Slow. Boring. Painful.
Those are the common grouses when it comes to stretching.
If you’ve been doing stretching exercises regularly, good for you. If not, read on: You are in great need of a stretch.
During exercise, your muscles contract repeatedly – whether you’re spinning, lifting weights or doing ab exercises – to perform the required movements. Afterwards, they are naturally in a tighter and shorter state.
“Stretching them will help relieve tension and elongate the muscles back to their normal length or beyond,” says Bong Asuncion, training manager at Amore Fitness.
Anabel Chew, co-founder of WeBarre adds: “Stretching is just as important as the workout itself. It increases your mobility and flexibility, enabling you to perform better. It also improves posture by lengthening tight muscles that pull areas of the body away from their intended position.
“For example, after spending a lot of time in front of computers, many of us have tight chest muscles that pull the head and shoulders forward, leaving us with a hunched look. Over time, your body is thrown out of alignment, creating muscular imbalances and poor posture.”