Many or today’s society have muscular imbalances due to repetitive daily movements leading to pain and injury. Repetitive movements such as sitting for long periods, standing, driving, or anything else that you do all day repetitively places undue stress on the body. Muscular imbalances result in poor joint movement, inappropriate muscle functioning and decreased neuromuscular control. Start with static stretching to improve these imbalances.

People of all ages and all fitness levels can benefit from static stretching. Stretching improves joint range of motion, improves the function of your muscles and improves neuromuscular control or efficiency. Stretching exercises don’t require any special equipment so they can be performed anywhere, at your desk, at home or in the gym.

Flexibility and static stretching exercises can be performed during warm up and cool down. Stretching during warm up prepares your muscles prior to exercise and prevents injury. Stretching after a workout improves joint range of motion and helps your muscles recover after a workout which also prevents excessive muscle soreness.

If you lead a sedentary lifestyle or you don’t exercise, it is even more important that you perform static stretching and flexibility exercises. Only stretch to a point of slight tension and hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds.

Static, Active, Dynamic, and SMR with a foam roll are a few different forms of flexibility training. The most common is static stretching. Static stretches require that you hold a stretch for a minimum of 20 to 30 seconds. It helps to improve flexibility by lengthening the muscles being stretched. Static stretches are best for correcting muscular imbalances and is the best place to start.

Self myofacial release is also a form of corrective stretching. By applying pressure to “knots” or sensitive areas of a muscle, this technique allows bundled muscle fibers to be straightened and inline with the direction of the muscle, This in turn leads to lengthening of the muscles. It’s a great way to restore your body to it’s optimal level of functioning. This can be done by rolling specific muscles on a foam roll. SMR and static stretching can be combined in your warm-ups.

Active and dynamic stretching is another form of stretching which should be formed only as a warm up or before a workout. You can cool down with some static stretching. They require holding stretches for only a short duration and several repetitions. Yoga is a form of active isolated stretching.

Improving your flexibility will not only feel great but will reduce the risk of injury, counteract aging, improve posture, relieve pain, and improve muscle recovery after workouts. Static stretching is a great place to start.