The physical training allows people to achieve high performance with their body, gaining attributes such as responsiveness, agility and other essential factors to successfully perform any kind of sport.
In either case, the trainings require that a 'heating' process which includes a stretch of most of the body's muscles, especially those that will be part of the later work process. Exercises dedicated to this task are known as stretching exercises.
The elongation composes a series of different exercises other than purely sports exercises, and has some characteristics that make it particular: elongation is gradual and progressive, stretching the muscles for a period of 20 to 30 seconds. The movements can be in the form of rebound increasing the intensity, and contracting a muscle to be able to stretch the opposite. Stretching usually requires the help of another person.
The elongation It is not one of the actions that require the most effort, nor one that is very useful when it comes to reducing calories. This happens because the muscle is not overstressed, as is the case in other exercise classes, but rather the muscle is simply prepared and warmed up for the subsequent exercise: it must be taken into account that the muscle is cold at rest, and suddenly he is driven to a very high demand.
At the end of the physical training, stretching exercises work so that none of the muscles used remains in a permanent state of tension, helping them to relax.
See also:
- Warm-up exercises
- Flexibility exercises
- Strength exercises
- Balance and coordination exercises
Elongation exercises allow:
- optimize the learning of some movements related to sport,
- decrease the risk of injury (especially from muscle strains and tears)
- dramatically reduce back problems,
- reduce muscle problems derived from overloads due to excessive training,
- decrease the muscle tension necessary to perform movements,
- increase physical and mental relaxation.
According to the body part, there are many different stretching exercises. Some of them will be listed below:
- Rotate the top of the foot forward, resting the top of the toes on the ground.
- Incline towards the wall flexing one leg forward and the other straight, elongating the calves.
- Get on your knees with your legs together, and stretch your body back without arching it, with your hands at right angles to the floor. In this way, elongate the quadriceps.
- Sitting on the floor, with one leg bent and the other straight, try to bring the arm towards the straight leg.
- With the trunk straight and the arms and legs stretched, a triangle is formed by moving the hands towards the feet: then the heels are slowly pressed against the floor, managing to elongate the Achilles tendon.
- With one foot outstretched, lift the other toward your chest, stretching your hips and glutes.
- In a squat position, extend the knees until you feel the tension in the flexors of the legs. The muscles of the lower back are elongated.
- In front of a wall, with a distance of the length of the arms, he supports them and leans forward, holding the position for as long as possible. Stretch the back of the leg.
- Wrists are crossed and arms are extended upward, elongating shoulder extensors.
- In front of the threshold of a very wide door the two arms are placed, and one tries to advance with the elbows nailed on the door. So elongate pecs.
- One hand takes a foot from behind, and brings it towards the tail, stretching quadriceps. This exercise usually requires the help of a partner or the wall, so as not to lose balance.
- Sitting on your knees in front of a chair, the forearms are interlocked behind the head, and they lean on the seat of the chair.
- With your back to a chair, you place your arms on the seat of it and try to support the weight while you slide to the floor.
- Standing with a dumbbell on one arm and the other flexed upward, the weight-bearing shoulder is allowed to drop as low as possible. In this way elongate the neck.
- Face down, with the body extended and the palms on the floor, an attempt is made to bring the upper part of the body upwards, stretching abdominals.
