Stretching after strength training for girls exercise. Why is it important to stretch after a workout?

Content:

Should I stretch after strength training? What are the benefits of such movements. How to properly stretch different muscle groups.

Many people confuse stretching with warming up before a workout. In fact, these are incomparable things. A warm-up is necessary to warm up the muscles, “start” the heart and circulatory system, and prepare the body for stress. Stretching is a process aimed at increasing flexibility, improving the elasticity of muscle groups. But is it worth tying her to the gym? Do you need to stretch after a workout? And if yes, then how to do it right?

A bit of physiology

Experienced athletes and physiologists know that muscle strength depends on the amplitude with which they contract. The potential of muscle fibers, their ability to grow, depends on the difference in the contracted and stretched state. Based on this statement, then for growth it is enough to achieve a greater "contractile" amplitude, and it is possible to increase the amplitude by increasing its elasticity.

Stretching before training reduces the risk of injury during exercise, increases the strength of muscle fibers, makes them more elastic. Studies have shown that this is a guarantee of flexibility. At the same time, the joints become more mobile, and the movements become coordinated. Athletes often stretch in the process of exercising in order to maintain elasticity at a high level.

What happens after strength training? The muscles are clogged, the fibers are damaged and need to be repaired. Stretching your muscles after a workout improves blood circulation and reduces the risk of pain the next day.

Advantages

Stretching guarantees the following effects:

• Rapid transition of muscles to the recovery stage. Thanks to this, muscle fibers grow at an accelerated pace, and the body can more easily cope with damage.
• In the next workout, the stretched muscles work with greater efficiency and amplitude. That is why such exercises are indispensable for achieving results in sports.
• The risk of joint injuries, inflammatory processes, which are caused by the contraction of muscle fibers, is reduced.
• A smooth transition between work with high intensity and rest of the body is guaranteed. At the same time, the load on the heart muscle is reduced, the “pumpability” of the blood is improved, and the existing stagnation in the muscles is eliminated.
• Stretching after exercise normalizes blood pressure, pulse and body temperature.
• The rapid elimination of lactic acid reduces post-workout pain and speeds up the recovery phase.
• The whole body relaxes, the mental state is restored after exertion.

Rules for holding

The fact of conducting such a training does not matter if the process is organized incorrectly. Observe the following rules:

• Act smoothly, without sudden movements. Stretching after exercise requires gentle movements. You should not take on all the weight to stretch a particular muscle. Movements should be progressive, without the slightest sign of harshness. Pain is excluded. Otherwise, the risk of injury increases.
• Breathe properly. Concentrate on your breathing - it should be slow and deep. It is not recommended to hold air in the lungs, because it only knocks you out of the working rhythm and additionally burdens the body.
• Do only those exercises that you can do. Start with simple movements. As soon as the body adapts, move on to more complex performance options.

Exercises: types and subtleties of execution

Each muscle group has an individual approach to training:

1. thigh muscles. This exercise should be performed after barbell squats. Stand straight, feet wider than shoulders. Bend your right leg at the knee and shift your weight onto it. Move your left leg to the side as far as possible, stretching the inside of the thigh. Hold the pose for 15-30 seconds.
   Now stand on one slightly bent leg. Raise the shin of the second leg and place it just above the knee of the supporting one. Grab your ankle and thigh with your hands. Bend your leg even more and lean forward a little, stand like this for 10-15 seconds. Thanks to this stretch, it is possible to unlock the potential of the quadriceps and give an impetus to the muscles for growth.
2. Breast. To stretch your chest muscles, stand near a support (such as a door frame), raise your arms in front of you, rest your elbows on the doorposts, and stick your chest out between the uprights. When you feel that the muscles are stretched, freeze and pause (count up to 20).
3. Lower back. To stretch it, you need to take a lunge position (on one leg), and then turn the body to the side. As soon as you feel the tension in the back, fix the position for 20-30 seconds.
4. Latissimus dorsi. The easiest way to stretch this group is near the Swedish wall or on the horizontal bar. Grab the bar and hang on it. You should feel a stretch in your lats. In the peak position, it is worth pausing.
5. calf. To stretch the calves, it is enough to become a toe for any rise and “fall through” down to the limit. In this case, it is allowed to do slight swaying up and down, so as not to greatly overload the muscles.
6. Biceps. The biceps muscle is stretched near the door jamb or wall. Stand with your back to the joint, take your hand back, hook on the surface and pull the biceps.
7. Triceps. This group is also stretched near the wall. Raise your arm, bend it, rest your elbow against the wall and, as it were, “slide down” gradually down. Next, you should stretch the triceps to the limit and pause for 20-30 seconds.

Questions and answers

In conclusion, consider a number of questions that interest beginner athletes:

• Should You Stretch After Every Workout? Definitely. Regardless of the type and duration of the exercise, an additional load is mandatory for the body. Such exercises improve blood flow, provide muscles with nutrients, and contribute to the saturation of cells with oxygen.
• How to perform the exercise - in statics or in dynamics? As already mentioned, in the process of stretching it is useful to fix the moment of greatest stretching with a subsequent increase in amplitude. If you choose between the two options, then you should focus on the level of training. The static method is a safe option that is suitable for beginner athletes. The second option is more complex and is suitable for people who have good control over their body. When performed correctly, it is possible to develop flexibility and increase the effectiveness of the training.
• When is the best time to exercise for the body? Warming up before class does not require any complex exercises. The goal is to increase the heart rate and warm up the muscles. The options here are dancing, running on the track, squats, working with light weights and so on. The purpose of stretching after exercise is to speed up recovery, calm down, and help the body remove foreign decay products. Athletes with experience recommend stretching not before, but after strength training.
• Should there be pain? Stretching should be soft, without pain. When it is performed in statics, the maximum stretch should be fixed and held for 20-30 seconds (in the future, this interval can be increased). If discomfort is felt, then the effort is reduced. You can't have someone stretch "through the pain." It is necessary to dose the load in order to eliminate the risk of injury. Mild pain is acceptable, but it should not be unbearable.
• Does regular stretching work? Lack of regular exercise leads to loss of flexibility. To develop this quality, classes should be held daily or twice a day. If the goals are global - to sit on the twine or take the lotus position, then it is worth attracting a professional. The master helps to build a training program correctly and avoid injuries. It is important to understand which muscle and how to stretch.

Results

Stretching after strength training takes a little time, but the benefits of such exercises can not be overestimated. A few simple movements help the body move from a state of hard work to a state of rest. In addition, the process of recovery and muscle growth is faster, which is a big plus for the athlete.

Stretching or stretching is aimed at maintaining the flexibility of muscles, ligaments and joints, improving posture and developing coordination. Stretching is a separate sports direction, however, its elements often complement other complexes. So, for sure you have heard more than once that stretching is necessary after a workout. Why is this necessary, and how to properly perform this same stretch? Let's try to figure it out.

Consider why you need to stretch after a workout. After physical activity, the muscles are loaded and exhausted, they are in a state of hypoxia, and can hurt. Thanks to stretching, the blood flow is distributed evenly, decay products are eliminated faster. It helps relieve muscle fatigue and relieve pain. Stretching also helps to recover faster and form the correct shape of the figure.

Why do men need to stretch after a workout?

To get the most out of sports, you need to start, conduct and end your workouts correctly. Stretching helps increase endurance, strengthens joints, and increases range of motion. If the muscles are subjected to high loads, they shorten and harden over time. In the representatives of the stronger sex, they are tough in themselves, and therefore strength training gives more tangible results. Due to overstrain and overheating of the muscles, joint mobility may decrease, which reduces the effectiveness of the exercise.

Most men who are not professional athletes exercise in order to gain muscle relief, improve endurance and health. Why do men need stretching after a workout? It helps release tissue for muscle growth. By stretching, you will again accelerate the blood flow in the muscles. Lactic acid will begin to leave, the connective tissue, as it were, will give way to muscle fibers. Stretching helps to relax, provide additional oxygen not only to muscles, but also to internal organs. It helps to normalize blood pressure, increase the strength of ligaments and joints, and prevent diseases that are accompanied by the deposition of salts in the joints.

In men who stretch after a workout, arthritis and arthrosis are included three times less often than in those who do not stretch.

Why do girls need stretching after a workout?

Women, for the most part, go in for sports not in order to strongly pump up muscles, but in order to strengthen them, maintain a slender figure and body tone. Stretching after a workout for girls helps improve athletic performance, strengthens ligaments and joints, and prevents possible injuries. In addition, such exercises are a great way to improve flexibility, grace and sexuality, to get an attractive figure shape.

For a woman, muscle shortening will be an aesthetic problem. In addition, it increases the risk of injury due to inaccurate movements or walking in heels. Constant stretching improves coordination, promotes recovery of injured muscles and improves blood circulation, and even increases self-confidence.

It is important for girls during critical days not to overdo it with stretching, as it increases uterine contractions and can cause severe bleeding.

Stretching after a workout: basic rules

To make stretching after strength training as useful and effective as possible, follow these guidelines:

• Perform stretching exercises immediately after training, when the muscles are still warm.
• A little pain is acceptable. They show when you need to pause and stay in the accepted position for a while.
• You need to linger in the limit position for up to 30 seconds.
• Graduality is very important. Stretch slowly, gently, improving results with each workout.
• Avoid sharp pain.
• You need to relax the target muscles, and only then stretch. While the musculature is in good shape, it will prevent stretching, and if you stretch through force, you can get injured.
• To begin with, you can perform exercises in front of a mirror to work out their correct technique.
• You need to pull what you trained that day. But for the legs and lower back, the stretch should be constant, even if you didn’t work them out in the training.

Stretching exercises after training

Consider what stretching of muscles after training for different parts of the body might look like.

Neck

Neck stretching is based on tilting the head to the sides and back and forth.

• Stand up straight. Look ahead. Pull your chin slowly towards your chest as far as you can. Having reached the limit, try to lower your head a little more lower. Continue for 10-15 seconds.
• Tilt your heads back, trying to reach the back with the back of your head. Continue reaching to your back for ten seconds. Be sure to keep your mouth closed while doing this.
• The most important are the lateral muscles of the neck. Take a similar starting position. Now raise your right hand and pull your head to the right. The right ear should reach towards the right shoulder. The shoulder should not move. Once you feel the stretch, keep doing the exercise. In the limit position, linger for 20-30 seconds. The same is repeated for the other side of the neck.
• Then make several circular movements with your head in both directions.

Arms and Shoulders

It is important that stretching after a workout in the gym includes exercises for the shoulders, flexors and extensors. For exercises, you will need a Swedish wall or any other vertical support.

Shoulders and biceps stretch as follows:

• Stand on the support with your right side, stand straight.
• With the open palm of your right hand, rest against the rack. The arm should be straight and slightly laid back.
• Start turning your body to the left. At the same time, listen to your feelings. You need to move in such a way that you feel a stretch in your right shoulder and biceps. Everyone should find the most correct direction for themselves.
• Stretch as far as you can. In the limit position, linger for up to half a minute.
• Repeat the same for the left hand.

To stretch the triceps, use the following exercise:

• Raise your right arm up, bend it at the elbow joint. The palm of the right hand should be near the left shoulder.
• Grab your right elbow with your left hand. Gently pull it to the left.
• Hold at the point of tension for half a minute, then change hands.

Breast

The chest is partially stretched along with the shoulders and biceps. You can also drag it like this:

• Lean with both hands on the bars, as if you want to wring out. Let your feet rest on the floor. Elbows will be pulled up - this is your starting position.
• Slowly lower yourself as far as your chest muscles allow. The body should not sink too low, otherwise there is a risk of damaging the ligaments. Focus on mild, tolerable pain.
• In the final position, linger for half a minute.

Press

For the press, stretching exercises after training are performed as follows:

• You need to lie on your stomach, take emphasis, as with push-ups.
• Straighten up on your hands, as if already wrung out. The pelvis must be kept on the floor.
• Bend as hard as you can. Hold the final state for up to half a minute.
• If you feel pain in your back, try arching as long as you can. Over time, you will be able to do this more and more.

Back, waist, back of thighs

For the back, the stretch will look like this:

• You need to stand up straight, bend your chest forward, take your pelvis back. Breathe evenly. Begin to bend your back at your chest as far as you can. Bring your shoulders forward, pull your arms forward and down. The chin should move behind the hands.
• Stretch your arms as far as you can, then return to the starting position. Pauses are not needed here. You should experience muscle tension in the area of ​​​​the shoulder blades - this indicates the effectiveness of the exercise.

Stretch for the lower back and back of the thighs:

• Starting position as in the previous exercise. The curvature of the lower back is very important. The buttocks must be pulled back.
• Keeping the bends and straightness of the knees, reach down with your hands to the floor. Your task is to touch them to the toes.
• It is important not to break the deflection in the lower back. Let at first you can only reach the ankles - it's okay, gradually you will improve your performance. But if you arch your back in an arc, the exercise will become useless, in addition, it will also be traumatic.

Leg stretch

Stretching your legs after a workout is especially important for those who want to sit on the splits. Consider what exercises we need for this.

Knee extension:

• Starting position - sitting with the buttocks on the floor. Keep your legs bent at the knees in front of you. The knees should be laid aside.
• Keep your feet together. Try to take them forward 15-20 cm away from you.
• Press your hands on your knees, trying to lower them to the floor. Over time, you will be able to touch the floor with your knees. In the limit state, linger for 30 seconds.

Legs to the sides (transverse twine)

• After completing the previous exercise, stand up, spread your straight legs to the sides as wide as you can. You can hold on to any support with your hands.
• Gradually spread your legs even wider. Hold in the lowest position for 30 seconds. You can repeat several times.

If your goal is to specifically sit on the twine, then when you have 10-15 cm left to the floor, you should ask for help from a partner who will have to gently put pressure on you from above.

Legs back and forth (longitudinal twine)

• Take a standing position. With one foot, step forward as far as possible, leave the other back. Keep both legs straight. Move them back and forth as far as you can.
• Hold the final position for 30 seconds. You can repeat the exercise if you wish.

Thanks to this simple complex, you can significantly improve muscle tone, training efficiency, coordination and flexibility. Remember that stretching is a basic element of training and should not be ignored. Simple and effective exercises significantly reduce the risk of injury and improve your fitness. We recommend watching a video with stretching after a workout, which will demonstrate the features of its implementation.

Stretching after a workout in the gym on video

Learn how to properly stretch your muscles after strength training. Familiarize yourself with the exercises and the benefits they bring, and be sure to include them in your program!

Stretching is the final part of your workout, increasing your flexibility and strengthening your muscles.

Many people stretch just before exercising to reduce the risk of injury. This is the right approach, but it should be noted that before stretching, you must definitely warm up. At the beginning of the workout, you can do a light stretch after the warm-up exercises that awaken the body, but the main focus of the stretching complex should be done at the end.

What is stretching for?

• Improves body flexibility. The plasticity of the muscles, in turn, increases the range of motion. Therefore, it will be easier for you to perform high-impact exercises and it will be more difficult for you to get injured in the process of training.
• Strengthens muscles.
• Promotes the growth of muscle fibers and an increase in strength.
• Helps you to be mobile and active in daily life.
• Tones the joints, relieving them of tightness and stiffness.
• Improves blood circulation.
• Improves posture.

There are several types of stretching that will allow you to properly and effectively stretch your muscles.

Dynamic stretch

Represents swing and rotational movements.

Don't confuse dynamic stretching with ballistic stretching! Ballistic stretching uses jerky movements, while dynamic stretching uses gentle and gentle movements.

Start with light movements, gradually increasing the range of motion. Do not do this too abruptly, otherwise you risk damaging the joints. Movements should be soft and smooth.

Exercises: swing arms and legs, torso twists.

Ballistic stretch

The purpose of this stretch is to increase your range of motion.

When performing a set of exercises related to ballistic stretching, short jerks should be made using inertia. Due to these movements, the muscles stretch and the range of motion increases.

Do not make too sudden movements - this can lead to injury.

Exercises: touching the tips of the toes with the fingers from a standing and sitting position, swinging the legs, windmill.

Static stretch

This type of stretching is holding a certain posture for some time.

From the starting position, begin to gently stretch the muscles that the exercise is aimed at. In the final phase, when you can no longer move on, fix the position and keep it for 30 seconds.

Active stretch

When performing this stretch, you must take the necessary position for stretching the muscles solely due to the tension in the muscles. Do not hold the desired position with the help of hands, nearby objects, or a partner. Try to maintain the working position for 10-15 seconds.

Passive stretch

The point of this type of stretch is that you have to stretch the muscles using your hands, aids or a partner. For example, lift your leg up and fix the position with your hands.

The split is also one of the passive stretching exercises. The floor acts as an auxiliary tool that promotes muscle stretching.

Passive stretching is ideal for recovering an injured muscle. Great for relaxing after strength training, as it helps to reduce fatigue and reduce muscle pain after exercise.

Isometric stretching

Another type of stretching, the essence of which is to use resistance while stretching the muscles. You can include everything that can help you in the work: hands, floor, walls, partner. You must create resistance to the stretched muscle. This method is much more effective than active and passive stretching separately.

For example, you can bend one leg and hold the foot with your hands while trying to straighten your leg.

Another example of isometric stretching is the wall push exercise. Stand in front of a wall and try your best to move it. It is clear that you will not succeed, but you will perfectly stretch the muscles of your body, providing them with blood flow.

An equally wonderful exercise is pushing the doorway apart, which helps to stretch the spine and the overall recovery of the back.

Isometric stretching is not recommended for children and adolescents. The body at such a young age continues to grow and has great suppleness. Therefore, the exercise can lead to undesirable consequences: injuries to the tendons and connective tissues.

Do not perform a set of isometric stretching exercises several times a day. There should be a gap of approximately 36 hours between sessions.

Proper isometric stretching is achieved through the following simple steps.

1. Take the starting position, as in a passive stretch.
2. Using resistance, tighten the muscle you want to stretch for 7-15 seconds.
3. Relax the muscle for at least 20 seconds.

PNF stretch

PNF (PNF) - proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation. The essence of this method is to relax the target muscle group after tension. It is the most effective and fastest option for increasing static-passive flexibility.

It is a combination of passive stretching and isometric stretching. First, the muscles are passively stretched, which is then replaced by a phase of isometric contraction in a stretched position with resistance, and then passive stretching with increased amplitude comes into play again.

The effectiveness of this technique will increase if a partner helps you during the exercises. He will create isometric resistance, and then perform a passive movement with an increased range of motion.

Muscles that are stretched must relax for 20 seconds before the next stretch.

Types of PNF stretch

contraction-relaxation

At the beginning of the exercise, after a passive stretch, you should isometrically contract the muscle for 7-15 seconds. Then let her rest for a couple of seconds, and then immediately repeat the passive stretch, but with more force. The final stretch should last 10-15 seconds.

It is the safest type of PNF stretch.

contraction-relaxation-contraction

The first part of the exercise repeats the contraction-relaxation principle: isometric contraction for 7-15 seconds and a short rest. While resting the stretched muscle, you need to isometrically contract the antagonist of the target muscle for 7-15 seconds. Then let the muscles rest for 20 seconds.

Contraction-relaxation-max

The first part is similar to the contraction-relaxation technique, but in the final stage of the exercise, dynamic or ballistic stretching is used.

Common Mistakes When Stretching

• Insufficient workout.

The muscles are not yet ready to stretch, because they have not yet warmed up. In the process of forced stretching, the risk of injury increases.

• Lack of rest between sets.

It happens that the muscle has not yet recovered from the previous load, but it is loaded again. You should not do this, because it can lead to muscle fatigue.

• Excessive stretch.

Don't overdo stretching. Don't forget that you should increase the elasticity of the muscles, not another hard workout.

• Wrong sequence of exercises.

If you mix up the sequence of actions, then the muscles will not get the desired effect from the exercises. In addition, due to rash actions, you can easily get injured.

Warm up before workout

Before strength training, it is necessary to perform a set of exercises aimed at. The composition of the general warm-up of the whole body includes pre-workout stretching.

Start by warming up your fingers and hands, then move on to your elbows and shoulders. Then stretch your neck, torso, lower back, hips, hips, knees, ankles, and toes.

Rotation in the joints will allow them to cope with stress with greater ease. Movements should be smooth and soft. Avoid sudden movements, otherwise you risk damaging the joint before training.

Next, proceed to static stretching, which will make your muscles more elastic. Start from the back, after which move to the upper body (neck, forearms, wrists, chest, triceps), and then to the lower (buttocks, groin, quadriceps, hamstrings, ankles, shins and feet).

Conclusion

Stretching after strength training is the best way to relieve tension, muscle fatigue andcaused by the release of lactic acid. Of course, it will not work to completely get rid of muscle pain, but the next day you will feel much better.

Do not overdo it when doing exercises that stretch the muscles. If you feel a strong burning sensation or sharp pain, reduce the load and reduce the range of motion. Otherwise, you can damage muscle tissue, which will take several days to recover.

Every time you work out hard in the gym, your bones, ligaments, joints and muscle groups experience a huge compressive load. This load persists even after the end of the workout. As a result, the bones begin to come into closer contact with each other, which creates an additional effect of friction. In the long term, this can lead to negative consequences in the form of degenerative changes in the articular and bone tissue. What can be done to avoid such occurrences? For starters, stretch after your workout.

What happens during stretching

Stretching after strength training is a necessary set of measures that allows you to avoid injury.

When stretched, the following happens:

1. The muscles themselves stretch. This increases the size of microtraumas, which is especially useful when working in, as it increases the likelihood and intensity of the manifestation of sarcoplasmic.
2. The space between the bones increases, which can significantly reduce the risk of chafing the bones.
3. The size of the glycogen depot increases by physical deformation.
4. The joint space is stretched, which reduces the risk of leakage of interarticular fluid.
5. The ligaments are stretched, which during heavy exercises provides a large range of motion and sometimes allows you to break the technique without fear of sprains.

In terms of prevention, stretching after a workout is as necessary for every athlete as a warm-up before a workout. However, among most CrossFit athletes, powerlifters, and some bodybuilders, there is a sharp rejection of any stretching procedure other than stretching the spine with hanging on the horizontal bar.

Is stretching necessary?

Why is stretching the legs, like stretching the muscles of the shoulder joint after a workout, considered an unpleasant activity for many? Everything is simple here. Despite all the preventive benefits, stretching has some disadvantages. In particular, stretching reduces the strength performance of most athletes involved in speed-strength sports, including crossfit. What is the main problem?

We will study the physiology of ongoing processes in the human body. In the process of performing heavy repetitions as part of strength training, the athlete stimulates the compaction of muscle tissue. This is achieved by myofibrillar hypertrophy, small. But the most important thing is their location. Muscles that constantly work in one position develop inhomogeneously and therefore get a certain tightness. Tightness in muscle tissues weakens the power impulse, as a result, the athlete cannot take serious weight.

If you don't believe this, consider why most powerlifters break records with specialized equipment like bench shirts. The fact is that bench shirts squeeze muscle tissue and create an additional elastic impulse. This allows you to lift 25-30% more weight without changing the trajectory and amplitude than without special equipment.

By regularly engaging in serious stretching, you reduce two main factors that help to achieve the best results in the training process:

1. Change the location of key fibers. As a result, your muscles are not as tight, and therefore, you need to put in significantly more effort to lift the same weight. In other words, stretching makes you somewhat weaker.
2. You disrupt the processes of myofibrillar hypertrophy. Myofibrillar hypertrophy is a thickening of muscle tissue, which is created solely by microtrauma to the muscle, followed by recovery with the help of protein synthesis. In the case of stretching, you increase the size of the micro-tear, and the muscle tissue becomes longer instead of getting thicker. This increases the volume of the muscles, but reduces their efficiency, since long muscles mean more leverage, and more leverage means more distance and more effort that needs to be applied to lift the weight.

So if you're serious about exercising, consider prioritizing strength over injury prevention. Keep in mind that we are talking exclusively about serious stretching, whether it be twine or extreme complexes for developing arm flexibility. If you just carry out preventive low-intensity stretching, the influence of the negative factors of stretching on your body is almost completely leveled, which allows you to painlessly achieve your goals.

This does not mean that your progress will not slow down, just that the rate of deceleration will be extremely small compared to the rate of acceleration of the anabolic weights that you accelerate with exercise and proper nutrition, combined with full recovery after training.

Why after a workout?

If you seriously decide to do stretching, you should understand why warming up is done before training, and stretching after training. If you stretch before training, the decrease in muscle density can affect the strength results during exercise. In addition, stretched muscles are subjected to compressive stress, which can lead to pinching. During training, it is desirable to maintain maximum tightness of muscle tissue. At the same time, stretching after a workout stretches the muscle tissue, creating an additional traumatic effect, and this is one of the most important factors.

Remember, in the first place, you are not pulling the muscles, but the ligaments. And this is the key to a healthy stretch. If you stretch before training, the stretched muscles will greatly slow down your strength progress, and it will take you much longer to get into the desired shape.

There is a little hack. If we consider the stretching of all muscle groups separately from the training complexes, you can noticeably develop flexibility, practically without disturbing the stiffness of muscle tissues. To do this, combine stretching and going to the bath. Under the influence of moisture and temperature, the muscles lose their tone and tightness for a while, which makes it much easier to pull them, and at the same time achieve the optimal amplitude of the stretching complexes. When the thermal factor ceases to act, the muscles return to their original state, which allows them to restore the necessary tightness.

If you really want to be flexible and strong at the same time, try stretching not after a workout, but at the same time as going to the bath.

Stretching complexes

For those who want to seriously engage in muscle stretching after training, we provide complexes for all muscle groups that will help you stretch the whole body and reduce the catabolic load on the body.

Let's consider in more detail. For men, first of all, various hangs on the horizontal bar are needed. They reduce the negative squeezing factor that occurs during barbell rows and pull-ups. For this, the usual hanging on the horizontal bar for a while is best suited. After hanging on the horizontal bar, it is not recommended to jump off the projectile, but to slowly lower yourself and immediately begin to reach your heels with your fingers without bending your knees.

The twine technique has remained unchanged for several centuries. In this case, you do not need to tear your ligaments in an attempt to reach the floor: over time, the muscles will stretch enough so that you can reach the required point without much effort. The same applies to all other exercises for both women and men.

Note: select the types of stretching depending on the profiling load. If you are doing a split system, stretch only those muscle groups that were involved in the work.

A classic general stretching technique that will benefit all athletes, including CrossFitters:

1. Stretching the spine - vis.
2. Stretching the calf muscles by deadlift without weight.
3. Stretching the legs by working in the twine.
4. General swing movements for jerky stretching without load.

What to do after stretching?

First of all, it is worth remembering that you did a workout before intense stretching, which means that you need a standard set of recovery procedures.

1. Restore with additional fluid.
2. Close the protein window. Protein, isolate, or split amino acids are perfect for this.
3. Close . If the closing time of the protein window coincided with the carbohydrate window, it is recommended for milk. Otherwise, you can get by with fast carbohydrates, such as bananas.
4. Conduct an emotional discharge.

And most importantly: after stretching, it is highly recommended not to go out into the cold. Muscle groups warmed up by training, previously stretched during the stretching procedure, are extremely susceptible to the narrowing effects of cold. As a result, you can easily get pinched.

Conclusion

You can argue endlessly about the benefits of stretching after a workout. On the one hand, you significantly slow down the growth of your strength indicators, as you reduce the density and tightness of your own muscles. On the other hand, you carry out effective prevention that warns and protects you from serious injuries associated with torn ligaments and dislocation of joints. Therefore, before you do professional stretching after a workout, think about what is more important for you - performance at the next competition and achieving maximum results or your own health plus the prospect of showing better results, but not at the next, but at later competitions.

CrossFit athletes themselves have different attitudes to stretching. In particular, champions practice it to achieve better explosive power during workout routines. At the same time, many crossfit game stars avoid it altogether, as they understand that their main advantage is complex and difficult basic exercises, on which you can get more points for good performance.

And yet, what is the purpose of stretching after a workout for people focused on strength training? It's simple - it's prevention and the ability to lead a full-fledged lifestyle, while maintaining the mobility of joints and ligaments.

Hello dear readers!

In this article, I will touch on an important aspect of fitness - stretching the muscles after strength training. If you are interested in this topic and want your muscles to recover well after strength training, then this article is for you.

Stretching (in English, stretching) is a set of exercises that must be performed after any workout, both strength and aerobic. Stretching not only relaxes the muscles, but also tones the entire body.

Strong ligaments and joints are the dream of any athlete. Thanks to stretching, the tendons will become more resilient, which significantly reduces the likelihood of injury. The amplitude and range of motion of the joints will increase markedly, which will increase the amplitude during exercise and allow you to more fully work out the muscles.

Stretching will also protect you from premature aging, prevent physical inactivity, correct your posture and improve your emotional state. You will also be surprised at what your body is capable of.

If we talk about the types of stretching, then after strength training and aerobic exercise, it has no differences. Particular attention should be paid to those muscle groups on which the load was given.

What is stretching for?

Every time we do bodybuilding and doing strength exercises, we shorten the muscles, that is, we shorten their length. It takes some time to restore them (depending on the load, up to several days).

The main purpose of stretching after a workout is to help muscles regain their former length, as this parameter is one of the characteristics of muscle recovery after strength training. In other words, stretching your muscles after a workout allows you to speed up the recovery process.

But this is not the main reason to do stretching exercises.
When we work out in the gym more than once every 3 days, our muscles do not always have time to recover and regain their length. Joints and ligaments are forced to rebuild to fit a shorter muscle, which makes movements constrained, and also increases the risk of various kinds of joint injuries and inflammation.

By lengthening the muscles with stretching, we not only relax them, but also return our tissues and joints to their former comfort. This will help get rid of stoop, deflection in the lower back and other imbalances in muscle development.

In addition, by stretching after a workout, we relax both the muscles and the corresponding brain centers from training, this helps the body recover faster.

Scientists have proven that stretching after exercising in the gym helps to remove lactic acid from the muscles, which prevents the appearance of pain the next day after training.

Benefits of stretching at the gym

1. Improving the flexibility of ligaments and joints. Good flexibility allows you to use a large range of motion in exercises. And the higher the amplitude of the exercise, the more effectively it works out the target muscles.
2. Acceleration of metabolism in muscles, regeneration of damaged tissues. Stretching helps muscles heal faster.
3. Increased blood circulation to the muscles. Due to the fact that the muscles receive more blood, their growth is possible faster. A stretched muscle contracts better, which affects strength.
4. Stretching after the main workout will relieve fatigue, return the fibers to their previous state, and reduce pain.

Stretching for men

Regular exercise has a general strengthening effect on the entire body, activates metabolic processes in the body, increases the tone of the body and nervous system. In other words, “movement is life!”

In recent years, maintaining a healthy lifestyle has been actively gaining popularity, more and more people are beginning to take care of their bodies and visit gyms. A fitness club with an area of ​​20,000 square meters is currently being built in my city. meters!!!

However, not everyone knows that not only regular physical activity is important for our body, but also periodic muscle stretching. Therefore, in order to increase the effectiveness of training, it is recommended to alternate power loads with stretching.

Stretching is a set of exercises, the main task of which is aimed at developing the flexibility of the body. Despite the fact that flexibility is more of a criterion for female beauty, men are also actively involved in stretching.

Anyone can learn to stretch, regardless of age or current body flexibility. You don't need to have any special skills to do this, everything can be trained. The exercises are performed easily and smoothly, according to your level of fitness and flexibility.

Stretching for bodybuilders

Bodybuilders should be aware that strength training can stiffen the joints, which contributes to the compaction of the connective tissue and deprivation of flexibility. This process entails many negative aspects that reduce the effectiveness of training, which subsequently leads to a decrease and stop muscle growth.

First of all, stretching exercises can increase muscle contractility, as well as speed up their recovery.

Secondly, stretching exercises help to relax the muscles. Based on this, it is logical to perform them after training. In addition, the ligaments at the end of the workout are warmed up and more elastic.

Stretching exercises

Let's take a look at some stretching exercises.

1. In a sitting position on the floor, place your legs apart and alternately tilt to the legs and to the middle.

Leaning towards the legs

forward bends

Leaning towards the legs

2. Being in the same position, bend one leg, leave the other straight. Reach for it with both hands. Then grasp the sock with the opposite hand. At the same time, try to turn your body forward a little.

Tilts to socks

3. Sit on your knees and heels. Bend forward until you feel the relaxation of the back muscles.

4. Step forward with your right foot into a lunge position. Hands are extended forward. Stay in this position for 15 seconds. After that, you need to change the leg and continue stretching.

Stretching the muscles of the back and spine

Back stretch after workout

If you have trained your back or legs, you should take the time to stretch your back, as it has received a lot of work and it definitely needs to recover.

Stretching exercises for the back muscles are relevant not only for athletes who practice strength training, but also for those who want to develop back flexibility. Below we will analyze a universal exercise that is suitable for people with any physical fitness.

The main working muscles of this exercise:

1. The extensor muscles of the spine
2. Deep muscles of the spine
3. Semispinous muscle
4. Rectus and oblique abdominal muscles

Technique:

1. Sit on a mat with a straight back.
2. Stretch your legs forward and slightly spread them to the level of shoulder width.
3. As you exhale, tilt your head down while arching your upper back and sliding your palms forward on the mat.
4. At the lowest point of the exercise, linger for 1-2 seconds, feeling a strong stretch in the muscles, and only then return to the starting position.
5. Perform 5 repetitions of this exercise.

Stretching the back muscles

Here are some more exercises that allow you to relax the muscles of your back and lower back.

1. In a standing position, move the body back, then forward and to the sides.

Curvature of the spine while standing

Body tilt forward

Torso tilt to the left

Trunk tilt to the right

2. Lie on your stomach, lift your body up, while your hands are laid back and hold this position from a few seconds to two minutes.

Stretching your muscles after a workout will help your muscles recover more easily, reduce pain, and make your body more flexible. It should be noted that you need to stretch regularly.

Sincerely, Arina Klishina