The benefits of a regular stretching program are amazing and will help increase your daily life productivity. If you’re here looking for information about stretching and wanting to increase your knowledge about this topic, then you’re at the right spot.
It is definitely OK to stretch multiple times a day. Stretching multiple times a day will help increase your range of motion which will help improve your activities of daily living.
In fact it’s a good habit to keep moving throughout the day. Don’t sit for more than an hour at a time without getting up. Try and move and stretch for 5 to 10 minutes.
Stretching defines as moving the joints beyond the accustomed range of motion.
The information you will learn from this post will help you stay conscious about stretching and moving around which will lead to a healthier lifestyle. In the next few sections, I’ll be going over why it’s ok to stretch multiple times a day, example stretch exercises you can do, and tips on how you may be stretching wrong.
Why It's Ok To Stretch Multiple Times A Day
Stretching multiple times a day will not hurt anyone. According to experts in recent studies, stretching helps increase range of motion around a joint almost immediately after performing flexibility exercise.
When our joints are not regularly moved through their range of motion our ligaments and muscles will shorten in time which causes our flexibility to decrease. When our ligaments and muscle shortens we become very tight and if we make sudden rapid movements we have a greater risk of injuring yourself.
For Example: Let’s say you’re walking while on your phone and your phone accidentally slips off your hand. You suddenly do this half squat/lunge thing to try to catch your phone and you feel an onset pain in your hamstring. You might have just pulled your hamstring.
Ok, maybe that was a bad example, but I hope you get what I mean. Any sudden movements that require you to twist/turn/bend/reach without proper flexibility will increase your chances of pulling or hyperextending a muscle.
Stretch Exercises:
Stretching is important even if you are only sitting for a few minutes at a time. Here are some quick stretches that you can do right now
Stretch Exercise 1: Neck Stretches
Movement Action: Slowly tilt your head to the side. You can also use your hand to gently pull to one side. Make sure you perform the exercise to both sides and hold the final stretch for a few seconds. Repeat several times.
Muscles Stretched: Neck Flexors and Extensors. Cervical Spine Ligaments.
Stretch Exercise 2: Side Stretch
Movement Action: Stand straight up with your feet about shoulder width apart. Place your hand on your waist. Move your upper body to one side and hold the stretch for a few seconds. Repeat several times.
Muscles Stretched: Muscles and Ligaments of Pelvic Region.
Stretch Exercise 3: Body Rotation
Movement Action: With your feet about shoulder width apart. Place your arm slightly away from your body and rotate. Hold the final stretch for a few seconds. Repeat several times.
Muscles Stretched: Hip, Abdominal, Chest, Back, Neck, and Shoulder Muscles. Hip and Spinal Ligaments.
Stretch Exercise 4: Arm Circles
Movement Action: Circle your arms all the way around. Repeat exercise in both directions.
Muscles Stretched: Shoulder Muscles and Ligaments.
Stretch Exercise 5: Heel Cord Stretch
Movement Action: For this stretch you can use a wall or some kind of step. Stretch the heel downward. Hold stretch for a few seconds. Repeat several times on both sides.
Muscles Stretched: Achilles Tendon, Calves and Soleus Muscles.
Stretch Exercise 6: Adductor Stretch
Movement Action: Stand with about twice of your shoulder width. Place your hand slightly above your knees. Slowly go down on one side as far as possible. Hold the stretch for a few seconds. Repeat several times on both sides.
Muscles Stretched: Hip Adductor Muscles
Stretch Exercise 7: Quad Stretch
Movement Action: You can use a wall or if you think you have the balance for it you can just grab one foot and pull it closer to your butt. Hold the stretch for a few seconds and repeat several times on both sides.
Muscles Stretched: Quadriceps Muscle, Knee and Ankle Ligaments.
Stretch Exercise 8: Tricep Stretch
Movement Action: This one might be a little hard for those who aren’t as flexible. First put one hand behind your neck. With the other arm grab the elbow of the arm that’s behind the neck and gently pull backward. Hold the stretch for a few seconds and repeat several times on both sides.
Muscles Stretched: Tricep Muscles, Shoulder Join.
Stop Stretching For Too Long
Stretching for too long can actually put you at risk of injury. When you stretch for too long, your muscle will actually start to stiffen up. You have to listen to your body and remember that you’re the only one that knows when the discomfort is too much.
How Long Should You Hold The Stretch
According to ACSM, a total of 60 seconds of flexibility exercise per joint is recommended. That doesn’t mean to hold a stretch for 60 seconds straight. That means you hold a stretch for 10-30 seconds to the point of slight discomfort and then you take a rest for 3 to 6 seconds. Then you repeat.
Although for older individuals, holding a stretch from 30-60 seconds may yield greater benefits.
FLEXIBILITY EXERCISE RECOMMENDATION
Flexibility Training | |
Frequency | ≥ 2-3 days per week. Daily is the most effective. |
Intensity | Stretch to the point of feeling tightness or slight discomfort. |
Time | 10-30 seconds static stretch for most adults. 30-60 seconds static stretch for older individuals. |
Type | Flexibility exercises that use each major muscle-tendon is recommended. Static Flexibility, Dynamic Flexibility, Ballistic Flexibility, and PNF flexibility. |
Volume | 2-4 reps is recommended. 60 seconds of total stretching time is recommended. |
Progression | ACSM has no methods for optimal progression. |
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I hope this post has helped you in some way. If not, let me know and we can chat more about it! All of the benefits that come with a stretching program make sense when considering how much time people spend sitting at their desks or on public transportation each day.
The results are so good that the next time someone tells you they don’t have enough time to stretch, ask them if they feel like working smarter instead of harder.
A regular stretching regimen is one simple change that could help increase productivity without any additional effort required- what do you think? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
