Stretching: What You Need to Know

When you think about bodybuilding, the first thing that comes to mind is probably not going to be stretching. Stretching can often be neglected by weightlifters, but after you consider the potential benefits to muscle growth you will have no choice but to reconsider.

To most people, the main function of stretching is to loosen up before a workout to make sure that their muscles are warm. This warming of the muscles is thought to lower the likelihood of injury and potentially increase performance for lifters. While this may be true, there are many other valuable benefits that must also be recognized. Some of these benefits include:

· Improved range of motion

· Enhanced mind-muscle connection

· More blood flow

· Increased recovery

· Ability to overcome plateaus

For elite bodybuilders, stretching can even be incorporated into their workouts. One example of this is from world-renowned trainer Hany Rambod and his creation of FST-7. The FST stands for Fascia Stretch Training and is designed specifically to unlock muscle restrictions attributed to the deep fascia tissue to expand the space your muscles have to grow.

Learn More About FST-7 Here!

When you don’t stretch, you leave yourself vulnerable to overextending of muscles leading to tears as well as muscle exhaustion inhibiting your ability to recover. As stretching is important before working out as a preventative measure, it also has its place at the end of the workout. Stretching after a workout helps with muscle recover and can prevent knots, sprains, or cramps.

Some Examples of Stretches You Should Be Doing:

· Elevated Quad Stretch

· Bent-Over Hamstring Stretch

· Lying Knee to Chest Stretch

· Lunging Hip Flexor Stretch

While you may see guys in the gym who think they are too good to stretch or chalk it up as useless, you should not underestimate its importance. There is no excuse to skip stretching and if it can be increasing your performance or aiding in muscle growth, there is no reas