The Science Of Stretching

At the Shaolin Temple we never stretch first, we always start with a gentle warm up and when the muscles feel warm and loose we stretch. We do two types of stretching: static and dynamic. The Shaolin dynamic stretching we do is the five basic kicks, and the five stances which open the hips and warm up the leg muscles. We believe that it's only by doing these stretches that we can get truly flexible. We've stretched this way and warmed up our muscles like this for thousands of years, and if you train with my DVDs then you'll be doing it this way. In fact, I didn't know there was another way until I came to the UK. 

Yesterday, a student showed me a book about the science of exercise, which has a chapter on stretching. Latest research shows that the way Shaolin Disciples warm up and stretch is the way to get maximum performance from our workout. There's a belief in the West that stretching before a warm up is good but research has shown that it has no benefit and doesn't bolster performance. The other myth is the only way to flexibility is through static stretching. To quote from the book: "Dynamic stretching may be the most important element of a warm up... it involves moving and waking the tissues that will be called upon during the subsequent exercise." It's also the way to become more flexible. 

This way of preparing for a workout is not just for martial artists but all athletes.

For more information on Shaolin Training please visit shifuyanlei.com

Can Back Exercise Help Back Pain?

By Kevin Rudick

Performing back exercises can be a very important strategy
for relieving back pain. However, it is important to know
the right exercises to do so that you don't make things
worse. Thus, it is our suggestion that you seek the advice
of a physician or physical therapist prior to beginning any
new routine.

Great benefits can be had from yoga-based movements intended
to stretch the spine, as they help build back strength and
flexibility which increase physical endurance. Several types
of back complaints can be helped in this way, and more
severe conditions such as herniation of the discs can
possibly be prevented.

Other back exercises that are effective for pain relief
include forward and backward bends, side bends and spinal
twists. In most cases you can perform different versions of
these according to how flexible your back is. For example
you can do a spinal twist sitting on a chair, sitting on the
floor or lying on your back (the supine spinal twist).

You must take care to always keep your stretching balanced.
This means that if you curl or twist the spine in one
direction, you should balance this with a stretch in the
other direction. Most of us are more flexible on one side or
the other so you will probably find that you can take a
stretch further in one direction. Just go as far as you
comfortably can on both sides, no more.

Abdominal exercises can also help in strengthening the back
muscles, especially those of the lower back. The classic
abdominal crunch or the bicycle crunch can help prevent back
pain as well as giving you a firmer, stronger abdomen.

Back exercises are not like many workouts where you aim to
feel the burn. You should feel a stretch in the targeted
area, but not actual pain. Always stop if the exercise
becomes uncomfortable. Excessive stretches do not produce
worthwhile benefits.

Kevin is a contributing writer to the
(http://backpainandsciaticarelief.com/) Back Pain Sciatica
site. You might be interested in his latest article: Finding
the Best
(http://backpainandsciaticarelief.com/chair-for-sciatica/)
Sciatica Chair.

Boost Your Health By Stretching

Stretching is one of the most important types of exercise
for a person to do on a regular basis. This is because it
provides a number of different benefits to the body. Many
experts have been preaching about the benefits of stretching
exercises for years. Sales of DVDs teaching how to do the
stretches correctly number in the millions each year.

Knowing the benefits that stretching provides to the body
may make people more inclined to stretch on a regular basis.
The major benefit of stretching is that it improves your
body's flexibility. When you do the exercises correctly, you
strengthen the tendons attaching the muscles to the bone;
this impacts almost all the body's muscles.

There is usually a lower chance of suffering muscle sprains
and strains if you stretch often. The reason for this is
that the body's muscles get used to moving in various
directions. In addition, they become resilient enough to
handle unexpected movements, which can lead to injury of the
muscles or tendons. You can also improve body strength with
regular stretching. This is achieved by the continual
challenges placed on the muscles.

Because stretching is a low impact exercise, it is
appropriate for people of all ages to do. Stretching
exercises for seniors and people with limited mobility helps
them to regain lost strength and rebuild their muscles. The
exercises are also appropriate for young children. Many
places have classes where parents and their toddlers can
stretch together in a group setting.

The exercise that the stretches provide for the body
increases the amount of blood flow through the body. This
can improve a number of different ailments. Your body
eliminates wastes more rapidly due to improved blood flow.
It also moves oxygen from the lungs to the brain and other
organs in larger amounts. The blood also flows through the
muscles of the body faster. This increases the strength and
the health of the muscles in a dramatic way.

Stretching is among the few exercises that benefits the
whole body. Plus, the frequency or length of the exercises
doesn't really matter. Doing stretching exercises frequently
will provide a bigger benefit and faster results. But even
moderate stretching can improve the health of the person
doing the exercises and give their body more mobility.

The benefits associated with these low impact exercises are
more than enough reason for everyone to stretch on a regular
basis.

Stretching - Why Its So Good

If you're searching for one of the more straightforward
weight loss and health tips that nearly anyone can do and
one that is exceptionally blissful too, why not have a go
at this? This weight loss plan involves an exercise that all
people do from time to time in the course of the day, but
never for sufficient duration for it to do us any good. So
what am I blustering on about?

Stretching!

Absolutely! Not a lot of people realize that the perfect
time of the day to perform this is first thing in the
morning. That's before getting out of bed! The moment
you awaken, instead of getting up straight away, spend a
minute or two pleasurably stretching your body.

By providing a good stretch to all of your muscles, you will
gain a particular fitness edge. Stretching is so
ridiculously easy to do and it totally sets you up for the
day ahead. Commence by stretching your legs as tightly as
you can. Enjoy a good yawn at the same time and stretch your
arms right up over your head. You need to be sitting up
straight while you do that. After that stretch your neck and
back. Really sense all of the muscles elongating as you do
it.

Afterwards, feeling revitalized, you can get out of your bed
and, just to cap it off, stretch your legs even more,
stretch up onto the balls of your feet, and a final parting
shot, steel yourself and stretch your whole body one more
time. One might ask what the advantages are of this exercise?

The answer is simple. Stretching just wakes up your muscles
from their extended period of immobility while you were in
the land of nod and gets them ready for much of the work
that they will need to do during the day. Stretching
naturally increases the capacity of your muscles to consume
some of the surplus calories with the best efficiency. It
also helps to ward off any injuries that might result from
doing any other elementary exercises by straining or pulling
a muscle.

Damage to muscles is less liable to occur when you do a few
pre-exercise strategies and stretch your muscles first. At
the end of the day this is something that is easy to do,
anyone can do it and exercising will never be so easy or
more enjoyable than a totally cool stretch and a yawn!

Balance Training - Get A Complete Workout

Athletes in any sport must focus on several areas of the
body during their training. A strength-based workout
consists of much more than basic stamina and physical
strength; you can train for boxing by using kettle bells,
power bags and boxing rings to focus on your upper body.

This process will enable you to work on your flexibility,
provide a total body workout and will help you to become
aware of mobility limits. One simple way to achieve this is
to focus on balance training in your workout.

Balance training is used by many athletes, martial artists
and physical therapists around the world. It is a
concentrated focus on your body, of maintaining position and
coordination through time and movement. The power bag is one
example and is a useful tool that can be included in your
stretches before and after working out and it can be used
with equipment or be used free standing.

The balance ball is another example. This tool will stretch out
under-used muscles and help to increase movement, which will
limit any muscle adhesion.

While useful, balance training isn't something that you can
just rush into. Many physical trainers will tell you
outright what balance exercises will work for you and which
ones to avoid, as well as which ones can be dangerous based
on your current level of training.

As always, any training should be done in moderation and all
athletes should ease into their training as they go. Always
consult your doctor before starting any exercise program.

The use of balance training combined with other,
muscle-group orientated training will have a
significant impact on your results.