 Your muscles ache from a good stretch. This is quite normal
and is part of the process. Stretching has seemingly been with us and
particular with athletes since the beginning of time.
A very key point to good stretching is to hold the stretch
for at least seventeen seconds. This is a pearl of wisdom
gleaned from a ballet teacher a few years back. She said
that any stretch under 17 seconds was just not effective.
The 17 second rule is exceeded in the high intensity
Bikram's yoga where stretches are held for about 30 seconds.
Don't forget the high level of heat that is used in Bikram's
to extract that last little bit of stretch out of your
muscles. An interesting twist that is not necessary to gain
benefits from stretching. But, it can't hurt, right?
So what kind of benefits can you expect from stretching?
That's an easy one. Have you ever seen the movie, Blood
Sport? Did you know that Frank Dux could truly stretch his
body to the extreme. The actor that played him was quite
elastic as well.
Great elasticity is also something you might see in well
trained Spetsnaz(Russian)agents. They often work out with
Russian kettlebells too. They are for superior strength
gains and the ability to withstand ballistic shocks.
Why are stretching and flexibility considered important to
these people? Stretching gives one the ability to have
explosive power available at one's fingertips without the
need to warm up. Of course most of us are not martial
artists or agents. But, you'll be happy to know there are
plenty of other benefits.
Let me give you an example. After learning to sit in the
full lotus position for long periods of time, my ankles
became very flexible. One day I was walking along and my
left foot fell into a pothole. This mishap pushed my ankle
sideways to about 90 degrees from it's normal position.
Amazingly, this didn't even hurt, not one bit. If my ankle
hadn't been so flexible, I may have suffered a sprained
ankle. At the very least, it would have hurt for days.
Key point: stretching helps us to avoid injuries. Not only
that but if you do have a muscle, tendon or ligament injury
it should heal faster, theoretically speaking.
Stretching actually grows the ligaments, tendons and muscles
being stretched. They really grow longer over time.
Check with your physician before undertaking any type of
exercise, including stretching.
 David Snape
www.allthingspondered.com
Dave practices Falun Dafa and also maintains a website called 'All Things Pondered'
Article Source: www.EzineArticles.com
|
Community 
