[myx3ftts]

Well my question is... what is the purpose of stretching before/after exercising?

i HATE stretching.. so when i go walking or jogging.. i dont stretch before or after i exercise...

so basically my question is.. what is the purpose of stretching.. and if i dont stretch before i exercise.. can it affect weightloss?

[~koe*no*sainou~]

prevent cramps and injuring yourself during exercise O.O and stretching afterwards i think is supposed to relax your muscles so they don't become too sore later on.

you should really stretch tho, it's good for you =]

PS: Stretching also prevents stretch marks

and umm...if you don't stretch, it won't affect weight loss but it might indirectly. because muscles too sore = won't be able to work out the next day depending on your pain tolerance o.o; but honestly, i dieted and exercised for a month last year and lost a lot of weight...and i didn't stretch ^ ^;;; but i DID get stretch marks heh.

[myx3ftts]

prevent cramps and injuring yourself during exercise O.O and stretching afterwards i think is supposed to relax your muscles so they don't become too sore later on.

you should really stretch tho, it's good for you =]

PS: Stretching also prevents stretch marks

and umm...if you don't stretch, it won't affect weight loss but it might indirectly. because muscles too sore = won't be able to work out the next day depending on your pain tolerance o.o; but honestly, i dieted and exercised for a month last year and lost a lot of weight...and i didn't stretch ^ ^;;; but i DID get stretch marks heh.

what kind of exercises did you do? and what kind of things did you eat? and how much weight did you lose?
lol sorry for all the questions.. but i really want to lose weight before school starts.. and i would greatly appreciate your help ^.^

[Azngel]

i only stretch after my work out. i never feel a difference when i stretch before. i just do it b/c i like that feeling afterwards, it helps to relax my muscles and gives it a more lean look (i think that might be just me tho).

[FDTxtianshix]

Stretching is to prevent muscle cramps and also to loosen up/expand your muscles a bit. It "warms them up" so they're ready to work. Not stretching is very dangerous! My mom's friend played tennis without stretching first and he ended up snapping his tendon and was confined to crutches for life. You do NOT want that to happen, so seriously! Stretch!

If you absolutely can not stretch to save your life, at least warm up somehow.

[~koe*no*sainou~]

what kind of exercises did you do? and what kind of things did you eat? and how much weight did you lose?
lol sorry for all the questions.. but i really want to lose weight before school starts.. and i would greatly appreciate your help ^.^

i did turbojam mostly...and sometimes hip hop abs, but only a few times. umm...i ate everything that was...homemade? like...i wouldn't buy yogurt from the store, i'd buy plain yogurt and put my own sugar and fruits into it. it's better to eat home cooking since you're in control of how fat you can make it. and umm...i didn't eat after 6 o clock...exercised for 30 minutes everyday...drank a lot of water and green tea. i also ate 1200 calories each day, no more and no less. exercising in the morning is better than exercising at night or in the evening cuz it helps to burn the fat from the day before. oh and walking burns FAT while cardio exercises usually only burn carbs. so if you wanna lose a lot of fat, brisk walk for about an hour everyday. ^ ^

[YamaSushi7]

If you don't want to cramp up or pull a muscle..then stretching would be a good idea -.-

And if you don't stretch out the muscles, you can get injured really badly, like me, haha.

[hae mee]

Like what everybody said and also I read that lactic acid and blood can pool in your muscles in your don't stretch. I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound pleasant at all hahaha

One day, I didn't strech out beforehand and I worked out hella hard and when I got home, I serioauly thought my body was going to fall apart. I was so sore that I just sat in a bath and went to sleep and I couldn't work out the next day. It doesn't directly affect your weight loss, but it can indirectly by not letting you work out aftrwewards, which was already said.

[beckii]

stretching [carefully] prevents injury. u run the risk of damaging ur muscles or ligaments if u dont - and believe me, iv definitely paid the price=[

[woei]

i think to prevent muscle cramps n makes u look less bulky...stretching can elongate ur body...

[~TsuYoKu~]

Stretching is to pretty much prevent injury and you should always stretch before and after exercise.

[vintageballad]

"Warming up" literally means warming up.
Like what the others have said, it helps preventing muscle cramps and injuries.

It's also not really good for the body, I believe. If your heart is at a resting rate, jumping right into exercising all of the sudden is... bad.

[joechoe]

I used to not stretch before and after exercising (mostly lifting weights), and it HURT LIKE NO OTHER the day afterwards.

like everyone said, regarding running, it prevents getting cramps and whatnot.

umm..when it comes to lifting weights..it's a good idea to stretch and WARM UP before working out so your muscles aren't cold and stuff.

i think everyone said that stretching after u work out helps with the soreness factor..the reason WHY is because stretching afterwards help reduce the lactic acid building up in your muscle tissue.

when i did my cardio workouts a long time ago and did not stretch...i got major shin splints ...

shin splints = lactic acid build up OR worse - shards of bone embedded in your legs. yeah..

[Pogichinoy]

Stretching warms up your muscles so that they are ready for exercise, this allows them to gradually expand, instead of being forced to expand immediately. For stretching after a workout, it also helps calm down your muscles so that they are preparing for a rest period.

Stretching will help in muscle maintenance, but not with weightloss.

When you're younger you don't really have to stretch, but once you get older and your body matures, stretching is important.

[CtlunatC]

so you dont pull a muscle and if you develope muscle you wont be stiff. plus if you're exercising to become leaner or slimmer, stretching helps you with that too... alittle

[blinky10]

What everyone else said. But if you don't stretch after like running wont you have bigger calves? :S

[Big_Bang]

stretching is very important because it helps prevent any possible damage
being done to muscles during strenuous exercise.
Sort of like..gets it warmed-up. =)

`Big_Bang

[L.FOR.LOVE]

warms up your muscles so theyha ve a less chance of becoming injured while exercising
i gotta run 2 laps when i do tennis >_>"
it sucks but it makes me warm

[_ATELIER]

so you don't pull a msucle.
trust me, stretching before doing any cardio activity is the best thing you' will ever decide to do.
i didn't stretch enough once and i ran 3 miles after, once i was done both my legs went out and i found myself on my knees in agony.

[happymunkee]

Oh...I don't know...this question seems pretty obvious to me lol, but oh well


You want to stretch before you exercise to avoid injury.


For example, you stretch before exercising so that your muscles won't cramp up, and you won't pull any muscles. I am a Track & Field guy, and if you run or jump without stretching, you are screwed lol.
I also take martial arts, and you got to stretch before you do anything


then...you stretch again after you're done. Doing so will help improve flexibility and help reduce soreness the following day.