Stretching is one of the most important exercises you can do. Stretching is NOT warming up! It is, however, a very important part of warming up. Warming up is quite literally the process of "warming up" You must do everything slowly and with small movements to warm up properly before you start into deep stretching. You should also stretch at the end of your exercise program.

ISOLATION

Ideally, a particular stretch should work only the muscles you are trying to stretch. Isolating the muscles worked by a given stretch means that you do not have to worry about having to overcome the resistance offered by more than one group of muscles. In general, the fewer muscles you try to stretch at once, the better. For example, you are better off trying to stretch one hamstring at a time than both hamstrings at once. By isolating the muscle you are stretching, you experience resistance from fewer muscle groups, which gives you greater control over the stretch and allows you to more easily change its intensity.

How long should a stretch be held? 15 seconds is sufficient. Passive stretches should be performed in sets of 2-5 repetitions with a 15-30 second rest in between each stretch.

BREATHING

Proper breathing control is important for a successful stretch. Proper breathing helps to relax the body, increases blood flow throughout the body, and helps to mechanically remove lactic acid and other by-products of exercise.

MUSCLAR SORENESS

If you are experiencing soreness, stiffness, or some other form of muscular pain, then it may be due to one or more of the following: torn tissue overstretching without a proper warm-up can cause microscopic tearing of muscle fibers or connective tissues. If the tear is not too severe, thepain will usually not appear until one or two days after the stretching that caused the damage. If the pain occurs during or immediately after the stretch, then it may indicate a more serious tear (which may require medical attention). If the pain is not too severe, then light, careful static stretching of the injured area is supposedly okay to perform. Very light stretching of the injured muscles helps reduce loss of flexibility resulting from the injury. Intense stretching of any kind, however, may only make matters worse.

OVERSTRETCHING

If you stretch properly, you should NOT be sore the day after you have stretched. If you are, then it may be an indication that you are overstretching and that you need to go easier on your muscles by reducing the intensity of some (or all) of the stretches you perform. Overstretching will simply increase the time it takes for you to gain greater flexibility. This is because it takes time for the damaged muscles to repair themselves, and to offer you the same flexibility as before they were injured.