Stretching is an important aspect in any workout routine. This is because proper stretching and warming up promotes better blood flow to the muscles thus reducing your chances of injury. Spending a few minutes a day performing a few stretching workouts will do wonders to your day. First you will feel more energized because of the better blood circulation, second you feel fit because your muscles and joints remain flexible and ready for use at any time. Many people also claim that proper stretching helps improve your posture.

There are a quite a number of stretching workout programs out there, each with their specific goals, target muscles and techniques. With so many workout programs in the market today, which ones would you choose? Before you make this decision, you should first and foremost know the different forms of stretching, what specific muscles they target, and how these stretching techniques are performed. Below are four of the most common techniques used in different stretching workout programs.

1.) Ballistic stretching is a type of stretching technique that uses the momentum of your body or limb being stretched and attempts to force it to go beyond its usual range of motion. This is done through “explosive” stretches. By suddenly moving your limbs in one position, you are able to go little bit beyond your range of motion. Some athletes believe that this form of stretching can be used to increase ones speed and rate of acceleration.

2.) Dynamic stretching is a more controlled form of ballistic stretching. It involves moving your body and limbs in a steady motion, and then gradually increasing the speed and the movement. Unlike ballistic stretching, in dynamic stretching, you only need to stretch within the range of motion of your body and not go beyond that. These types of stretching exercises are ideal for warm ups of any physical activity that you might do.

3.) Active stretching is a static stretching technique where you stretch a particular muscle group and hold the position with no assistance from other muscle groups. An example would be raising our leg up high and just leaving it in that position for about 10 to 15 seconds. This tension can be used to relax the muscles being used after workout. This is also a good way to isolate particular muscle groups you would want to stretch.

4.) Passive stretching, also known as relaxed stretching is a relaxed form of active stretching. It is where you stretch a particular muscle group and hold the position with the aid of something or someone else. An example would be raising your leg up high and holding it there with the aid of your hand or a partner. Passive stretching is ideal for relieving pain and discomfort that your muscles are feeling such as spasms or cramps.

When looking for stretching workout programs, look at the type of stretching techniques from the four mentioned above. Ask yourself, Which of these do they incorporate? Do I need these techniques in my workout? And can I change some of these techniques to suit my needs? . With that you will be able to identify if it is really what you are looking for.