If you are someone who enjoys being active, or you have just started out running to get fitter or lose weight, there is one thing that is critical to successful recovery, stretching. Many people who run, whether it’s at the gym, on trails or on the road, don’t stretch before or after they work out. Stretching is crucial for recovery and helps ensure your muscles are looked after, and most importantly, you can get back running again sooner. Without a good leg stretcher, you will feel sorer and less likely to repeat the behaviour again.
If you’re a runner, whether you’re just starting or have been running for years, here are 5 reasons why stretching after a run is critical for your recovery.
1. Help avoid injuries
When you run, your muscles become warm and more elastic, meaning they can move and stretch a lot further than before you started your run. When your muscles are warm like this and you use a leg stretcher, like a morgan leg stretching machine, you are improving the flexibility and elasticity of your muscles. Improving flexibility may not seem all that important when it comes to running, but it is. By using a leg stretcher after you run and while your muscles are still warm, improved flexibility and motion will be your outcome.
This improved motion and flexibility have been linked to a decrease in the likelihood of muscle strains, which are workout-ruining injuries for a runner. Stretching or using a leg stretcher can also help lower the chances of cramping or soreness after your run. Leg stretchers are a great tool to help, but you can also learn a range of simple stretches to do at home around the house. The key is to stretch while your muscles are still warm, usually right after you get back in or finish your run. Leg stretching machines in Australia are reasonably easy to come by and can be a great reminder to stretch after a run.
2. Relieves tight muscles
Stretching after a run, whether you use a leg stretcher or choose to do simple stretches on the floor or against a wall, will help you avoid tight muscles for your next run. Using a leg stretcher after a run will help you recover faster and avoid tight muscles, which are still present at your next run, which will increase the chances of a strain or muscle injury. Tight muscles are a leading cause of strains and soft tissue injuries because the muscles don’t have the same ability to flex as it does when it’s been stretched using a leg stretcher.
Runners who choose to stretch after a run are less likely to experience soreness and cramping, than runners who elect not to use a leg stretcher or stretch their muscles post-run. This goes for all runners, regardless of experience, stretching is necessary whether you’ve been running for 15 years or 1 month. A leg stretcher is a great investment for a new runner to ensure you can be appropriately stretching very early on. A foam roller is a great accompaniment to a leg stretcher as well.
3. Improve performance
Using a leg stretcher post-run is great for recovery and preparing for the next run. An equally important stretching routine to implement is a pre-run stretch as well. This is where leg stretching machines in Australia really come in handy. Pre-run stretching helps improve your performance on your run by preparing you for the exercise ahead. If you have ever gone for a run and wondered why it takes a kilometre or two to feel warmed up, it is because you’re trying to run on cold muscles.
A pre-run warmup routine of dynamic stretching is the key to ensuring you are ready to run right away. Dynamic stretching is a form of stretching that is about more swing and roll type stretching as opposed to static standing stretches. Leg stretchers are ideal for post-run, but can be adapted for pre-run as well. Stretches like hip swings, lunges and butt kicks are perfect for a pre-run routine. These dynamic stretches will have your muscles warmed up and ready to go when you hit the track, meaning you’ll experience less tightness and allow your body to perform at its peak from the first step.
4. Help improve posture
If you have ever been to a physiotherapist or had a skeletal assessment done, you’ll be aware of how good your posture is, or isn’t. A plethora of factors go into impacting our posture and the issues that arise from bad posture can be very painful. Thankfully, stretching before and after a run can help improve your posture. By stretching and improving the flexibility of your muscles, you encourage them to align properly in your body. When muscles become shortened or tight from under or overuse without stretching, this is when your posture can be impacted.
A leg stretcher is a great way to ensure you are stretching often enough, and correctly to help align those key muscle groups in your lower body. If you sit at a desk for 8 hours a day during work, a leg stretcher can really help with major muscle groups like your quads and hamstrings. No matter how you do it, implementing a stretching routine should be key for your pre and post-run rituals.
5. May help boost the movement of nutrients
Stretching after a run improves the flow of oxygen to your muscles and in turn helps boost the oxygen moving through your body. Through this process of blood and oxygen getting to your muscles faster, you may also help transport more nutrients around your body as well. What this results in, is faster recovery and an overall feeling of better health. Using a leg stretcher is a great way to boost the blood flow to your larger muscle groups, and help ensure your legs won’t be stiff or sore on your next run.
By increasing blood flow, you’ll also help the body in the healing process of any small tears or soft tissue injuries in your muscles. It’s entirely possible to not notice a small injury or issue, and then compound that issue when you continue to run. By stretching after a run using a leg stretcher or doing static stretches, you lower this by improving blood flow and the nutrients travelling through your body.
Whether you’ve been a runner for a decade or you’ve just started hitting the pavement, stretching needs to be a key part of your pre and post-run routines. Not only will it aid in recovery, but it can also improve blood flow, and help your posture and your run times as well. If you’re not sure why stretching is so important, try it and see if you notice any of the 5 reasons we believe stretching is critical for a runner’s performance and recovery.
Preparing the body for exercise is essential to maintaining a healthy body. Be sure to check out our article on pre-season conditioning to support your fitness goals. Physical Solutions is committed to providing information and insights that create healthy bodies and minds.
