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Athletes have to be very careful to properly prep themselves before a practice or a game. Without giving your muscles a chance to wake up, you could risk serious injury. By setting up a stretch routine for warming up before practices and games, you’ll ensure that your muscles are properly prepared for the vigorous workout you’re about to give them. These stretches and more can be found on the Internet by using your laptops.
First do a pre-warm up by walking in place or lightly jogging. This will warm up your muscles. When you’re ready to start stretching, you’ll want to stretch in a particular order, performing small, circular movements with each area. You can work your way from your fingers to your toes in the following order:
-fingers and knuckles
-wrists
-elbows
-shoulders
-neck
-trunk/waist
-hips
-legs
-knees
-ankles
-toes
When you’ve completed all of the muscle groups, start with your toes again, and work your way back through to your fingers and knuckles. Move slowly to avoid overstretching. Begin slowly. You don’t have to touch your toes the first few times you start to stretch. You want to slowly build up your stretching routine like you would with any other exercise program.
While performing each stretch, hold the stretch in place for a count of ten. Breathe slowly, in and out, during your count, and then release the stretch slowly. Repeat, trying to push the stretch a little further, for another count of ten. Repeat this with each of the muscle groups going forward and backwards. You’ll want to take your time, and not rush through your stretch routine. The idea is to let all of your muscles wake up before revving them into high gear.
When starting your stretching routine, there are some things you should remember. Don’t bounce while you’re stretching. The idea is to wake your muscles up before you use them. Stretch both sides of your body in equal order. You can stretch each side of your body individually, or go back-and-forth with each muscle group. Consult your coach or trainer for additional advice and assistance.
