Before you try to go for that roundhouse kick to the head or upper hook right, follow these tips to understand the importance of stretching before and after a workout, especially here at Xen-Do!

Stretching helps our flexibility, range of motion, and even prevents injuries. Adding it into your daily routine is just as important as eating well and exercising for your overall health. It relaxes your muscles and increases blood flow and allows more nutrients to get to your cartilage and muscles. However, like anything, stretching can be performed the wrong way. Here are a few tips for you to take into consideration before you begin your next kickboxing class at Xen-Do!

Warm-Up

Be sure to move around and break a sweat before you dive into stretching. This will help raise your body temperature, which increases blood flow to your muscles making them more flexible.

Breathe

Exhale for 5 seconds as you sink into each of your stretches. While exhaling, extend yourself more to get the most out of your movement. Regulating your breathing helps your muscles to relax and ease into your stretching position.

Avoid Overstretching

Extending your joints and muscles past their normal range of motion will not make you more flexible. In fact, overstretching risks damaging the surrounding tissues of the stretched area, which will cause injury. Aim to extend to the point of just before mild discomfort to ensure you are getting the most out of your stretch, while not injuring yourself.

Mix it Up

Don’t follow the same routine while stretching each time. This will cause certain muscles to be more flexible than others, which can be detrimental for a full body sport like kickboxing. Ask one of our Sensei’s for their favourite stretches!

Grab a Partner

Stretching with others can help you get the most potential out of your stretch each time. Partner stretching can help you achieve a greater degree of flexibility and range of motion as well as another form of motivation. If no one is around, utilise your surroundings to enhance your stretches.

Have fun

Turn on some music, challenge yourself and set goals. Make sure not to get bored while stretching, as it is vital for a healthy lifestyle!