Stretching is Critical to Physical Fitness

Milana Marshall

Senior Exit Project

Eva L. Peters
21 November 2019
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Stretching is Critical to Physical Fitness

“Stretching is the wizard behind the curtain,” Coach and kinesiologist expert, Abe

Snobar, answers, “whether you are an elite athlete, someone who is recovering from an injury, or

simply looking to change your health, stretching is where it’s at!” This research paper will

explore the importance of stretching, the basics of stretching, and the application to each of the

major muscle groups.

THE IMPORTANCE OF STRETCHING

According to the most recent study by the World Health Organization the most popular

causes of chronic illness and death are a result of our personal choices surrounding physical

fitness (World Health Organization). One of the most important aspects of physical fitness is

effective exercise. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines exercise as: “​bodily ​exertion​ for the

sake of developing and maintaining physical fitness.” ​Physical fitness implies steady habits.

Exercising for one week does not achieve physical fitness. ​In fact, if exercise is not practiced

properly it may do more harm than good. Stretching is crucial to exercise, without the

appropriate stretching, exercise can lead to extreme injuries and poor physical fitness.

Kinesiologist Snobar declares that physical fitness establishes a solid foundation for

various athletic abilities; the keystone activity being stretching (Snobar). Physical fitness lies at

the intersection of mental health, social acceptance, and emotional well being. The time invested

in exercise has an exponential benefit and few activities have as much leverage as stretching.

Stretching increases range of motion, reach, and lengthening that results in longer and leaner
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muscles (Snobar). When done in combination with exercise, stretching can enhance

performance as well aid in injury prevention.

Physical fitness does not come without risk. Risks include joint injury, muscle strain, and

more severe acute, cardiovascular issues (Divers Alert Network). Risk increases when moving

from extreme sedentarism and passive stiffness to extreme physical activity. Typically speaking,

individuals that maintain a physical fitness routine lower their risk for a myriad of lifestyle

ailments and chronic conditions; while those engaging in a journey to change their fitness level

should do so under medical supervision and the guidance of a professional. Individuals who

maintain repetitive motion for long periods of time increase their risk for ‘wear and tear’ injuries.

For example, it is not uncommon for marathon runners to find themselves facing hip injuries.

However, with the correct static and dynamic stretches, performance will improve and the risk of

injury will decrease ​(Harvard Health Publishing)​.

THE BASICS OF STRETCHING

As described, stretching presents clear benefits and ultimately has a great impact on one’s

physical health. Like many things, stretching can be a great tool if conducted appropriately. With

poor practice, stretching can actually create injuries. Thus, it is essential to understand what

stretching is, and how to stretch specific muscles effectively.

Stretching is simply the lengthening of muscles with the intent of changing the degree of

flexibility. Flexibility can be classified into two distinct categories, static and dynamic. Static

flexibility is often what we think about in terms of how far our reach is or the angle or distance in
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which we can reach. Dynamic flexibility is an assessment of muscle stiffness ("Stretching

During Warm-Up: Do We Have Enough Evidence?").

Stretching is categorized into three major categories: proprioceptive neuromuscular,

ballistic, and static ("Stretching: Mechanisms and Benefits for Sport Performance and Injury

Prevention"). Static stretching is the most common form of stretching and is considered safe due

to a low possibility of injury. Static stretching is where an individual takes a comfortable pose

and holds it for an estimated 30 seconds. This type of stretching can often be found on any

football field prior to a game, pre-game warm ups for most major sports or in yoga studios.

Ballistic stretching is where an individual focuses on increasing flexibility by small bouncing

movements of select muscle groups to push beyond its current state. This type of stretching is

often found with professional dancers, aerobic activity, and competitive divers for muscle groups

such as calves and increasing length of upper body reach. Finally, proprioceptive neuromuscular

stretching is a more advanced method that involves opposite motions of targeted muscle groups.

This type of stretching is most often found with the assistance of personal trainers or professional

coaches.

APPLICATION

Optimal stretching is tailored to the individual. Experts recommend a workout session

focus on specific muscle groups ​(Harvard Health Publishin​g). In the fitness world, there is

controversy as to how “main muscle groups” are characterized. Most common stretches address

multiple muscles simultaneously. Coach Snobar recommends dividing stretches into five muscle

groups; arms and shoulders, legs and buttocks, chest, back and abdomen. While it is important to
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stretch all the muscles you plan to use, a stretching routine that includes a few carefully chosen

stretches that exercises the most prominent muscles from each muscle group in a practical and

effective way is encouraged (Snobar).

Muscle Group One: Arms and Shoulders. ​Among other muscles, the main muscles in the

arms and shoulders are the deltoids, triceps, biceps, subscapularis, supraspinatus (“Shoulder

Muscles Anatomy”). The biceps, triceps, and deltoid muscles require the most attention out of

this muscle group because they are generally used the most when exercising. The bicep and

tricep muscles compliment each other. The bicep muscles flex to create a pulling motion while

the tricep muscles extend to create a pushing motion (Valeo). Pushing and/or pulling is used in

the majority of activities involving the arms. The deltoid muscle, located on the top of the

shoulder, grants reach and rotation to the connecting arm (“Shoulder Muscles Anatomy”). To

stretch the deltoid, “​Gently take your arm across your body using your other arm to take it a little

further” (Demetrious). The ‘overhead triceps and shoulder ​stretch’ also stretches the deltoid

muscle in addition to the tricep, making this an extremely useful stretch. The overhead triceps

and shoulder stretch is, “Bring[ing] one arm overhead and drop your forearm behind you, resting

it on your back between your shoulder blades.With your other hand, grab right above your bent

elbow and pull gently, until you feel a stretch in your shoulder and the back of your arm. “You

never want to pull on your elbow,” Giordano says. Try to keep your biceps close to your ear, and

don’t force it past. Hold for at least 30 seconds and then repeat on the other side” (Winderl). The

final arms and shoulders muscle group stretch is the ‘wall stretch.’ The wall stretch is, “​placing

your palm against a wall. While maintaining contact between the wall and your arm, slowly turn

your body away from the wall until you feel a pull in your chest, shoulder and biceps”
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(Arceneaux). ​ Practicing the previously described stretches lengthen muscles prior to intense

expansion and contraction movements in an attempt to avoid common injuries in the arms and

shoulders such as muscle strains and ​acromioclavicular​ joint injuries.

Muscle Group Two: Legs and Buttocks. ​This muscle group has the most muscles that

require attention. Primary muscles in the legs and buttocks include; tibialis anterior, extensor

digitorum longus,soleus, heads of the gastrocnemius, plantaris, calcaneal, rectus femoris, vastus

intermedius, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus, and gluteus

medius (“Muscles of the Leg). Different than the other muscles groups, the legs and buttocks

muscles are most easily injured. It is crucial to draw extra attention to stretching out the easily

strained muscles to avoid common minor injuries such as ‘charlie horses,’ muscle cramps, pulled

muscles, etc. Because there are so many delicate muscles in the legs and buttocks muscle group,

there are many popular stretches. According to Coach Snobar, the most all encompassing

stretches for this muscle group are the calf stretch, the quad stretch from lunge, and the walking

knee hug. To perform the calf stretch, “Sit with your feet our in front of you on the floor. Hold a

sheet or towel with one end in each hand forming a loop. Place the loop around one foot. Pull

your toes toward you. Stop when you feel a comfortable stretch in your calf muscle. Hold for 30

seconds. Repeat at least 2 more times. Repeat for the other foot” (Inverarity). To do the quad

stretch from lunge, “Start by lowering into a lunge position: Take a step forward with the right

foot and lower your body until right thigh is parallel to the floor and knee is stacked over ankle.

Rest left knee on the floor. Draw left foot to glute and reach back with left arm to grab top of

foot. Pull foot as close to butt as possible to feel a stretch in your quad. Repeat on the other side”

(Thomason). To complete the walking knee hug, “Start standing. Draw right knee up to chest and
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grab shin with hands to pull knee close to your body. Return to starting position and repeat with

left knee as you walk forward. Continue to alternate. You should feel this most in the front of

your hips,” (Thomason). These stretches address a variety of different muscles dynamically and

statically. Truly stretching the legs and buttocks muscles are crucial to most exercise, as running

is the base of most sports, and many cardio workouts.

Muscle Group Three: Chest. ​Muscles that are most commonly worked out in the chest

area include pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, serratus anterior, and the subclavius (Jones).

Unfortunately, these muscles are often neglected. The chest muscles are rarely stretched

properly. Though the chest area is less likely to be injured, it’s still possible. If the chest area is

not stretched out, it is possible to pull a chest muscle. To avoid such, consider the ‘chest stretch.’

To complete the chest stretch, “Start standing tall, fingers interlocked behind you near your butt.

Keeping your back straight and shoulder blades together, push your arms up until you feel the

stretch in your pecs” (Winderal). When performing the chest stretch, the chest is actually

opening up, allowing for a healthier range of motion while active (Richards 322).

​ he most prominent muscles in the upper back are: trapezius,

Muscle Group Four: Back. T

levator scapulae, rhomboid minor and major, latissimus dorsi; and in the lower back, interior

oblique, thoracolumbar fascia, hip flexors (“The Superficial Back Muscles”). One of the most

common stretches is the ‘child’s pose.’ To do this, “Kneel on your mat [surface] with your knees

wider than hip-width apart and your feet together behind you. Sit back on your heels (as best as

you can) and fold forward, resting your belly on your thighs. Extend your arms out in front of

you and rest your forehead on the floor… Gently press your chest and shoulders toward the

ground to deepen the stretch” (Winderl). The stretch, child’s pose, is popular because of the
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amount of muscles it stretches; hip flexors, obliques, thoracolumbar fascia, latissimus dorsi, in

addition to other muscles outside of the back muscle group. Another prime stretch for the back

muscle group is the ‘seated levator scapulae stretch.’ To perform the seated levator scapulae

stretch, “​Begin in a seated position and grasp the bottom of your chair with your right hand.

Bring your chin towards your chest and rotate your head towards the left shoulder. Then using

your left arm gently push your head down looking towards your left armpit until you feel a

slightly stretch along with the right side of your neck. Hold this position for 15 to 20 seconds.

Repeat on the opposite side” (Turetsky). ​Both these stretches, child’s pose and seated levator

scapulae stretch, excel in stretching the applied muscles beyond what they would traditionally be

stretched to during exercise. Thus making the back muscle group stretches extremely valuable.

Doing these can prevent both the classic injuries, such as pulling or straining a muscle, to the

more serious injuries resulting in spasmodic episodes and tendon issues. The back muscles are

used in everyday activities, even simple; everything from walking, to getting out of bed. Injuring

back muscles is considered one of the most serious muscle injuries due to all that the back

muscles protect; spine, nerves, rib cage, various organs, etc (Richards 544).

​ bdominal muscles that require the most attention are the

Muscle Group Five: Abdomen. A

internal abdominal oblique, rectus abdominis, and the transversus abdominus.​ ​It is safe to assume

in nearly all exercises use the abdominal muscles. Conveniently, the close placement and similar

properties of the main abdominal muscles allow for a single stretch to lengthen them all. Though

a single stretch, it is essential not to forget such an important muscle group. Not stretching the

abdominal muscles can result in strains, inflammation, and even affect the closely related organs,

such as the lungs and kidneys (Summit Medical Group WebSite). To best avoid injuring
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abdominal muscles, practicing the ‘cobra pose.’ The cobra pose is, “Lay[ing] face down on the

floor or an exercise mat. This is your starting position. With your hips flat on the ground, push

your upper body upward, while looking straight ahead. This will stretch the abdominal muscles.

Hold the position for 20 seconds, then return to the starting position. Repeat 3 to 4 times,” (How

to Stretch Abs and Why it Matters).

Cohesion. ​Muscles work together. Stretching one muscle group will inevitably support

the performance of another muscle group, provided that the latter muscle group is properly

stretched as well (Richards). Ultimately, all the muscles belong to the same body and it is up to

the individual to stretch the appropriate muscle groups efficiently. This harmony among muscles

allows stretching to prevent injury on at an exponential rate. As Coach Snobar commonly says,

“a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” Muscles need each other, thus important to stretch.

CONCLUSION

Stretching may not be from the land of Oz; yet, it is undeniably critical to achieving an

agile human body and optimal performance. Physical fitness is a choice that mitigates chronic

illness and physical ailments. For those who choose a healthy lifestyle, a practical and effective

stretching routine is a key component to health. Understanding and applying the benefits of

stretching can lead to a greater range of motion and enhanced flexibility. Protecting one’s

muscles via stretching, protects an individual’s overall health. Stretching has many benefits and

is critical to physical fitness.

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Works Cited

“Abdominal Muscle Anatomy.”Physiopedia,

https://www.physio-pedia.com/Abdominal_Muscle_Anatomy​.

Arceneaux, Lynette. “5 Ways to Stretch the Biceps.”LIVESTRONG.COM, Leaf Group, 5 Apr.

2019, ​https://www.livestrong.com/article/7119-stretch-biceps/.​

“Define: Exercise.”Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster,

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exercise.​

​ hysioAdvisor,​ May 2016,

Demetrious, Tele. “Deltoid Stretches - Deltoid Stretch.”P
https://www.physioadvisor.com.au/exercises/flexibility-muscles-2/deltoid/.​

Divers Alert Network. "Placing the Risks and Benefits of Physical Activity in Perspective."
Divers Alert Network,
www.diversalertnetwork.org/health/heart/risks-benefits-physical-activity.​

Harvard Health Publishing. “The Importance of Stretching.”Harvard Health, Sept. 2019,

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-importance-of-stretching​.

“How to Stretch Abs and Why it Matters.” Healthline, 29 August, 2019,

https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/how-to-stretch-abs#examples-of-stretc
hes

Inverarity, Laura. “Stretching Exercises for Tight Leg Muscles.”Verywell Fit, Verywell Fit, 31
July 2019, ​https://www.verywellfit.com/leg-stretching-exercises-2696361.​

Jones, Oliver. “Muscles of the Pectoral Region.”TeachMeAnatomy, 24 Dec. 2017,

https://teachmeanatomy.info/upper-limb/muscles/pectoral-region/.​

“Muscles of the Leg.”TeachMeAnatomy, h​ ttps://teachmeanatomy.info/lower-limb/muscles/leg/​.

Richards, Jim.The Comprehensive Textbook of Clinical Biomechanics. Elsevier, 2018.

“Shoulder Muscles Anatomy.” Healthline, 23 March, 2015,

https://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/shoulder-muscles#1

Snobar, Abe. Phone Interview. 6 Nov. 2019.

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"Stretching During Warm-Up: Do We Have Enough Evidence?" Taylor & Francis, 22 Feb.
2013,
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07303084.1999.10605682?journalCode=ujrd20.​

"Stretching: Mechanisms and Benefits for Sport Performance and Injury Prevention." Taylor &
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“Summit Medical Group WebSite.”S​ ummit Medical Group,​ McKesson,

https://www.summitmedicalgroup.com/library/adult_health/sma_abdominal_muscle_stra
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​ eachMeAnatomy​,
“The Superficial Back Muscles.”T
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“The Top 10 Causes of Death​.” World Health Organization, 24 May 2018,

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death​.

Thomason, Kristine. “19 Stretches for When Your Legs and Butt Are Sore.”Greatist, Greatist, 30
Oct. 2019,
https://greatist.com/fitness/stretching-exercises-lower-body-stretches#cooldown-exercise
s.​

Turetsky, Leon, et al. “7 Specific Upper Back Stretches For Back Pain Relief.”Back Intelligence,
23 May 2019, h​ ttps://backintelligence.com/upper-back-stretches/​.

Valeo, Tom. “Exercises for Biceps and Triceps.”WebMD, WebMD, 8 Dec. 2009,
https://www.webmd.com/men/features/strength-training-building-arm-muscles#1.​

Winderl, Amy Marturana. “10 Great Stretches to Do After an Upper-Body Workout.”SELF,

SELF, 4 Sept. 2019, h​ ttps://www.self.com/gallery/upper-body-stretches​.