Why Stretch?
Oct 15, 2018
Back in my sophomore year of college I had the best baseball season of my college career. Looking back now I think one of the main reasons was that I was stretching every night before bed.
Muscles aren't that fancy. They must have the ability to open and close. When a muscle can open further you are increasing the potential for the muscle to produce more force. Think of a rubber band. The further back you stretch it the faster and further it can shoot.
By stretching regularly you can tap into more of your bodies potential. If you are inflexible not only are you increasing your chances of injury but you will have more friction in your movements and will be leaving a large percentage of your potential on the table.
Strength, speed, power, muscle mass, and even fat loss are all improved by stretching regularly. In fact if you are stuck when it comes to losing fat I would say that stretching may help break you through to the next level.
Stretching also has tremendous benefits for joint health, energy levels, mindset, and even sleep.
When it comes to stretching you need not only static flexibility where you hold stretches but also the ability to turn it into better movement, which is what I call mobility. You must have a balance between the two, because the increased flexibility or range of motion is just potential that has been opened up. You need to convert that increased potential into something useful, such as movement, power, strength, etc.
The best time to stretch is both after workouts and before bed. Think of stretching as preparing you for either your next workout or next day. Stretching after your workout can begin to prepare you and open your body back up for better performance in the next workout. In the same way stretching before bed prepares your body for the next day.