Marc stretches, and so should you!
Anybody who works out is no stranger to the soreness that ensues afterwards. Especially the next day and, of course, the dreaded day-two!
There’s a way to reduce that, though! Although it’s good to be sore (that’s a sign you did a good job at the gym), not everybody loves the feeling of barely being able to function the next day. All of you who have done the Lift More: Legs workout know what I’m talking about. Ouch!
This is where stretching comes in handy. After your workout, stretching can help to realign your muscle fibers which, in turn, helps to accelerate your recovery process. It’ll also help to reduce lactic acid buildup which aids in preventing soreness felt the next day. The stretching of the fascia will also assist in further growth of your muscles.
Stretching isn’t just limited to post-workout, however. Having a good pre-workout routine can assist you in getting warmed up properly, which is a great way to prevent injury during you workout, and allow you to push harder!
Marc has a go-to routine he follows when he works out, and it works wonders.
Pre-workout:
1. Begin with an active warm-up. Usually this is the first exercise of the day’s workout, with light weight (around 20% of the maximum weight). Perform 15–20 reps. Increase the weight by 5 or 10 pounds, and do another set.
2. Perform static stretches for around 30–45 seconds per side of the muscle(s) being worked that day. Wait 30 seconds and repeat once.
Post-workout:
1. Perform static stretches for 30–60 seconds. Wait 30 seconds and repeat 2 or 3 times.
2. Use a foam roller if possible. Foam rolling has been shown to reduce muscle and joint pain.
There you have it! Marc’s personal stretching routine. Give it a try for a week or two and you’ll see the benefits.
What do you think? Do you stretch religiously before and after workouts? What’s your stretching routine like? Do you find it necessary? Let us know. We’d love to hear about it!
Until next time, remember to keep posted to marcfitt.com for all your fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle tips! Cheers!
You are the best marcc
Stretching isn’t good on your warm ups.
Stretching on your warm ups makes your muscles less strong and powerful and it also INCREASE your chance of getting an injury. Dynamic warm up is always a better choice.
Stretching after your work out, on the other hand, is very good.
You can find the recent studies about this on the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research’ and the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports.
Thanks for the tips, Marc! If you come up with any good videos or additional suggestions, please do share!
Great
Hi mark.. Im 25 yrs of age.
My question to u is how to cut my belly fat in 2mths..
I had been working out previously but since last 7-8 mths im outta form and outta shape as well. Very de motivated when i see myself in the mirror without a tshirt. What do u suggest me. Plz help
Thanks Marc for the Article .. Indeed a great help :)
My pleasure Jats :)
Hello, when we trained karate, we stretched often….there is suzuki’s stretchning plan which is used in balet too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RooFxGkCbFE
all exercises: http://assets3.tribesports.com/system/challenges/images/000/042/062/original/20130423213638-suzuki-s-stretching.jpg
That’s a great shema on how to stretch the legs especially. Thanks for sharing.
Hi marc,
Maybe you could make a video about how to properly stretch each muscle group?
Great Idea of video! I will prepare a video about it. Thank you for the feedback.
Let me know how you stretch guys and what you think :)
Foam rolling definitely helps me loads for recovery, and I actually found myself getting stronger faster because of it. Definitely agree with that suggestion.
Yes, we see the difference immediately. Thanks for interacting on this article! Keep up the good work.