6 Most Common Stretching Mistakes That You Should Avoid

It’s easy to think of stretching as simply a warm-up or cool-down to your workouts, but it’s so much more than that. Before you do any physical activity, make sure you stretch to decrease your risk of injury and increase your range of motion. Stretching is also a great way to recover from workouts, whether you’re doing strength or cardio training. After your workout, stretch to improve flexibility and circulation, recover from your workout and reduce soreness.

However, it’s not just about the physical benefits. Stretching is also about feeling good. The very act of stretching can be wonderfully relaxing, and it’s a great way to improve your mood and take your mind off of any stress you’re feeling. To achieve this, stretching must be done correctly, without any mistakes.

This article lists down some of the most common mistakes that people make during stretching. Read on below to find out if you're doing any of them.

#1 - Doing Static Stretches Before Exercising

Static stretching (also known as passive stretching) involves stretching a particular muscle or muscle group while the limb is held in one position. This is commonly performed before workouts to prepare the body for physical activity.

Unfortunately, it tends to have the opposite effect. Exercise, especially cardio training, tends to increase the number of specific proteins being produced in the muscles. When you perform static stretching before exercise, you’re inhibiting the production of these proteins, thereby reducing your body's own ability to prepare for the sport or activity that you are about to engage in.

#2 - Feeling Pain

Let's make one thing clear: you don't need to feel pain when you stretch. The primary purpose of stretching is to increase the range of motion of the muscles you are stretching. You should feel slight discomfort or tension in the muscle, making the tension manageable. The aim is not to tear or damage the muscle but to lengthen it to its greatest length and increase the body's elasticity.

However, if you feel pain, you're doing something wrong. The point is to stretch the muscle without tearing it apart. If you are feeling a lot of pain, your range of motion is already pretty good, and stretching won't bring many benefits to you. The pain you're feeling is your body telling you that you have stretched enough.

#3 - Not Holding Stretches Long Enough

Stretching a muscle requires a certain amount of time, depending on several factors such as the position of the stretch, your current level of flexibility, and the muscle that you're stretching itself. Many people don't give this enough time and just release the muscle when they feel slight discomfort. They think that if they hold their stretch for a couple of seconds, it's good enough.

This has a very negative effect on your muscles. First, it does not increase your range of motion as much as it can. Second, it causes you to lose flexibility over time. This is because your body has a limited capacity to memorise muscle lengths. Each time you release a stretch, you’re losing some of the range of motion you have attained.

#4 - Holding Your Breath During a Stretch

Many people take the wrong approach to stretching by holding their breath while stretching. The idea is that you should feel a stretch in the muscle you are targeting, and this is simply meant to increase the discomfort. But in reality, holding your breath during a stretch is counterproductive because it deprives your body of oxygen, which can easily lead to muscle strain and injury.

#5 - Stretching an Injured Muscle

Some people believe that stretching an injured muscle helps alleviate the pain, but you should never do it, no matter how tempting it is. Your muscle is already injured, and you don't want to stretch it further and make the injury worse.

Instead, you should focus on the other muscle groups in your body that aren’t injured and stretch them instead. You don't want to overstretch the injured muscle because it can lead to muscle or tendon tears, which you don't want.

#6 - Using the Wrong Techniques

There are several different types of stretches. There are static stretches, which we have already talked about, and dynamic stretches require you to move while you stretch. There are also ballistic stretches and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretches that need their instructions.

Each of these requires a specific amount of tension and range of motion, depending on the type of stretch and the muscle you’re targeting. The wrong amount of tension can cause injuries, while the wrong amount of range of motion can cause you to lose flexibility.

Conclusion

Stretching is meant to improve your flexibility so you can move your body more freely and perform all sorts of physical activities with ease. But you can't do that if you don't know your way around stretching. Make sure you are performing each stretch correctly to achieve maximum benefits.

Stretch Studio provides top-quality services for assisted stretching in Melbourne. We understand the need for proper exercise techniques, which is why our trained and licensed flexologists will help you ensure that your fitness goals are met. Contact us today to learn more!

Ben Williams