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The Truth About Stretching with your Personal Trainer in Wethersfield CT

You walk into the gym and meet with your personal trainer in Wethersfield, right, day in and day out, and as soon as you step in the door, you head right to the dumbbell rack and start cranking out exercises.  You’re making solid progress, but one day you pick up a weight like usual, and BAM!  Your lower back tightens up like it is in a vice grip, and takes you out for a couple of weeks.  Learn how to properly incorporate stretching in your exercise routine by following these essential tips:

How Do My Muscles and Stretching Work?

I’m a personal trainer in Wethersfield CT and have been training for years. First off, it is paramount to warm-up on a piece of cardio equipment for at least 5-10 minutes prior to any type of physical exercise.  We want those muscles nice and warm before you begin placing them under any type of resistance.  Imagine your muscles as a rubber band.  Exercising before warming up is like placing a rubber band in the freezer for 24 hours, and immediately attempting to stretch it out.  That band is going to snap!  When the rubber band is warm, it is far more elastic and susceptible to being stretched out.  Your muscles follow the same principle:

Cold Muscles = Greater Risk of Injury

Warm muscles are optimal for a safe workout, and will be receptive to stretching and stress.

Should I Stretch Before Exercising with my Personal Trainer in Wethersfield CT?

Does your Wethersfield Personal Trainer know these key points?

There are two types of stretching; static and dynamic. Static stretching is holding a fixed, stationary position throughout the duration of the stretch.  Standing in one place and touching your toes is an example of static stretching.  Dynamic stretching involves actively moving the body through a full range of motion.  Performing walking lunges with an upper body twist is an example of dynamic stretching.

Studies have proven that static stretching prior to exercising can actually decrease performance, especially in athletes.  This tires out your muscles prematurely, thus negatively impacting your ability to perform during the workout.

Dynamic stretching is what we want to incorporate before weight training and exercise.  This type of stretching will much more effectively get your muscles ready for the bodily stress to come during the workout.

Should I Stretch After Exercising with my Personal Trainer in Wethersfield?

If your Wethersfield Personal Trainer has you stretching at the wrong times, it can cause injury. Post workout is the prime time to be incorporating static stretching.  You will have obtained increased blood circulation to the muscles and joints since you have been working them, and they will be far more receptive to this type of stretching.  This will also help you to cool down and safely lower your heart rate to normal levels, as opposed to heading out of the gym immediately after the completion of your last set of the day.

It is not essential to stretch out your entire body.  Pay attention to your problem areas; maybe one to three muscles in particular that really affect you the most.  By becoming more flexible, stretching post-workout will help to increase performance by increasing and optimizing a full range of motion throughout the body.

Will Stretching with my Personal Trainer in Wethersfield CT Help My Muscles Stop Aching?

Unfortunately, no amount of stretching post-workout will decrease muscle soreness.  As we workout, very small tears are produced in the muscles, which rebuild and repair into larger muscle cells, thus increasing muscle size over time.  Proper nutrition to supplement recovery is the key to optimizing your muscles healing and feeling less sore in as short of a time as possible. More over, there’s also something called over doing it too. Make sure you understand the importance of rest and recovery days.

Now that you have some solid background knowledge, be sure to always warm up, perform the right method of stretching at the right time, and continue to keep progressing on your health journey!