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Cool-down stretching after exercise relaxes the muscles
When muscles are stressed during exercise, they often harden quickly. This leads to the need for many athletes to stretch their muscles afterwards. But that does not always lead to the desired result.
Promote mobility and relax muscles
Experts agree that exercise is usually healthy. Regular exercise helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease such as high blood pressure or heart attack. Athletes are also less likely to be overweight or obese. However, when it comes to stretching, professionals such as sports scientists and trainers often disagree. For example, some think that stretching before exercise makes sense, and that you can prevent muscle soreness by stretching. Others disagree with such theses. After physical exercise, stretching exercises are recommended, according to most experts. It can be used to promote mobility and to relax the muscles. However, such exercises are not the right thing after every exercise session.
Stretching after the sport. Image: Christian Schwier - fotolia Various application areas
According to a news agency dpa, the areas of application of stretching are preassembly during warm-up, post-stretching in the sense of a cool-down or stretching as a separate training session. Marcel Reuter, lecturer at the German University for Prevention and Health Management, explains an example: "The widespread assumption that strength training shortens the muscles and requires an intense cool-down, could not be scientifically proven."
Orientate to the previous load
Basically, the expansion program should always be based on the previous load. Prolonged static stretching after intensive exercise would not make sense. "Here, the primary goal of the cool-down should be to reduce the metabolite lactate as quickly as possible. However, static stretching can reduce the blood flow to the muscle and even extend the recovery time, "says Reuter. In this case, active leakage would be much more effective. And even after intensive strength training, extensive stretching was not advisable.
Holistic training session
At lower load, on the other hand, post-stretching can certainly bring benefits, as shown by the practical experience of athletes and coaches. "Many athletes describe a subjectively pleasant relaxation of the muscles through a cool-down. The effects of stretching on the ability of a muscle to relax have also been proven, "says Reuter, who used to be a badminton player himself. Stretching can be done as a separate training session or as part of a holistic training session. As it says in the dpa message, a stretching time of up to 45 seconds is useful for the targeted improvement of mobility. A longer stretching time is therefore not necessary or brings no significant mischief effect. (Ad)