Stretch
🏷️ Tào lao
A: What is actually happening in my body when I stretch?
B: It depends on the type of stretching you are doing
A: What are those types?
B: Dynamic stretches and static stretches
A: Could you explain what these two types are?
B: Dynamic stretches are controlled movements that engage a range of muscles throughout the motion. Static stretches are where the stretcher holds a position to keep specific muscles at a fixed length and tension
A: How do these stretches affect my muscles?
B: When you stretch, muscle changes under the stress of being stretched out. It retains its strength at a longer length. The muscle’s resistance to stretching decreases with each 30-second stretch. This improves your flexibility and likely decreases the chance of incurring certain muscle injuries
A: How long does this effect last?
B: This effect will be gone in just 10 minutes without further activity
A: Is it possible to improve my flexibility permanently?
B: Yes, it is. For skeletal muscles, improved flexibility comes from additional sarcomeres, which allow you to maintain strength at even greater lengths. Sarcomeres are added and subtracted to muscles depending on how frequently they are used
A: You mean that I need to stretch often
B: Yes, very often
A: How often should I do it?
B: At least 10 minutes a day for roughly 2 months, and you should break up your stretching within any given session, do not hold any stretch for too long. If you do it frequently, it will make lasting changes to your brain
A: Really?
B: The more you stretch a muscle, the higher your pain threshold becomes. It allows you to stretch further and further. Long-term improvements to your flexibility can provide a better range of motion for your joints, potentially reducing your risk of muscle injury in the short and long-term
A: So if I am more flexible, I can do anything, right?
B: No, stretching isn’t helpful for every kind of movement, especially those where muscle injuries are not very common
A: I don’t understand. Could you explain?
B: For example, long-distance running only involves a small range of motion for the joints involved, so stretching is unlikely to prevent that sport’s most common injuries. Different lifestyles also require different kinds of mobility. No single stretching routine is flexible enough to fit every situation