Muscle stretching: which movements to favor?

November 25, 2022November 30, 2022 Stephen PaulSPORT

Today’s lifestyles are, for the most part, increasingly sedentary. Such a sedentary lifestyle also leads to harmful consequences for health: cardiovascular disease, overweight, joint problems and muscle atrophy. Still, it can be simple to keep yourself healthy. It is enough to indulge in regularphysical activity, even minimal, and to stretch well. But what is muscle stretching? Is it useful and above all, how to achieve it well?

Index

What is muscle stretching?

There are actually two types of stretching:

Joint stretching, which aims to stretch all the connective tissues around the joint. It can be tendons, ligaments, joint capsule (a tissue surrounding the synovial cavity and uniting the bones) enveloping a joint.
Muscle stretching, which consists of gently stimulating the muscle, in order to make it more flexible and elastic.

And although a specificstretchmakes it possible to solicit a muscle or a joint more, the complete movement makes the whole mechanics work.

In addition, we can distinguish several ways to stretch your muscles:

Static muscle stretchingconsists of holding a given position for a few seconds to several minutes, without moving. It can be active, so it invites to put one or more muscles under tension, or passive that is to say without contraction.
On the other hand, dynamic muscle stretchinginvolves a brief contraction of one or more muscles, thus a movement.

What are the benefits of muscle stretching?

Stretching, whether you are a sports person or not, is a physiological need and a healthy gesture. They have many benefits:

Stretching preserves muscle flexibility and joint amplitude. Thus, stretching every day allows you to be less stiff and less affected by possiblemuscle and/or joint pain, whether related to age, old injuries or any weakness.
In extenso, muscle or joint stretching reduces chronic pain, whether or not associated with musculoskeletal pathology⁽¹⁾
Stretching limits the risk of muscle injury ⁽²⁾ and allows for better physical performance ⁽³⁾tag. Stretching generates an increased blood flow, warming up and gentle elongation of the muscle, and improved joint flexibility.
By boosting blood circulation, muscle stretching can lower blood pressure ⁽⁴⁾ , especially if practiced regularly, over the long term.
Stretching also has virtues on the mind. For example, the practice ofyoga , which includes abdominal breathing and postures, reduces the stress and anxiety associated with a depressive syndrome ⁽⁵⁾tag. Mental health and quality of life benefit⁽⁶⁾

What is the best time of day to stretch?

Muscle stretching can be done all day long: it will bring different benefits, whether it is done morning, noon or evening.

Muscle stretching in the morning

Morning stretching is recommended, as it relieves the body of residual tension from the night and gently wakes up the muscles. On the other hand, we have to admit that we are noticeably more rusty when we wake up, so the range of motion will be less. In addition, the morning stretches must be delicate, otherwise you will be injured, since the muscles are cold. Finally, it is advisable to perform muscle stretching on an empty stomach (digestion can slow down movement), but toDrink before, to rehydrate the body.

Muscle stretching before or after sport?

The question is still debated today.

For some physiotherapists, stretching before Exerciseshould be avoided, as it could increase the risk of injury. It would be a question of making the distinction between warming up and muscular stretching: one is used to warm up the muscle, while the second is used to lengthen it (which would be beneficial on a tense or excessively contracted muscle). The only exception is dynamic stretching (in motion), which can complete a muscle warm-up routine.

But health professionals agree that excessive stretching after exercise isn’t always beneficial either. Muscle stretching aftersportoffers the possibility of increasing the range of motion, the muscles being still warm. But if there are pre-existing muscle injuries, stretching can help make them worse. It would therefore be advisable to wait a little after training (15-20 minutes), to choose short, low-intensity dynamic stretching, and to simply avoid muscle stretching if the sports session was particularly intense.

Evening muscle stretching

The evening is a great time to stretch. In fact, stretching has a positive impact onSleep⁽⁷⁾ : it reduces chronic pain, alleviates the tension of the day and has a positive effect on mood, so much so that it promotes relaxation and falling asleep. . The tensions accumulated during a sedentary working day benefit from muscle stretching, since it restores themuscles ‘ flexibility, realigning their fibers and releasing possible blockages.

Muscle stretching: how to proceed?

General rules

If you’re looking to relax your muscles, plan for short stretches of 10 to 15 seconds. If you rather hope to gain amplitude, favor long stretches (postures), from 1 to 3 minutes.
It is advisable to perform the short stretches in series of 3, while the long stretches can be done only once.
An effective muscle stretch is a non-painful stretch. Pain is the sign of the limit (of duration and/or amplitude) not to be exceeded.
At the end of each stretch, it is important to come out of the posture gently, without muscle contraction, and to take a few seconds to relax completely.
Muscle stretching should be done in a calm atmosphere, neither too hot nor too cold.
Dynamic stretches do not require hold time. They are, by definition, active and associated with muscle contraction.
Any stretch should be accompanied by deep breathing .

Muscle stretching session: a few movements

To open the pelvis: the happy baby pose

An open and flexible pelvis is the basis of an effective stretching session, because it is one of the foundations of the body. Also it seems good to start by working on the symmetry of the hips and on the relaxation of the lumbar, buttocks and pelvis muscles. To perform the Ananda Balasana pose:

Lie on your back with your knees bent and shoulder-width apart.
On the inhale, bring the Kneestowards the chest and grab your feet, arms inside the knees. The thighs are parallel to the ground, the legs are perpendicular. The neck is firmly in the ground, the shoulders are relaxed.
Hold the posture for six to eight full breaths then, on the last exhalation, gradually release the posture, unrolling your back and placing your arms and feet on the ground.

To stretch the hips: the pigeon pose

A second stretch inspired by a yoga posture, which has the main benefit of stretching the muscles of thehips. The piriformis (deep hip muscle, which stabilizes the pelvis) and ilio-psoas (pelvic girdle muscle, leg flexor) particularly benefit.

How to do the muscle stretching exercise on your knees, hands on the floor.
Inhaling, bend your right leg in front of you, stretch your left leg backwards and place your arms straight, hands on the floor, at right knee height.
The pelvis is perfectly straight, as well as the left leg, in line with the back. The right leg is bent, the right knee pointing in front of you, the right foot tucked under the pelvic region. The head is straight, the gaze cast in front of you.
Hold the posture for 6 to 8 breaths, to release by gaining the kneeling position.
Repeat on the other side.
You can intensify the stretch by extending your back and your arms in front of you, forehead on the ground, during the active phase.

To relax the muscles of the thigh: the posture of the head to the knee

A muscle stretching exercise that gently develops the flexibility of the thigh muscles , whether quadriceps or hamstrings. To achieve it:

Begin sitting on your seat bones, right leg straight out in front of you, left leg bent, left foot against right knee.
On the inhale, lengthen your back and lay your head against the right leg, arms straight and hands catching the right foot.
On the exhale, amplify the stretching movement by resting your head on your right knee if possible. The muscles of the right thigh should be stretched, without excessive pain (slight tension).
Hold the posture, without tension, for 6 breaths, then come back up gently and without contraction.
Perform the same movement on the other side.

To relax the back: the cat exercise

This stretch aims to work all the muscles of the back, with particular emphasis on the lumbar area, which is often numb and painful. A dynamic stretch, to be done for one minute.

Start on all fours, arms outstretched and hands on the floor, shoulders at handle height and knees at hip height.
On the inhale, arch your back. TheBelly tends downwards, the ButtocksUpwards. The gaze is directed towards the sky, the neck is stretched.
On the exhale, slowly return to a flat back, then arch your back, navel up, head down and chin tucked into your chest.
Repeat the stretch in rhythm with the breaths, for a full minute.

To relax the muscles of the shoulders and back: grab your hands

Last example of stretching, which corresponds to a rather common gesture, but which we tend not to perform as often as necessary.

Sit cross-legged, back and neck straight, arms along the body.
On inspiration, place your right arm behind your back, elbow bent, and raise your leftarmin the air, straight above your head.
On the exhale, bend your left arm and bring your left hand behind your back. Then grab your right hand with your left hand.
Hold hands together (or, failing that, fingers together) for 6 breaths.
Unfold the arms and gradually bring them back to the initial position.
Repeat the movement, on the other side.

Stephen Paul

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Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.