Stretching is an underrated but essential a part of every day physical activity. Among its many health advantages, it promotes flexibility and helps your joints maintain a healthy range of motion—and by doing so, reduces the probabilities of joint and muscle strain. .
How often must you stretch? How long must you stretch? And how persistently must you do each stretch?
A panel of experts convened by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) reviewed a big selection of studies to assist answer these questions. Based on the evidence, the panel agreed that:
- Healthy adults should do flexibility exercises (stretches, yoga, or tai chi) for all major muscle-tendon groups—neck, shoulders, chest, trunk, lower back, hips, legs, and ankles—at the very least once every week. Two to 3 times.
- For best results, it's best to spend a complete of 60 seconds on each stretching exercise. So, in the event you can hold a selected stretch for 15 seconds, it could be ideal to repeat it three more times. If you possibly can hold this stretch for 20 seconds, two more repetitions will do the trick.
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