Top 5 Benefits of Stretching

Top 5 Benefits of Stretching

There are several benefits of stretching, and stretching needs to be a part of your fitness program.

Stretching, in its most basic form, is a natural and instinctive activity. People often stretch instinctively after waking from sleep or after long periods of inactivity.

As a form of exercise, stretching involves elongating a specific muscle or muscle group to its fullest length.

Here are the top five benefits of stretching:

1. Increases flexibility.

Flexibility is the degree to which an individual muscle will lengthen. Lack of flexibility causes your movement to become slower and less fluid and makes you more susceptible to muscle strains, ligament sprains and other soft tissue injuries. The most effective way to increase your flexibility is by stretching.

2. Improves circulation.

Stretching increases blood flow to the muscles. This increased blood flow brings more nourishment to the muscles and removes more waste byproducts from the muscles. Increased blood flow can also help speed up recovery from muscle and joint injuries.

3. Improves balance and coordination.

The increased flexibility that comes from stretching improves balance and coordination. Improved balance and coordination lowers your risk for falls.

4. Helps alleviate lower back pain.

Stiff and tight muscles in the lower back, hamstrings, buttocks and hips is one of the more common causes of lower back pain. Stretching these muscles will alleviate the pain.

5. Helps improve cardiovascular health.

Recent studies have found that stretching can improve artery function and lower blood pressure.

In conclusion, don't overlook the benefits of stretching. Make sure that stretching is a regular part of your fitness program.

Call today and setup an appointment for a stretching session, besides helping your body feel better you may be strengthening your heart. 801-703-8503

Gary Rumel, Corrective Therapist

Fitworks Corrective Therapy

www.fitworksutah.com

Stretching Reduces Fatigue as Well as Other Benefits

Stretching Reduces Fatigue as Well as Other Benefits

Stretching is a simple and effective activity that helps to enhance athletic performance, decrease the likelihood of injury and minimize muscle soreness.

Reduced Fatigue

Fatigue is a major problem for everyone, especially those who exercise. It results in a decrease in both physical and mental performance. Increased flexibility through stretching can help prevent the effects of fatigue by taking pressure off the working muscles, (the agonist). For every muscle in the body there is an opposite or opposing muscle, (the antagonist). If the opposing muscles are more flexible, the working muscles do not have to exert as much fore against the opposing muscles. Therefore each movement of the working muscles actually take less effort.

Added Benefits

Along with the benefits listed above, a regular stretching program will also help improve posture; develop body awareness; improve co-ordination; promote circulation; increase energy; and improve relaxation and stress relief.

Fitworks Corrective Therapy has been successful in helping clients improve their flexibility through a stretching program. Give Fitworks Corrective Therapy a call today to get a free stretching session and discover how your flexibility is doing. 801-703-8503.

Gary Rumel, Corrective Therapist

Fitworks CorrectiveTherapy

Fitworks! Because it works!

www.fitworksutah.com

Stretching Increases Power and Reduces Muscle Soreness

Stretching Increases Power and Reduces Muscle Soreness

Stretching is a simple and effective activity that helps to enhance athletic performance, decrease the likelihood of injury and minimize muscle soreness. 

Increased Power

By increasing our muscle length we are increasing the distance over which our muscles are able to contract. This results in a potential increase to our muscles power and therefore increases our athletic ability.  This will lead to an improvement in our balance or our ability to control our muscles.

Reduced Post Exercise Muscle Soreness

We have all experience what happens when we go for a run or to the gym for the first time in a few months. The following day our muscles are tight, sore, stiff and it is usually hard to even walk down a flight of stairs. This soreness that usually accompanies strenuous physical activity is often referred to as post exercise muscle soreness. This soreness is the result of micro tears, (small tears within the muscle fibers), blood pooling and accumulated waste products, such as lactic acid. Stretching, as part of an effective cool down, it helps alleviate the soreness by lengthening the individual muscle fibers; increasing blood circulation; and removing waste products.

Fitworks Corrective Therapy has been successful in helping clients improve their flexibility because of musculoskeletal imbalances. Give Fitworks Corrective Therapy a call today to get a free stretching session and discover how your flexibility is doing. 801-703-8503.

Gary Rumel, Corrective Therapist

Fitworks Corrective Therapy

www.fitworksutah.com

Source: The Anatomy of Stretching by Brad Walker

Improved Range of Movement

 

Stretching is a simple and effective activity that helps to enhance athletic performance, decrease the likelihood of injury and minimize muscle soreness.

Improved Range of Movement

By placing particular parts of the body in certain positions (proper stretching), we are able to increase the length of our muscles. As a result of stretching, general muscle tightness is reduced and an increase in range of movement is increased. 

By increasing our range of movement we are increasing the distance our limbs can move before damage occurs to the muscles and tendons. The more flexible and pliable muscles are, the further we can move them before a strain or injury occurs to them.

The benefits of an extended range of movement includes: increased comfort; a great ability to   move freely; and lessening of our chances to muscle and tendon strain injuries.

Fitworks Corrective Therapy has been successful in helping clients improve their flexibility. Give Fitworks Corrective Therapy a call today to get a free stretching session and discover how your flexibility is doing. 801-703-8503.

Gary Rumel, Corrective Therapist

FitworksCorrective Therapy

www.fitworksutah.com

Source: The Anatomy of Stretching by Brad Walker

How Flexible are your Shoulders?

How Flexible are your Shoulders?

The Shoulder Stretch Test is a simple flexibility test to determine if the hands can be brought together behind the back.

• Purpose: This test measures upper arm and shoulder girdle flexibility.
• Procedure:
• This test is done in the standing position.
• Place one hand behind the head and back over the shoulder, and reach as far as possible down the middle of your back, your palm touching your body and the fingers directed downwards
• Place the other arm behind your back, palm facing outward and fingers upward and reach up as far as possible attempting to touch the fingers of each hand.
• The tester may be required to direct the subject so that the fingers are aligned.
• See if the subject can touch their fingers.
• Test the left and right shoulders.
• Comments: Do not conduct the test if you experience pain.

If your fingers can touch you have good flexibility.  If the fingers do not touch you need to work on increasing your flexibility in your upper arm and shoulder girdle.  If one side is more flexible than the other, you most likely have a musculoskeletal imbalance in your upper arm and shoulder girdle.

Call today to schedule a free posture evaluation to identify your muskeletol imbalances. 801-703-8503.

Gary Rumel, Corrective Therapist

Fitworks Corrective Therapy

www.fitworksutah.com

What is Flexibility?

What is Flexibility?

Flexibility is often over looked, but very important to your overall health and physical fitness.

“Flexibility it is commonly known as range of movement, or motion around a particular joint or set of joints. Or in layman's terms, how far we can reach, bend or turn.” 

Tight and stiff muscles can limit your range of movement. With limited movement you body will not move they way it was designed and imbalances in your body can develop.

Lack of flexibility can be a major contributing factor to muscle and joint pain. It can also increase your chance of becoming injured.

Tight and stiff muscles will interfere with proper muscle action.  It can cause a loss of strength and power during physical activity.

Tight and stiff muscles can even restrict blood circulation.  Good blood circulation is important I helping the muscles receive the oxygen and nutrients they need. Poor circulation can increase muscle fatigue and the ability to recover from strenuous exercise and the muscles repair process is slowed down.

Flexibility is an important part of your overall health and physical fitness. Nothing feels as good a good stretch!  Better get stretching.

Fitworks Corrective Therapy has a unique approach to eliminate pain. It's program is designed to improve posture, increase flexibility, and loosen muscle tissue, resulting in overall superior health.

Call for a flexibility session today. 801-703-8503

Gary Rumel, Corrective Therapist

Fitworks Corrective Therapy

www.fitworksutah.com

Flexibility

Flexibility

Staying flexible is the key to mobility and lack of soreness in the muscles. As you build the muscle, flexibility allows the joints to move the way they were designed to.

I have stretched many golfers who are now hitting the ball 25 years farther. That is a very big deal to a golfer. All of us need to stretch every day.  As you gain flexibility you will notice that you have more energy as well as no pain and discomfort in your muscles. You will feel so much better in your body.

Gary Rumel, Corrective Therapist

Fitworks Corrective Therapy 
www.fitworksutah.com