2 Misconceptions About Stretching and Some Quick Fixes
If you want to improve your flexibility, you might find yourself reading up about stretching and the different ways it can help you. Perhaps you have already tried a few stretching exercises and hoped they would loosen up some of your tight muscles.
However, you might be experiencing little to no relief from these activities, and now you are wondering why you are not feeling any effects. Even if you follow a step-by-step guide on basic stretching, you will not see drastic results if you do not know the truth about it.
Stretching As You Know
Mainstream knowledge about stretching may have taught you the following misinformation:
You should hold a stretch for 30 seconds.
You need specific props to achieve certain stretching poses.
If you want to stretch your leg, a strap or rope is all you need.
These are some misconceptions that prevent you from feeling the full effect of your stretches.
In this article, we will point out two myths you might have been told about stretching and give you the truth behind them.
Misconception #1: You should target the major muscles when stretching
Most stretching exercises will ask you to stretch your major muscles, such as hamstrings, quads, lower back, and triceps, but the truth is that they are only the central part of your muscles. If you want to improve your flexibility, you need to stretch all your muscles in their entirety. That means up until their very ends.
Your body’s muscles are interconnected with one another, so stretching only a part means that there will still be tightness on the other end. When you use these untrained muscles, you will experience pain or limitations in your range of motion. It is hard to see any improvement if this continues to happen.
Solution: Try incorporating gentle movements into your stretches. Instead of focusing on specific muscle parts, small movements can help release the tension you have throughout your muscles. It is a simple way you can exercise all the muscles in your body.
Misconception #2: Props can help improve your stretching experience
Some stretching tutorials will encourage you to use props like ropes, bands, and rings. However, by using these props, you teach your body to move unnaturally. These props lengthen or elongate your muscles or create a crutch where it is not needed.
Solution: Lose the props. They make your body depend on outside tools instead of training it on your own. This dependency can cause parts of your body to weaken. Let us say you use a band when bending. This band creates tightness in your body. Instead of stretching your muscles all the way, it limits your muscles, which in turn, prevents you from getting the results you want.
Conclusion
Stretching is possible in various forms and techniques, but one truth remains: Your body should learn to stretch all the way, so you can achieve the flexibility you desire. Stretching may be simple for some, but others need help and assistance to ensure that they are doing it right. Once you learn to perform your stretches the correct way, you will notice how they positively impact your overall flexibility.
If you love stretching but are scared that you are doing it wrong, you can visit us at Stretch Studio. We are Australia’s first one-on-one assisted stretching studio in Sydney, where you can book single sessions or multiple consultations with a flexologist. You can improve your range of motion, posture, decrease muscle tension, and more. Try our 15-minute stretch for free.