Body Building Guru

Bob Anderson Stretching Exercise for maximum benefits

Stretching is one of the most crucial aspects of any fitness regime. There are various types of stretching exercises that are aimed at increasing the flexibility of the body, increasing blood circulation, improving posture and decreasing the risk of injury. One of the most widely admired pioneers in stretching exercises and techniques is Bob Anderson. According to him, stretching is one of the simplest exercises that can be performed by people belonging to all age groups. Bob Anderson Stretching Exercises focus on the application of the right techniques of stretching in order to avail maximum benefits.

Bob Anderson was born in 1945 in Fullerton, California and holds several credentials in the field of physical education. He is the pioneer of developing stretching exercises, methodologies and techniques. His book on stretching is valued by a number of people and has earned international fame and recognition. It is followed by various experts, physiotherapists and health care professionals in order to teach stretching techniques and apply them for the benefit of other individuals.

Benefits of Bob Anderson Stretching Exercise:
The exercises suggested by bob Anderson are simple and easy to understand, teach good practices and healthy stretching habits and are aimed at stretching every part of body. They lay emphasis on inculcating good stretching habits in individuals of all age groups.
The prominence is on developing stretching as an enjoyable activity rather than an exercise. He helps individuals relax their bodies and mind through various stretching exercises and techniques enabling them to improve joint flexibility and reduce the risk of injury considerably.

Advantages of stretching exercises:
•    Stretching improves muscular strength and endurance.
•    It helps keep the joints flexible and improves posture and balance.
•    It enables individuals to perform various exercises efficiently.
•    It prevents muscular pains, aches and cramping.
•    It reduces post exercise muscle soreness and fatigue.
•    It increases the efficiency of movements by improving speed, stamina and form.
•    It relaxes the body and mind
•    It increases the blood circulation.
•    It significantly reduces the stress levels of the body.

Bob Anderson Stretching Exercise tips:
•    Stretch the muscles to a point of its various greatest range of motion and do not over extend. You should feel no pain while stretching.
•    Stretch all muscle groups of the body uniformly.
•    Hold and control the stretch for at least 25-30 seconds.
•    Never bounce or jump while stretching.
•    Avoid over stretching in injured area.

Stretching exercises and videos:
One of the biggest advantages of stretching is that you can perform these exercises any where and at any point of time.There are a variety of Bob Anderson Stretching Exercise videos that are available in stores as well as online. This makes it easier for you to perform various stretches under the guidance of Bob Anderson right in the privacy of your home. You must follow the instructions and demonstrations and make it a point to perform these exercises accurately. If you are too worked up or have little time you can perform various stretches and avail maximum benefits at home or when you are in your office. In order to avail maximum benefits from stretching exercises you must perform them three times a week for at least 20 minutes sessions. It is recommended that you gradually stretch to the desired position without pain and hold for 10-30 seconds.

In case, you are recovering from an injury or medical condition such as back pain, neck pain or stiffness you must consult a registered medical practitioner before performing any of these exercises. Stretching exercises will go a long way in promoting longevity and helping you to maintain the body’s agility. If performed correctly they can help you de-stress the mind and body resulting in complete wellness.

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Stretching Techniques: Performing exercises the right way

Stretching increases the body’s flexibility and improves posture and balance. It is an important component of all exercise regimes and plays a significant role in strengthening the muscles and increases the range of movements of the joints. Most stretching techniques revolve around elongating the muscles, thereby expanding muscle fiber and reducing the risk of injury. Stretching is a must for all individuals as it contributes significantly towards raising the quality of life and enabling you to perform day to day activities with ease. It decreases the body’s susceptibility to injury due to awkward movements, sudden twists, and jerks and falls.

Stretching exercises lengthen shortened muscles back to their best resting position. This helps maintain good posture and eliminates the influence of tight muscles on the movements of the lower back or pelvis that can cause pain. Shortened muscles affect the joints and ligaments leading to recurring injuries, bad posture and pain. Stretching exercises relax the body, increase blood circulation and improve muscular coordination. If athletes skip the stretching sessions prior to exercise they are unable to achieve their full potential. Muscles exhibit maximum power when they are elongated. Various stretching techniques are applied in exercise sessions in order to gain maximum benefits. These techniques can also be applied to day to day activities and to boost performance in other spheres such as gymnastics, dancing, ballet, running etc.

Types of Stretching Techniques:
Dynamic stretching: This technique involves moving your body parts gradually to increase the range and velocity. It comprises of controlled movements of the legs and arms. Dynamic exercises are not accompanied by any bounces or jerky movements but are slow and controlled. This type of stretching improves dynamic flexibility and is quite useful as part of your warm up sessions prior to dance or martial art training. These exercises are performed in sets of 8 to12 repetitions.

Ballistic stretching: This technique makes use of the momentum of a moving body or limb to force it beyond its normal range of motion. It focuses on bouncing into or out of a stretch using the elongated muscles as a spring to pull you out. This type of stretching is not considered useful and may cause an injury.

Active stretching: This type of stretching increases active flexibility and strengthens the agonistic muscles. Active stretches are quite difficult to hold and maintain for more than 10 seconds and rarely need to be held any longer than 15 seconds. The tension of the agonistic muscles helps to relax the lengthened muscle by reciprocal inhibition.

Passive stretching: This is also referred to as relaxed stretching or static-passive stretching. This technique enables you to assume a position and hold it by using some other part of the body with the help of a partner or equipment. It is beneficial in relieving muscular spasms that are healing after an injury. This form of stretching is also great for cooling down sessions and helps reduce post exercise muscle fatigue and soreness.
Static stretching: This involves holding the position on reaching the farthest point during a stretch. This technique helps you relax and makes no contribution to the range of motion. An external force is created by an outside agent either manually or mechanically.

Isometric stretching: This type of stretching technique involves the resistance of muscle groups, isometric contractions or tensing of the elongated muscles. Isometric stretching is one of the fastest ways of developing increased static-passive flexibility and is considered to be more effective than passive stretching or active stretching. This type of stretching helps to develop strength in the lengthened muscles and decreases the amount of pain associated with stretching. It is not recommended for children and teenagers whose bones are in the growing phase.

It is necessary to perform a mild warm up session before beginning any stretching exercises. This increases the temperature of core body muscles and reduces the risk of injury. This can be done by running, walking, jogging, and skipping.

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