What Are the 4 Main Stretches?

Four main stretches that help improve flexibility and range of motion include:

1. Active stretching:
   • Active stretching techniques need to adopt and maintain a position or pose while primarily activating a group of muscles to stretch the targeted muscles. The active component is muscular engagement, which causes opposite muscles to relax and stretch. 
   • Active stretching is performed without any assistance from an external force such as weight or gravity. Thus, it cannot force your muscles to stretch beyond the limit and the risk of injury is less.
     • Leg stretch:
       1. Elevate your leg using your hip flexor and quadricep muscles (present on the front of the thigh) to relax and stretch your hamstrings (present on the back of the thigh). 
       2. This is achieved by reciprocal inhibition, the body's technique for inhibiting (relaxing) antagonist (opposing) muscles when opposite muscles contract.
       3. Maintain this pose for 10 to 30 seconds.
       4. This is good for warming up before an activity, as opposed to extending the muscle as part of a proactive program to increase flexibility.
2. Passive stretching:
   • Passive stretching is a sort of stretching in which you apply external force to a muscle that you want to stretch. This may be done by holding a stretch with your hands or by having another person use external force to assist you to extend a bit more and relax after a few seconds.
   • Data suggests that static stretching, including passive stretching, has a minimal effect on athletic performance; you can do it after a workout to relax.
     • Backstretch with stability ball:
       1. Kneel on the ground and place a stability ball in front of you. 
       2. Place your hands on top of the ball, as if performing a karate chop. 
       3. Slowly advance the ball and bend your body toward the floor until your torso is roughly parallel to the ground. 
       4. If desired, shift your weight toward your hips to improve the stretch. 
       5. This posture should be maintained for 20 to 30 seconds.
3. Dynamic stretching:
   • Dynamic stretching refers to activities that are conducted at a slower pace than regular workouts. This exercise is widely used to warm up the muscles and prepare the body for physical activity. 
   • Dynamic stretching activities are intended to increase blood circulation. These spans are not sustained for very long. Dynamic stretching includes lunges with a torso twist, trunk twists, walking lunges, and leg swings. 
   • Several studies have reported that dynamic stretching can enhance the range of motion. All fitness lovers will benefit greatly from this activity. People who participate in sprinting and jumping sports prefer to stretch dynamically before working out. 
   • Performing a series of dynamic stretches following static stretches will help activate your muscles and ensure that you do not experience any setbacks in your performance. If flexibility is crucial in your activity, it is recommended to hold static stretches for less than 45 seconds, followed by a solid series of dynamic stretches, and a sports-specific warm-up.
4. Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching:
   • Physical therapists and fitness instructors use PNF stretching to assist enhance flexibility, improve muscle function, and minimize the chance of injury.
   • PNF is a type of stretching that involves using a partner to assist you to stretch, alternating between agonist and antagonist muscular contraction and relaxation. 
   • An antagonist's muscle operates in opposition to another's activity; an agonist muscle contracts while another relaxes. The quadriceps and hamstrings are examples of agonist and antagonist muscles. PNF stretching is a more complex type of stretching that should only be performed by experienced people or under expert supervision.
   • PNF involves stretching a muscle group to its maximum length and then pushing that same muscle group against stationary equipment. Your muscles will struggle for a few seconds, then you will inhale deeply while relaxing the muscles and your trainer will push your muscle group farther as you exhale.
   • PNF exercises are more effective after a muscle has warmed up because a relaxed muscle is a more flexible muscle. A personal trainer may help with PNF at the end of your workout. PNF is often performed by massage therapists after the relevant muscles have been treated. To enhance PNF, a health practitioner may use direct heat, such as a hot pack or heat-producing bodywork method.

An adequate range of motion may even prevent injury. Individuals with low flexibility who participate in physical activity are at a high risk of hyperextension of the musculoskeletal units beyond their limits, which causes injury. Once your insufficiencies in flexibility are recognized, a stretching program can be tailored to focus on the areas that require improvement. 

Stretching can help if you have muscle imbalances or postural difficulties. It can aid in the maintenance of flexibility, which may otherwise deteriorate with age or inactivity due to an injury. 

Although stretching does not appear to provide many short-term advantages when performed before exercise, it does appear to provide long-term benefits. Improved flexibility may aid in the relief and prevention of back and other orthopedic issues.

The ACSM advises performing flexibility exercises at least two to three days per week, with each stretch held for 10 to 30 seconds and three to four repetitions each stretch. The ACSM recommends a six-second contraction followed by a 10 to 30-second aided stretch for proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretches.

It should be performed more securely after active activity when the muscles are warm. 

Stretching before an activity may not be needed unless the activity needs considerable flexibility. Even so, stretches should be done after a warm-up.