If you play sport or work out, there's no getting away from stretching. But are stretching exercises really useful? And when is the best time to stretch? This SWICA health tip tells you everything you need to know.
General Stretching Tips
Before training
Before exercising, your muscles should be warmed up and readied for the physical exertion. It's a good idea to perform stretching exercises for different muscle groups. Typical sequences might include lunges or shoulder rotations. These stretches come under the heading of "dynamic stretching". They are active, controlled movements.
Dynamic stretching (stretching with short swinging movements)
Stretch to the maximum only briefly.
Stretch only until you feel a slight pulling effect, then release again.
After training
Static stretches are most suitable for a cool down. They involve holding a position for a few seconds to stretch and extend the muscle. Unlike dynamic stretches, they don't actively work the muscle.
Static stretching (stretching without moving)
Hold the lightly stretched pose for 20 to 90 seconds.
Release the stretch slowly – never with a sudden jerk.
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Common mistakes when stretching
- Launching straight into stretching without warming up the muscles first
- Fast, uncontrolled movements
- Not stretching for long enough
- Focusing on too few muscle groups
- Holding the position for too long, which can lead to microtrauma (small tears in the muscle fibres) and cause muscle soreness
