When you stretch, you are working to increase your range of motion around your major joints and lengthen your muscles. A well-rounded flexibility-training routine includes stretches for the major muscle-tendon units of the ankles, legs, hips, back, torso, chest, shoulders, and neck, using a variety of stretching techniques and strategies.
Quality movement involves nerves, connective tissue, and muscles all working together, so it’s important to approach your stretching routine from a variety of angles. When you perform a “good” stretch, you basically move the two ends of a muscle—known as the origin and insertion—away from each other in the direction and arrangement of the muscle’s fibers. For a muscle fiber to be lengthened, an external force must act on it. You can use anything from gravity, momentum, your body weight, resistive force applied by a partner, or a prop like a towel or a strap.
In addition to stretching muscles, we need to focus on fascia. Fascia is the densely woven, specialized web of connective tissue that provides structure and support to the body. It covers and unites all of the body’s individual parts as one integrated unit. If your fascia is functioning as it should, your movements should feel unrestricted and pain-free. However, if you’ve been injured, have poor posture, or suffer repetitive stress within your body, your fascia will become tight and restricted, thereby limiting your range of motion.
Often referred to as the most widely used form of flexibility training, static stretching is a passive approach to stretching. It involves stretching a muscle to the point where you feel mild discomfort, and holding that stretch at that point for an extended period of time, without moving. For static stretching, it is recommended that you hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds per repetition. If you are 65 years or older, or age 50 to 64 and experience chronic conditions or physical limitations that affect your physical fitness and range of motion, holding static stretches for a little longer, 30 to 60 seconds per repetition, may offer you greater benefits. In general, you should complete a total of 60 seconds of a flexibility exercise per joint, which can be done by repeating each flexibility exercise two to four times, depending on the length of time for each repetition.
Dynamic stretching is a more active approach to stretching that involves moving your joints through ranges of motion by using combined movements performed at controlled speeds. Commonly part of warm-up routines in fitness and sports, this type of stretching is basically your “rehearsal” opportunity in which your nervous system and muscles—known as the neuromuscular system—work together to prepare for the more intense exercises or activities to follow. You should begin with basic range-of-motion movements, both forward and backward (such as rolling your shoulders) before you add side-to-side and rotational movements. Ideally each dynamic stretch you perform should be done at a steady pace for a total of 10 repetitions.
Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, known as PNF, is a specialized stretching technique that developed from physical rehabilitation methods. This approach combines tension in the muscle produced with little to no movement at the joint, known as isometric muscle contractions, along with static stretches. While you may come across different variations of PNF stretching, one common approach is the contract-relax method, which involves contracting the muscle you are targeting and then relaxing and stretching it with the assistance of a partner or equipment such as a towel or strap.
To perform PNF stretching, you contract your muscle for 3 to 6 seconds and follow it up with 10 to 30 seconds of static stretching per repetition. By following the contraction with a static stretch, you activate the muscle on one side of your joint, which allows the opposing muscle to become restricted, effectively stretching it.
Although not technically a stretching technique, self-myofascial release will improve your joint range of motion. It releases tightness within your fascia, improving flexibility in the underlying muscle(s) you’re targeting. While trained health and fitness professionals may show you how to perform myofascial release techniques, you can perform these techniques on your own using a tool such as a foam roller. A foam roller looks like a pool noodle and comes in different levels of firmness for various levels of intensity and sensation.
You can apply pressure to tender areas of the body by performing small, continuous back-and-forth movements on a foam roller for 30 to 60 seconds. If an area of your body is especially tender and it is painful to perform the back-and-forth movements, you can place the foam roller directly over, or close to, the affected area, depending on your pain tolerance, and simply hold it there to apply pressure.
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends performing flexibility-based exercises at least two or three days per week, with daily stretching being the most effective. You should hold passive static stretches to the point of mild tension or slight discomfort to enhance your joint’s range of motion, but never to the point where you feel pain .
Interestingly, our muscles have built-in safeguards that protect them. When you stretch a muscle too quickly or intensely, your body reacts with an involuntary response known as the stretch reflex, in which your muscle contracts to protect itself from injury. While this built-in safeguard is helpful, you should still use measured movements and proper form to ease into and perform stretches safely and correctly so you avoid causing pain or injury and to get the most out of each stretch.
Properly preparing yourself for physical activity—both physically and mentally—is just as important, if not more so, than performing the activity itself. With the right approach, you can create a well-rounded warm-up routine that prepares your muscles for the sport or activity to follow. This helps reduce your risk of injuries by addressing any underlying muscle imbalances you may have and enhancing your range of motion. Although there is no one “right” way to warm up, there are some key considerations to keep in mind.
A proper warm-up should effectively prepare your muscles and connective tissue for activity. You can use self-myofascial release exercises to relax any tense muscles, especially for sore or sensitive areas. Foam rollers are great for applying pressure to specific areas of your body where you want to increase blood flow and loosen your joints, such as your upper and middle back, which will allow you to twist and rotate with more ease. You can further ease joint mobility while also gradually warming your body by including dynamic stretches in your warm-up routine. When you perform these types of stretches, you enhance the range of motion in the four key areas of your body:
1. Ankles
2. Hips
3. Upper back
4. Shoulders
Movements like the Leg Swings (here ) and Figure 8 (here ) are great additions to your warm-up routine, as are other functional movements like the Hinge and Reach (here ) that mimic moves we make in everyday life, like squatting to sit or lunging to climb a flight of stairs. You’ll increase your core body temperature, address any struggles you may have with certain movements, improve your range of motion, and reduce your risk of injury. Your dynamic stretches should be intense enough to increase core body temperature gradually but not so intense that you are too wiped out to perform the activity you were warming up for in the first place.
Not only is it important to raise your body temperature and increase your heart rate during the warm-up portion of your workouts, but it is also important to decrease the intensity of activity gradually during the cool-down phase. By taking the time to lower your heart rate and reduce the intensity of your workout, such as by walking or jogging at a slow to moderate pace, you enable the blood to flow back to your heart, as significant amounts of blood also move to your previously working muscles. If you abruptly stop intense exercise, blood may pool in your lower extremities, which could cause you to feel dizzy or even faint. Be careful and give your body the time to transition from intense physical activity back to a state of rest. You also might save yourself from muscle soreness and may even make your muscles more relaxed.
Studies suggest that you benefit most from flexibility exercises when your body is warm, like after you’ve gone for a bike ride or have done some push-ups. So you are better off performing static stretches during your cool-down. Before you begin stretching in the cool-down phase, you may want to incorporate a self-myofascial release to target any particularly tight areas. Foam-rolling exercises will relieve tension and reduce stress in tight areas of your body, such as your glutes and upper back. By following these self-myofascial release exercises with static stretches, such as a Figure 4 (here ) or Supine Spinal Twist (here ), you’ll increase your flexibility and range of motion, and even improve your posture.
You can vary the length of your cool-down and what’s included depending on the type of activity you engaged in; the intensity of those activities; your current fitness level, your personal health, your fitness goals, and the amount of time you have.
Proper breathing plays an important role while stretching. Slow, rhythmic, mindful breathing—in and out through the nose—will relax you. The pace of your breathing can also keep you in tune with how intensely you should be stretching. If at any point during a stretch you find you are restricting your breathing or holding your breath, this is your cue to reduce the intensity of the stretch so you can breathe freely and naturally.
You can also use your breath to transition in and out of stretches. For example, when you are performing a static stretch, like the Wide-Legged Forward Fold with Chest Expansion (here ), inhale as you elongate your spine while maintaining proper body alignment, and exhale as you move forward into the fold, holding the end point of the stretch as you breathe freely, in and out through your nose. When you exhale, your diaphragm and the muscles in your chest cavity relax, making the muscles you’re stretching relax even further.
Focusing on and refining your breathing also helps you keep track of how long you are holding each stretch without the need to keep your eyes on the clock. Given that the average adult takes 12 to 20 breaths per minute, you can ensure you hold each static stretch for at least 15 seconds by counting five slow and controlled breaths during each stretch repetition. This strategy is easier, more accurate, and more consistent than continuously counting off 15, 30, or 60 seconds while in the middle of a stretch.
Stretching is great because it can pretty much be done anywhere, any time, and without expensive equipment. However, depending on the types of stretches you do as part of your flexibility-training routine, you might want to use a few low-cost props and household items to tailor the stretches to meet your personal goals and needs.
When you perform stretches in a seated position, such as the Half Lord of the Fishes (here ), sit on top of a folded bath towel for additional comfort. The towel also helps position your pelvis correctly and improve your posture.
You can also place a towel beneath your knees for more support in stretches that start in a kneeling position, such as the Kneeling Lat Stretch (here ), or roll a towel and place it underneath your lower back when performing stretches like the Head-to-Toe Stretch (here ).
I find a sturdy chair comes in handy when doing stretches such as the Tibialis Anterior Stretch (here ), as can a doorway or wall, which can be used as leverage when performing stretches, such as the Assisted Low Lunge (here ) and the Biceps Stretch (here ).
You can use a strap or hand towel to stretch safely by applying an appropriate amount of force without pushing your body beyond its limits, for example, when doing the Assisted Supine Hamstring Stretch (here ). Foam blocks, like the ones used in yoga classes, can also be used for modifications of various stretches. Blocks would be a great help for the Bound Angle (here ); place one block beneath each knee for support.
And as mentioned previously, foam rollers are inexpensive, versatile, and worthwhile props for self-myofascial release exercises (see here , here , and here ).