, which will benefit you greatly as you begin your workout routine. Begin by lying flat on your back on the floor. Then cross your arms over your chest and start with some gentle, light arm rotations.

For this next stretch, start by lying on the floor with your lower back facing upwards. Keep your chest up as you gently flex your upper body, allowing the small of your back to rise towards your shoulders. This will stretch out the hamstrings, the group of muscles that run from the front of the hip down the back of the leg. This stretch is great for relieving tight hamstrings when doing a squat or lunges. When done properly, stretching will not feel like stretching, it will feel more like an actual workout.

man stretching after workout

Stretch right after you finish your workout session

Another thing that you can do to get the most benefits of stretching after workouts is to do your post-workout stretches right after you finish your workout session. You can do these two stretches right after your workout session to help post-workout recovery. First, simply stand with your feet hip-distance apart. Then, using light muscle-secreting motion, slowly pull yourself back to your starting position. Do this in a slow, smooth motion until your sides are fully extended.

After completing one of your post-workout stretching exercises, do not immediately go back to your previous position. Give the stretching a chance to work. The best way to ensure that the stretching exercises will work is to take a minute or so to give the stretches time to become effective. It is very easy to get caught up in completing your workout and forgetting about stretching. Your body needs time to repair itself and return to its normal state, so by stretching after your workout, you are giving it that needed time to recover and become stronger.

To sum up

By doing simple post-workout stretching exercises, you can make huge improvements in your ability to strengthen your muscles after your workout. These simple exercises will help you get the most out of your time in the gym. They will also save you some money because you won’t have to pay for expensive gym memberships. The results that you will receive from the simple exercises will far outweigh the cost of paying gym membership fees. Best of all, these exercises are fun and will keep you from getting bored with your strength training workouts, which is never a good thing when working out.