Most Common Stretching Mistakes

Let's talk about stretching. In this post, I want to focus more on the mistakes we made when we stretch.

These mistakes can cause some injuries in the long run and are the reason why we don't increase our flexibility. 

The very first mistake we do is to stretch before the workout!

Is important to prepare your body first before stretching, stretching while your body is still "cold"  no previous workout or warmup will cause injuries in your muscles. 

Doing a warmup and a workout routine first will increase your blood flow and increase the oxygen flow to the muscles.

Here is a 8 minute stretching routine you can do after your workout

The next mistake we made is on the postures while stretching. 

Having a correct posture while stretching will help avoid injuries, improves flexibility faster, release stress and tension and help your body to recover faster. 

Forward head Posture: 

This is a mistake most people make even while doing push-ups! the neck and head need to be aligned with the spine all the time! This posture can lead to shoulder and neck problems.

Hunched Back: 

The biggest mistake while stretching.  This poor posture is most common in people who have poor posture walking or sitting. The back should be straight, that way your spine can align perfectly with your neck and head.

Hips in: 

This is very common while doing the splits and related to the previous poor posture hunched back, if your back is hunched you don't have space for your hips to come out and rotate them to allow your legs to stretch. 

If your back is straight your hips will automatically rotate out allowing your legs to stretch and you will also go lower. 

Tension in Legs: 

Bending the leg because you can't reach your foot. Creates tension mainly in the knee causing pain. 

It's not about how far you can go it's about letting your muscles relax so you can stretch them. 

Don´t focus on your breathing:

A lot of people forget to breathe and are more focused on how much they can stretch. Breathing is the most important part of stretching. Your muscles need oxygen, if you don´t breathe instead of relaxing, your muscles will contract causing injuries. 

Remember stretching is not about how far you can open your legs, how close to the floor you can get, or how much you can contort your body. 

Is about relaxing your body, allowing it to recover faster, and gaining flexibility along the way.

If you feel too much pain when you stretch you most likely are doing these mistakes!!