Most people would agree that going to the dentist doesn’t top their list of enjoyable activities. Somehow stretching doesn’t make the top of people’s priority when they design their athletic development program. Unfortunately just a little bit of preventative action in both your oral hygiene and flexibility will reap great benefits over the long haul.

Knowing the weak links in your kinetic chain is key. You could spend hours stretching every muscle in your body but no one has time for that so just focus in on what you need to stretch. Remember stretching’s purpose is to simply elongate muscles and return them to their normal resting tension. For a quick overview of different types of stretching read “Stretching (and) the truth”.

You probably don’t stretch like you should because if you stretch what’s tight on you it’s actually really hard. Don’t let stretching be an after thought. Do it and do it right for the full effect to take place. Standing around on 1-leg and chatting with your workout partner isn’t stretching, it’s wasting time. When you stretch try and get in tune with your body. Feel the sensation as muscle fibers begin to release and your range of motion increases.

Figure out what’s tight on your body. Stretch it everyday so you can make some progress. Do it with intention. A little bit of everyday prevents big time pain in the long-term.