How to stretch

atmosphear added an entry about stretch every day:

Got enthusiastic writing a reply. This is an edited version of a message I wrote elsewhere:

Remember that pain is an indication of something going wrong. Never push the muscles way over their limits (this is where the pain comes from), since you’ll be just causing micro ruptures (straining) to your muscles and tendons, which will heal by scarring.

Ruptures are gaps in between the muscle cells. These gaps will be filled with scar tissue, which is less elastic than the muscles were before stretching them and also more prone for straining again. So, by stretching in a wrong way you will end up harming up yourself.

Start to listen to your body: if you hold the muscle in a stretched position for over 30 seconds you will notice that the reflex holding the muscle (preventing the harm body thinks stretching is doing) disappears and the muscle actually begins to stretch. Do not move back and forth while performing long stretches, since that will be ripping the muscle cells causing the micro ruptures.

Usually short stretching should be approximately 5-10 seconds long, done after warming up the muscles and before the actual exercising part. Long stretches (over 30 seconds) will make the muscle less sensitive (they have just taught the muscle to relax instead of to be alert) and more prone to hurts and ouches.

After the exercising stretching is to help the muscles to release lactoacids, the residue of long-term muscle energy use. Basically this is done to relax the muscle and make the blood flow better. Times wary, but usually 15 seconds is sufficient time.

Short stretches (< 30 s) are for waking up the muscles, not to actually give any additional length. They are to wake up the muscle and tendon coils.

Tendon coils are for prevending the tendon from straining, so when the tendon is about to stretch over its limits it will send a signal for the muscle to tighten.

Muscle coils are then again our protection against the other extreme: cramping. When the muscle is about to cramp, muscle coils will send a relaxation signal to relax the muscle.