One of the often overlooked components of a fitness routine is stretching. Many people get very caught up with their cardio and weight workouts, planning them down to the very last detail, and completely let this other crucial form of exercise slip by the wayside. In order for you to be getting a complete workout, you are going to want to make sure you are dedicating at least a few minutes to performing stretching exercises.

Why Should You Stretch?

One of the biggest reasons why stretching is so important is because it will help with injury and soreness prevention. While it is not a good idea to begin a deep stretching session immediately upon walking into the gym due to the fact that your muscles are still cold, doing some stretching after a proper warm-up is a fantastic way to increase your range of motion so you can be sure to see maximum benefits from your workouts.

When performing stretching exercises at the beginning of a workout, note here that the goal is not necessarily to increase flexibility at this time. It is more that you are only looking to loosen your body up so it is not as tight during your workout. Five to ten minutes of some light stretches should do the trick perfectly (after a 5 minute warm-up on a piece of cardio equipment). Good exercises to perform here would be side bends and then stretches for your hamstrings, quads, shoulders and triceps. These are going to be the big muscle groups that are likely to be tight beforehand.

The time when you are going to want to really focus in on your stretching is at the end of the workout. By this point your muscles are very warm so you will be able to push them further, slightly past comfort in an effort to actually increase your flexibility.

How To Stretch

The after-workout stretching period is best done on a padded mat someplace quiet and out of the road of other exercisers. Try and perform at least one stretch for each muscle group, being sure to hold your positions for 20-40 seconds (or longer if you choose to). It is very important that you are not jerking at all with your movements, as that is a very good way to tear a muscle or ligament and wind up injured. Slow and steady movements are what you are looking for, ones that will move you into position and then gradually push you further.

Also make sure the sensation you are experiencing is muscle pull and not pain. There is going to be a big difference here, one that you need to learn to recognize. Muscle pull will feel slightly uncomfortable and likely that you are restricted from moving further. This is a good sign and means you are performing the exercise correctly. Do not push it extremely far, just slightly further once you start feeling the pull.

Pain on the other hand would be sharp and likely more concentrated and should be avoided. If you are feeling pain then likely you are not using the correct position or you have pushed the muscle too far now and could be causing yourself harm.

Breathing is also a very important component of stretching, as it will allow you to increase your range of motion as well. Before moving into position, take a deep breath in. Then, on the exhaling portion, move into position, focusing on feeling the muscles relax as you do so. When your concentration level is high, you will find that the stretches are much easier to do. While holding the stretch, with each breath in and out you take, try and move slightly deeper into position. Really pay attention to your shoulders at this time as that seems to be the one area of the body in particular that individuals like to tense up.

How Often Should You Stretch?

In terms of frequency of stretching, how often you choose to do it is really up to you, the more you can stretch the better your results will be. Some form of light stretching is always advisable after a weight lifting session as it will help to reduce the chances you suffer from DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). It will also help your body to cool down after the workout and you will leave feeling more refreshed.

Don't think that you have to be in the gym to get in a good stretching session either. A very popular trick of the highly flexible ballet dancers or figure skaters is to stretch anytime they are watching TV. Since it is very easy to perform these exercises on carpet in a small area, this should pose no problems. Plus, as long as you are stretching while watching TV, you know you won't be eating! That is another great benefit for those of you out there who are trying to lose weight.

Partner Assisted Stretching

Another way you can really improve your flexibility is by using partner assisted stretching. To do this, have a partner slowly push whatever body part you are stretching slightly beyond your normal range of motion (it is most common to do this exercise with a hamstring stretch - you laying on your back while your partner pushes your leg towards your head). After this is done then you are to start contracting the muscle and press against your partner, trying to move back into the normal position. Keep holding this contraction for about 20-30 seconds and then relax. As you relax your partner once again begins pushing on the body part and it is very likely that you will now be able to move further than before, thus increasing your range of motion.

This is a very good technique for those who are serious about their flexibility but caution should again be taken that you don't push too far. It is much better to error on the side of slightly less than to pull a muscle as pulled muscles can take a long time to recover from.