Here are some rules for stretching to help you get the best results
First off it’s important not to stretch a cold muscle as this could cause further injuries. Some ways to warm up before stretching include: a warm / hot shower, a heating pad, or some sort of exercise (cardio or light movements of the area you want to stretch)
The purpose of stretching is to lengthen the muscle and prevent muscles from getting stuck in a shortened position which can cause pain, decreased range of motion and cause the body to modify it’s movements causing issues in other parts of the body.
When stretching, make sure not to go too fast, too far (that causes pain) or hold for too long. Remember to go slow and controlled, you only want to feel a stretch, Not Pain. If you feel pain, STOP immediately.
Make sure you are breathing throughout the entire stretch, do not hold your breath, this is not good for your muscles – they need oxygen to get better.
Normally I recommend stretching for 30 seconds to 1 minute if you can, if you can only hold for 15 seconds – then do that, do what you can and eventually you’ll be able to increase how long and how far you can go.
Lately what I’ve been doing instead of timing it, take 3 nice deep slow breaths (should end up being close to 20 seconds) for every area I’m stretching. If you want to go a little longer, just do a few more deep breaths.
Daily stretching can really help, especially during these times since we’re not getting as much movement as normal and staying in more flexed positions for long durations. I’d recommend stretching 2-3 times per day or maybe during commercials, the end of a show or movie or you can set time durations such as every hour – stand up and do a stretch (30 sec – 1 min or more). This doesn’t mean the same stretch each time, you can change it up, stretch different muscles.
