What’s the difference between warming
up and stretching? Warm up not only increases your heart rate, it
brings blood to and increases your tissue temperature. When
your tissues are warmed up, you can stretch more effectively and
safely. Stretching helps loosen joints helps with
flexibility and strength. It is important to warmup and then
stretch before dancing and can help prevent injuries.
Stretching after dance is a bonus a you are warmer because tissue
temperature is maximize and you are more flexible. The period
during the final stretch is also a great opportunity to
cool-down. It will also reduce muscle
soreness.
To maintain flexibility, the body has to
move through its normal range of motion. To increase flexibility,
muscles must be over-stretched to the end range of tension. Be
careful not to over-stretch joints and ligaments as this can lead to serious
damage, including unstable joints and loss of movement control. A
stretch should feel "good" not
painful!
Over-Stretching
When you over-stretch. you are
creating micro-damage, pulling a few muscle fibers apart. When a
muscle is constantly held in an over-stretched position, it will
grow new fibers at its ends, making it longer and permanently
lengthening tendons. But be patient: It takes about four weeks of
0ver-stretching to build longer muscles. Your nervous system
eventually resets muscle tension lower, causing your muscles to
develop an increased tolerance to stretch.It is very important not to push too far, or your
tissues won't have a chance to heal--leaving rigid, inelastic scar
tissue. To avoid this, your stretching regimen should consist
on low-intensity continual forces over a long period of time.
Be sure to take time off if you feel sore and uncomfortable.
Once again, never stretch to the point of
pain.
Consistency
To
maintain the benefits of
stretch, you must stretch regularly, daily if possible. If you
don't, the muscles will
return to their prestretch length in about 2
weeks.
Benefits of
Stretch
- Allows
greater delivery of oxygen to the working muscles
- Creates more pliable muscles
improving efficiency and power
- Increases speed of nerve impulses
- Increases blood flow the muscles
- Decreases number of injuries to
muscles, tendons, ligaments and connective tissues
- Improves blood flow to the heart, to
prepare for sudden strenuous activity
- Leads to earlier sweating, which
reduces risk of high body temperature during strenuous exercise
How to Stretch
-
Warmup
for 10 minutes by doing movements to get your cardio system
going.
-
Set a safe achievable goal
-
Mentally relax.
-
Warm up with gentle repetitive
movement and/or the application of heat, such as a warm bath or a
hot pack- Move through all the muscle
groups
-
As you Stretch, Breath
out
-
Slowly move into stretch, Hold
stretch 10 to 15 seconds, do not force or bounce, and breath
slowly and rhythmically. (Think of it like blowing a soap
bubble, you have to blow slowly or the bubble will pop.)
-
Repeat stretch at least twice
and ideally 4
times
Sources
Dance Spirit June 2000 Smart
Stretching, Judith Taber, PT
Dance
Spirit Magazine, September 2000, Smart Stretching, Christine
Dion
Dancer
Magazine, February 2002 Stretching Safe - Dancing Longer by
Nancy M Miller,
M.S.P.T
- Allows greater delivery of oxygen to
the working
muscles
- Creates more pliable muscles
improving efficiency and power
- Increases speed of nerve impulses
- Increases blood flow the muscles
- Decreases number of injuries to
muscles, tendons, ligaments and connective tissues
- Improves blood flow to the heart, to
prepare for sudden strenuous activity
- Leads to earlier sweating, which
reduces risk of high body temperature during strenuous exercise
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