by James A. Peterson, Ph.D., FACSM

10 Common Mistakes Made by IndividualsWho Engage in Stretching ExerciseACSMS HEALTH & FITNESS JOURNAL1

1Not warming up beforestretching. Because stretchingcold muscles increases your chances

of injuring yourself, you should always

warm up (i.e., perform activities thatwill increase your body temperature

enough to warm you up sufficientlyto safely begin exercising) before

stretching. Contrary to popular belief,stretching is not a warm-up.

2Not stretching the musclesyoure trying to stretch. Toomany people dont stretch what

they think theyre stretching becausethey dont perform their flexibility

exercises properly. More often thannot, either they dont know how to do

a particular exercise properly, or theymake an inappropriate adjustment in

their body position when stretching.

3Not watching how muchpressure you place on yourligaments. Unfortunately, some

people stretch their ligaments too much

(rather than stretching their muscles)when performing stretching exercises.

As a result, they develop excessiveligament looseness. As such, when

youre stretching, you should alwaysavoid holding your joints in a position

that places too much weight orpressure on your ligaments.

4Not watching how muchweight you place on yourjoint capsules. While

stretching, if you place more weighton your joints than they can safely

stand, you increase the likelihoodthat you may damage them.

Accordingly, you should avoid

activities that can injure your joints,

such as standing toe touches.

5Not performing a balancedstretching regimen. To avoidthe consequences of stretching

unequally (e.g., the muscles that receiveinadequate attention tend to tightenand shorten, causing such notable

conditions as rounded shoulders),it is essential that you dont stretch in

one direction without balancing outthat effort by also stretching in theopposite direction.

6Not performing each stretchingexercise slowly and smoothly.You should avoid using fast,

jerky, or bouncing movements when

performing stretching exercises. Doingso may force your muscles to stretch to

an unsafe range of motion before yournervous system has time to protect them

by signaling your muscle(s) to contract.

7Not stretching to the point ofmaximum extension. Whenyou stretch, you should move

your body or body segment at a

controlled speed through its maximumrange of motion. You reach this point

when you place a mildbut notpainfulstretch on the muscles.

On each subsequent repetition, youshould attempt to go a little bit farther,while again avoiding pain and

overstretching.

8Not performing anappropriate amount ofstretching exercise. A certain

degree of subjectivity exists concerningwhat constitutes too much or too

little stretching exercise. As a rule,

it is recommended that you perform

stretching exercises for each of themajor areas of your body. ACSMrecommends that individuals perform

static stretches with each stretch beingheld for approximately 10 to 30

seconds each. Generally, staticstretches are preferred because the risk

of injury is low, and they requireminimal time and little assistance.

9Not stretching often enough.At a minimum, most fitnessexperts recommend that

stretching exercises should beperformed four to five times per

week, and preferably daily. As a rule,because most flexibility gains are

(far too) easily lost, the basic ruleof thumb is that you should

stretch often.

10Not understanding thatbeing flexible is notsynonymous with being

in good shape. Flexibility is just oneof the essential components ofphysical fitness. As such, you

should combine aerobic exercise,strengthening exercises, and adherence

to sound nutritional practices withyour stretching exercises in order to

attain and sustain a desirable levelof fitness.

James A. Peterson, Ph.D., FACSM, is afreelance writer and consultant in sportsmedicine. From 1990 until 1995, Dr.Peterson was director of sports medicinewith StairMaster. Until that time, hewas professor of physical education at theUnited States Military Academy.

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