We’ve all been there—you start off strong, going to the gym regularly, and then you wake up one day with an injury and you’re out of commission. A frustrating thing about injuries is that they are oftentime preventable—one of the best ways to prevent them is through making stretching a part of your fitness routine. But it’s important to know what stretches are actively helping your body and which aren’t. We asked fitness experts how to get the most out of your stretches, and what stretch helps you prevent injury the most.
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First of all, how does stretching help? “Stretching helps to relieve tension, which increases blood flow to your muscles, organs, and brain. It increases mobility in the muscles and joints which can help to stave off injury,” says Elizabeth FitzGerald, co-founder of Daygold. If you don’t stretch during your workout it can lead to things like muscle and joint pain not only after a workout, but also during the day when you’re sitting at a desk or running errands. We don’t all have lots of time to carve out for stretching, so minimizing your time commitment while maximizing your benefit is key. Ronnie Lubischer, CSCS, owner of Lubischer’s Burn and Blast Training in West Long Branch, NJ, shared with us one of his favorite stretches for reducing joint pain and preventing injury.
Y.W.T.’s
1. Lie belly down on the floor while keeping your toes firmly planted in the ground.
2. Pull your chest away from the floor trying to create space between the floor and your chest.
3. Hold your arms out in front of you making a Y shape and hold for 20-30 seconds, then rest for 60 seconds.
4. Perform the same thing but with your body as a W and then a T.
5. Do this for 3-5 rounds.
When it comes to routines, many people don’t realize that all you need is a little bit of time each day. “The biggest misconception is that we have to carve out big chunks of time in order to get the benefits of stretching- not at all! Something is better than nothing and I find it's easiest to habit stack,” FitzGerald says, “I will do some warm up stretching before I workout (targeting the back of my legs, hip flexors, hip rotators, shoulders) and then I add a few stretches after I've worked out (a simple twist, gentle backbend and hamstring stretch) so I'm ready to go the next day.” Doing just a little bit of stretching at different times of day amounts to the amount of stretching you need to see results and prevent injury.
