Now that you know a little more about stretching and their benefits for the body, here you'll discover the pitfalls to avoid when stretching.
What is the best time to stretch?
There are no wrong doing to daily practice. It is recommended to stretch as often as possible, in order to feel the benefits. Regular stretching helps improve flexibility and suppleness.
However, this does not mean you should stretch at any time! You need to adapt your stretching (frequency, intensity) to your goal.
For static stretching, I will do it after my sessions, or during them in certain cases, but never on cold muscles.
If I want to stretch during a break, I'll opt for slow but dynamic movements, similar to certain activities or techniques such as QiGONG.
Qi gong exercises are designed to loosen joints and enrich vital energy. It consists of dynamic, slow movements, static postures for grounding and standing balance, and self-massages. All are coordinated with breathing and mindfulness. The aim is to find relaxation through stretching.
Through stretching and postures, all deep muscles are activated. The benefits of qi gong can then be seen in your posture. “To be effective, the movements require a great deal of concentration, which can help people who find it difficult to stay focused."
Stretch safely
First of all, make sure you are wearing an outfit that feel comfortable in. Plan a time slot in your schedule for your stretching session, so that you have plenty of time.
Hold your position for at least 15 seconds, and don't hesitate to take long breaths. This helps release muscular tension.
Stretch without forcing, until you feel the sensations, and release gently when you've reached your maximum amplitude and feel tension. It's important to :
- Stop before feeling pain
- Always release very gently, do not drop your leg or arm for example.
Stretching is painful
Stretching should never hurt. If it does, stop immediately.
Pain may come from:
- An incorrect muscle tensioning movement
- Excessive muscle tension (never go beyond the simple sensation of stretching)
- An early or undetected injury
- Insufficient recovery from an old injury (you don't stretch a muscle that's bleeding, injured or bruised). In such cases, stretching presents a high risk of aggravation.
Find here a complete example of various stretches you can do.