The type of stretching or at least the emphasis on the type of stretching will be determined by the athletic endeavors that one participates in.  However, that being said, there are some generalities that can be followed that will produce safe and adequate results for virtually anyone that uses them.

Stretching is generally done either as a warm-up to exercising or as a part of a cool-down procedure following either an exercise regimen or a competition.  Stretching can also be done at any time for any reason as it does tend to produce either a stimulatory or slightly inhibitive reaction in the body when performed.

When warming up for a competition or an exercise program, one tends to want to get muscle loose and warm, get blood flowing throughout the entire body and get the level of arousal heightened for the forthcoming endeavor.  One also doesn’t want to lose any power output or in any way cause the body to become less reactive.  With these criteria in mind, most warm-up endeavors benefit from what is referred to as active stretching.  Movement is generally involved with this type of stretching, there is generally some ballistic actions involved and the stretching will tend to follow an execution of neuro-muscular action similar to the forthcoming endeavor that one is participating in.  An example would be squatting.  A stretching warm-up for squatting may include some bodyweight only squats through a full range of motion, some easy jumping and/or light depth jumping, some high in-place knee-ups, and finally a few sets of full range squats with a very light weight on the bar, roughly only 30% of a one rep max.  This type of stretching warm-up gets blood flowing to the body, gets and keeps the bodies arousal levels high, and follows the Law of Specificity in regards to neuro-muscular activation and involvement without inhibition.

When one is done with training or done with a competition, the desire and goal at this point is to induce a calming influence, decrease and eliminate high levels of arousal, decrease blood flow and prepare the body to repair and recover from its endeavors just participated in.  The type of stretching that fits the bill here is static stretching.  This is the type of stretching that most people think of when they think of stretching.  This is simply getting into a “pose” and holding that pose for a certain period of time, normally 10-30 seconds and repeated at most a few times before moving unto another pose.  The comfort level here is high, with the stretch just inducing a slight level of tension which should decrease as the stretch is held.  Breathing here is slow and rhythmic and relaxation and comfort are the focal points.  As part of a cool-down this type of stretching should last 5-10 minutes though longer is fine if time is available.

Besides for the dampening influence on arousal levels, static stretching shouldn’t be used for warm-up purposes for another significant reason.  This type of stretching has been shown to decrease tension in the muscles on which it’s performed, which in turn will lead to a decreased power output for the workout or the competition.  The state of being an individual wants to be in going into a workout or a competition is one of controlled muscular tension, not lack thereof, which is why it’s so highly advised to avoid static stretching for this purpose.

Hopefully this article has given some enlightenment to a very important endeavor that everyone should take part in as part of their workout regimen.