Daily Fitness For Life - Stretching

One of the basic components of any fitness program, both in order to prevent injury and allow for proper warm-up and cool down, is a basic stretching program.

Over the next while I will adress several basic stretches that anyone of any fitness level should incorporate into their pre and post exercise routine. In fact, these stretches can and should be done for your health and daily function, even if you aren't going to be working out.

Like with any excercise program, there are several different fitness levels or intensities in which a stretch can be performed, but one common thread exists among all of them: Stretches need to be performed SLOWLY! Stretching which is performed too rapidly can result in injury or instead of loosening the muscle as intended, it will generate a reflex response which will actually cause the muscle to tighten (similar to when the doctor hits your knee with that little reflex hammer during your yearly check-ups).

To be effective a stretch should be done at a slow pace, until you can feel the muscle stretching, but not painful, and hold that position for at least 30 seconds. The same stretch can also be done more than once, especially if the muscle you are stretching feels particularly tight.

I will address several stretches over the coming week or so, with a different stretch being discussed each time, but today we will start with one of the basics = The Calf Stretch.

The "Calf" is made up of two main muscles, the gastrocnemious and the soleus, and is located on the back of your lower legs.

Basic/Low level Calf stretch: (see illustration at right)

To advance the intensity of this stretch you can step the leg you are stretching further back from the wall or object you are leaning against.

Also, in order to stretch both muscle groups, you can stretch as shown in the illustration, with the knee extended to stretch the gastrocnemius, and also bend the knee forward slightly to stretch the deeper soleus muscle.

This stretch is important because the foot, ankle and lower leg are the first part of the body to contact the ground with any type of walking or standing exercises.

Happy Stretching!