Incorporating flexibility exercises into your training routine has many benefits, regardless of fitness goals. Flexibility exercise is not just for those who do yoga or gymnastics. Improving flexibility can positively impact muscle growth after resistance exercise and improve endurance training. In addition, improving your flexibility helps you gain a wider range of motion, decreases your chance for injuries, enables your muscles to work more effectively, improves posture, and may lead to fewer aches and pains in general.
The best time to perform stretching exercises is when your muscles are already warm. When your muscles are already warmed up, they can stretch farther without tightness and discomfort. You only need to spend a few minutes warming your muscles up for your stretching routine. This can be accomplished by spending a few minutes walking, doing jumping jacks, or 20 bodyweight squats. If you are incorporating flexibility exercise with endurance training or resistance training within the same workout, perform the flexibility exercise within 30 minutes after your endurance or weight training workout. It would be best if you aimed to perform stretching exercises at least three days per week, for at least five minutes each time.
Post-workout stretching exercises can help with muscle growth and may be the key to further muscle growth if you have hit a plateau. All of your muscles are enclosed in a connective tissue called fascia. If you recently started a weight-training routine to gain muscle, you may have already found it reasonably easy to pack on a few pounds. This is because your muscles have had a good amount of room to grow within the fascia. However, it may become more challenging to realize muscle gains as you progress in your muscle-building goals. A likely reason for this is that your muscles become compressed within the fascia. Thus, your muscles are limited from growing further. This is where stretching after resistance training comes in. Flexibility exercises post-workout can help these connective tissues expand, making you realize more muscle gains.
Flexibility exercise can reduce muscle and joint stiffness post-workout. Stretching after running can also reduce muscle cramps because it helps the muscles relax. Since stretching can reduce the type of delayed onset muscle soreness known as “DOMS,” Performing flexibility exercises after endurance exercises can help reduce the risk of tendon and muscle tears. In addition, stretching exercises after endurance training can improve your joint's range of motion over time, which can help improve your athletic performance.
Stretching exercises after resistance and endurance workouts decrease the build-up of lactic acid. This helps your muscles relax and improves blood flow, activating muscle recovery. Performing stretching exercises after workouts can also help deliver nutrients efficiently to your muscles and help your body remove metabolic waste.
Incorporating flexibility exercises into your training routines is vital for improving your athletic performance. However, it is also essential to ensure you get enough of the proper nutrients to support your muscles and overall flexibility. TAPOUT Performance Hydration and Recovery Drinks contain five key electrolytes that your body needs to function properly and remain flexible, especially after workouts. All five of these electrolytes play important roles in facilitating the necessary electrical charges that allow your muscles to contract and help your muscles and joints maintain flexibility and mobility.
- Stretching should be smooth and slow, not fast and jerky.
- Hold each stretch for 10-30 seconds.
- Relax and breathe normally while stretching.
- As you become more flexible, try to reach farther in the exercise.
- Stretching should not be painful, so stop performing an exercise if it causes pain.
- Butterfly Stretch
- Lunge Stretch
- Lying Hamstring Stretch
- Triceps Stretch
- Shoulder Stretch
- Head to Knee
- Revolved Head to Knee
- Spinal Twist Pose
TAPOUT Performance Hydration and Recovery Drinks have been designed to activate your body's natural energy reserves, improve performance during competition and training and promote quick and healthy recovery after exercise.
TAPOUT comes in four flavors:
- Citrus
- Cherry Lemonade
- Orange
- Peach Mango
Our Citrus flavor has 120 calories to replenish natural energy and give you a boost under difficult training conditions. It also has 240mg of natural sodium, and a blend of electrolytes and vitamins. As you work out, these vitamins and electrolytes are used by your body or lost in sweat. That's why each TAPOUT contains:
- Vitamins A, C, E
- The Vitamin B Complex
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Chloride
If you're looking for a sports performance drink that replenishes these electrolytes and vitamins but prefer a no-sugar drink, TAPOUT Orange and Cherry Lemonade contain the same scientifically derived formula with zero sugar and only five calories.
No matter which flavor you choose, you can be assured that you're getting great taste from a sports drink made with no artificial colors, flavors or ingredients.