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Stretching tips and insight


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Static stretching prior to a workout can fatigue muscles and make it difficult for muscles to contract, which in turn can make you feel weaker and increase your chances of injury.
Once body temperature has been raised, I will run through the exercises which will be completed as part of my workout, the reason for this is to activate the muscles, joints and ligaments in the range of motion they will be in during the workout, this will help increase blood flow and enhance the lubrication to the joints involved.
Dynamic stretching aims at developing flexibility in movement by moving muscles through their full range of motion, these movements do not include bouncing or jerking movements like ballistic flexibility does, as it relates to the stretching process corresponding to a certain activity.
While ballistic stretching can cause muscle tearing if done inappropriately or before muscles are warm, they can increase range of motion when done correctly.
Both types of stretches lengthen your muscles, but static stretching should NOT be done before you workout.
Dynamic stretching uses muscles to move the joint through its range of motion in an activity at either normal or fast speed.
Isometric stretching is stressful on the body but when done correctly provides greater increases in static flexibility than static stretches and active stretching would provide.
Again, there are different beliefs in when to complete stretches after a workout, some will say stretches should be completed straight away when body temperature and blood flow is still raised, others will suggest otherwise and recommend stretching 1-3hrs after a workout when body temperature has lowered and muscles have relaxed.
When you stretch, the tight and tense muscles loosen up. If you like going to the gym as a stress reliever, the stretching exercises alone can already do a lot.
Stretching helps improve your body's flexibility, both in the short and long term, as well as your overall range of motion.
Dynamic stretching allows your muscles to properly warm up. It helps increase blood flow and temperature, which helps your fascia become more pliable.
There are many studies which conclude that static stretching prior to a workout reduces the amount of force the muscles can take as well as decreasing the muscles power output, the amount of time the reduction in force lasted in the studies varied between 15min and 2hours and as much as 17% of power output was reduced for up to 90min.
I don't really believe anyone is really wrong when it comes to stretching or not stretching before a workout, if someone finds they perform better and reduces their chances of injury by completing static stretches prior to a workout, then they should continue doing so, the same applies to not completing static stretches.

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I fully agree with this. I did some experimentation with stretching before workouts because of an injury and  all my lifts suffered because of it.

Weakness, lack of endurance etc.

On top of that I didn't notice any appreciative difference afterwards. 

I do a slow warm up set, then get right to work.  

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