Long considered on a lower tier than the other two elements of fitness – cardio and weight training, flexibility training is key to keeping you on the road and in the gym. Stretching and its merits can be confusing, but one thing is clear: cold muscles do not respond well to stretching. When a muscle is warm it is less likely to tear, so it is best to stretch after you have broken a sweat. This means warming up for physical activities doesn’t necessarily involve stretching. Dynamic warmups are generally the way to go,

where you loosen your joints through movement and warm up your cardiovascular system. Whether you are warm or not, ballistic stretching is always a no-no. That means no bouncing when stretching, since bouncing is a great way to tear a muscle and you don’t want to do that. What you want to do is lengthen the muscle fibers, which ultimately increases the range of motion of your joints and this helps keep injuries at bay. Learn how to maximize your stretch.

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Stretching 101: Three Simple Tips