Stretching…Really?!
I guarantee most of you will be thinking “oh great, another fitness article telling me I should stretch – bol@$cks to it, I’ve never stretched and I’m fine”. Am I right?!
Stretching in the Marines
Stretching is a must as far as Royal Marines Recruits are concerned. Every Royal Marines PTI has to pass a practical assessment on how to warm-up and cool-down a troop of Marines, including dynamic warm-up stretches and static cool-down stretches.
Why Stretch?
Simply, 5 to 7minutes of stretching before and after exercise will increase flexibility, prevent DOMs (delayed onset muscle soreness) and prevent injury. Furthermore, stretching the muscles improves circulation and increases muscle tone, meaning if you are training for the aesthetics reasons (beach body), your muscles will become more defined through regular stretching sessions.
Stretch at Work
Most of us at some point end up hunched over a desk using a computer and a mouse or a phone all day. All that this does for us (apart from paying the bills) is give us back ache, sore shoulders and repetitive strain injury from overusing the mouse.
Try to stretch every few hours, either at the desk or while waiting for a snack to microwave, kettle to boil etc. Even while washing your hand in the toilet.
Flexibility – a component of fitness
There are seven components of fitness (strength, speed, power, stamina, endurance, flexibility and skill). Flexibility is said to be the easiest to develop quickly, yet its benefits are huge. As with anything, you just need to progress slowly but effectively and soon major increases will be seen.
By adding literally 5-10 minutes at the end of every session the benefits of stretching will become apparent to you.
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