THE MANTRA ABOUT YOUR MUSCLES:
MOVE ’EM OR LOSE ’EM.

Warmup. Cool down. It’s as important a part of every daily
workout as the workout itself. Unfortunately far too many
Americans who exercise regularly don’t do adequate stretching
to make sure they keep their muscles as flexible as they need
to be.

The simple key to remember is that when you exercise, you
make muscles contract, then stretch, to create motion. At
rest, your muscles are generally in the contracted phase,
which means that sudden movement like sprinting can strain
or tear a tight muscle, resulting in an injury.

So the smart thing to do is give the muscles time to release
themselves from the resting, contracted phase by stretching.
Warm muscles stretch easier than cold ones, so one tip is
to start with a very light jog to get blood flowing to the muscles.
Then, once they are warmer, go through your normal stretching
routine.

There’s a lot more background on this topic available from
the PT partners who work with Momentum. Be sure to ask
at the store, or contact us online if you have questions.
Remember, when it comes to preparing your muscles to run
a marathon, make sure you keep things loose.