Self Help

One of the best ways to reduce exercise related injuries is by being flexible. This means that your joints have to be well lubricated and your muscles have to be stretchable.

Your overall goal should be to gradually work to extend your already good range of motion to one that is appropriate for your fitness level and body type. There are a variety of ways in which you can achieve this goal. You should use a few of these before every workout you do.

It is very important to do warm-up exercises before you start any fitness routine. You are a lot more likely to stretch or tear your muscles and cartilage if you do not warm up. Your body produces lubricant for your joints and causes your muscles to become more elastic whenever you do warm-up exercises. This is what leads to a safer, higher performance workout.

The minimum amount of time for warm-up exercises is 15 minutes. You can do low-impact jogging in place, simple stretches and other such techniques during this time.

Static stretching are the old-fashioned stretch and hold for 30 seconds routines. You should do this for your arms, trunk, legs and neck. On the other hand, dynamic stretching and ballistic stretching involve active, bouncing or weight assisted types of stretches. Sometimes you apply extra force here. One type of dynamic stretching involves holding your arms out to the side then swinging them back and forth in front of your body for 30 seconds. Regardless of the type of stretching you choose to do, both types are very beneficial.

Here are some easy, yet effective ways of stretching before starting your workout:

1. You can stretch your abdominal muscles quite easily. All you need to do is lay backwards on a large rubber ball then push back slowly while raising your arms up over your head. You should repeat this 10 times.
2. Full back stretching can be done by lying on your back and bringing both of your knees up to your chest while clasping your hands behind your knees. You need to then roll forward until your feet touch the floor then backwards until your head touches the floor. Continue doing this for 10 repetitions.
3. Groin stretching is fairly safe to do when you use a large rubber ball. What you will want to do is place one of your knees on the ball and slowly rotate it a few inches away from your body then move it back toward your body for a total of 10 repetitions on each side.
4. If you want to stretch both your leg and back muscles at the same time you simply need to do toe taps. These are done by standing up straight with your feet about shoulder length apart. You will then want to lean forward and touch the big toe on your one foot with your opposite hand (left to right and right to left). If you have lower back problems you should talk to a fitness trainer or a doctor before doing this warm-up exercise.

In order to achieve maximum flexibility you should do stretching routines at least a few times per week. This will help to increase your range of motion and decrease your potential of being injured.