Don't Underestimate The Importance of Stretching

Being flexible - having well lubricated joints and stretchable muscles - is one of the best ways to reduce the prospect of injury and give you the basis for a wide variety of workout routines such as weight lifting.

Your overall goal is to attain good range of motion, while gradually extending that range to a degree appropriate to your fitness level and body type. There are several different ways to accomplish that goal, and you should use at least a few of them before every workout.  Exercising is very important for health and as a weight loss program, it's just very important that you do things correctly.

Please make sure that you take the time to do a thorough warm-up routine. Cold muscles have a greater tendancy to tear and lead to stretched or torn cartilage and other painful results. If you do your warm-ups correctly you will find that your joints are more lubricated and also your muscles will be more elastic. Those both lead to safer, higher performance workouts.

Ten to fifteen minutes is the minimum for most people. This can be done by low-impact jogging in place, simple stretches and other techniques.

Static stretching, for example, is the old-fashioned stretch and hold for 30 seconds. This should be done with the arms, trunk, legs and neck. When you use a bouncing or weight assisted stretching this is what we call dynamic and ballistic stretching. Both of these types can prove to be helpful.

Some dynamic stretches involve holding the arms out to the side, then swinging them back and forth across front of the body, repeating for 30 seconds. Another technique involves using a short bar across the neck, lying on the shoulders. Place your hands on the bar, then bend slowly left, then right, moving the head toward the outer edge of the foot.

Abdominal muscles can be prepared by lying backwards on a large rubber ball. Push back slowly and raise the arms above your head. Repeat a further 10 times. If you wish to loosen your hamstrings what you can do is lie on your back and then raise your leg with the help of a towel which you wrap around your foot. Grab the ends and pull up slowly. Switch legs, then repeat for 10 reps.

if you want to do a back stretch then you can do this by lying on your back and bringing both knees to the chest, hands clasped behind the knees. Roll forward until your feet hit the floor, then roll back until the head touches. Do 10 rolls.

Groin stretches can be done safely by using a large rubber ball. Put one of your knees onto the ball and then you slowly rotate the ball just a few inches from your body. Move the ball back toward your body, then switch legs. Do 10 movements.

Both the legs and back muscles can get a good warm-up stretch by doing toe taps. When standing up straigh, your feet should be about shoulder width apart. Lean forward, touching the big toe on one foot with the opposite hand - left hand to right foot, and vice-versa. Many people these days have pains in their lower back which means it's very important to get medical advice before doing any of these exercises.

Ideally you should be stretching your body at least every other day for maximum flexibility. This will help maximize the range of motion and decrease the potential for injury.