[Anatomist who knows sports] How dare you exercise without stretching?

How dare you exercise without stretching?

The double holidays of Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day are here. Have you in front of the screen already started to gain weight with peace of mind?

"After finally getting through the 'bitter summer', it's time to gain some weight in the autumn. It's a custom~"

Wake up! Stick, stick ...

If you want to lose weight, keep your mouth shut.

Stretch out your hands and move your legs

Stretch your muscles, more efficient~

Today, I will talk about the benefits of the "stretching" process which is often overlooked.

1. Relax your muscles

Before understanding the effects of stretching on muscles, let's first understand the composition of muscles. Muscles are composed of muscle fibers, that is, muscle cells. In the matrix of muscle cells, there are sarcomeres arranged along the long axis of the muscle fibers. Sarcomeres are composed of thick filaments and thin filaments.

To summarize: muscle ➡️ muscle fiber ➡️ sarcomere ➡️ myofilament

Therefore, the essence of stretching is the passive movement of myofilaments. The movement of muscles is achieved by the thin myofilaments sliding along the thick myofilaments to generate tension. During exercise, the thick myofilaments pull the thin myofilaments closer to each other, and the sarcomeres contract, thereby achieving muscle contraction. After intense exercise, our muscles are still in a tense state. At this time, proper stretching can return the thin myofilaments to their original position (pre-exercise state), thereby achieving the purpose of relaxing the muscles.

2. Reduce the probability of sports injuries

Many people think that stretching stretches the ligaments, but in fact, stretching stretches the fascia! By the way, the fascia gun is not old and popular on the market now, it stimulates the fascia. The effect is essentially the same as stretching~

So let’s first talk about the difference between ligaments and fascia.

Ligaments

Ligaments are fibrous connective tissues that connect bones and are distributed around joints. They have the inherent function of strengthening joints or limiting excessive joint movement.

For example:

n Anterior longitudinal ligament

The anterior longitudinal ligament is a broad, tough, fibrous band that runs in front of all vertebral bodies.

Function: Prevent excessive protrusion of the spine and herniated disc.

l Fascia

Fascia is what we often call "tendons". It is attached to the bones and gathered at the joints. It is a tissue that connects the joints and muscles, and has a restraining and protective effect on motor tissues such as joints and muscles.

It is thinly attached to the surface of the muscles and connects our entire body, like a tights, protecting and restricting muscle movement.

After reading the above introduction, I believe you must have understood the difference between the two! To summarize briefly, ligaments are mainly tissues that connect bones and limit bone movement; while fascia is a network that connects the whole body, attached to the surface of muscles, protecting and limiting muscles.

So what does stretching do for fascia?

First of all, we need to understand that fascia will become stiff. Maintaining the same posture or continuing the same movement for a long time will cause the fascia around these muscles that frequently exert force to gradually harden. Over time, the activity of the muscles wrapped by this fascia will decrease.

Secondly, our fascia is essentially a connective tissue, composed of collagen fibers and elastic fibers. Collagen fibers are tough and have strong tensile strength, but are easier to break than elastic fibers. Elastic fibers are highly elastic and can increase the mobility of the fascia.

Finally, stretching can promote the secretion of collagen III, which makes up elastic fibers, thereby increasing the elasticity of fascia, better protecting muscles, and improving muscle mobility.

3. Promote the body to send relaxation signals

I believe you must have heard of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves, and stretching can promote the activity of the parasympathetic nerves. What? You don't know what the parasympathetic nerves are for? Don't worry, I'll explain it to you once and for all.

Most of the sympathetic nerves are located inside the blood vessels. When the sympathetic nerves are excited, it will cause the body's energy consumption to increase. If there is emotional tension, it is easy to show phenomena such as faster blood flow, increased heart rate, and a significant increase in blood sugar levels.

The parasympathetic nerves are mainly distributed in the tissues and organs inside the abdominal cavity. When the parasympathetic nerves are excited, they inhibit the body's loss and increase energy storage. After the human body eats, the parasympathetic nerves will be overexcited, which can easily cause excessive saliva secretion, a significant increase in gastrointestinal digestive function, and increased pancreatic juice secretion.

Simply put, the sympathetic nervous system corresponds to the "fight or flight" response, which increases the heart rate, while the parasympathetic nervous system corresponds to the "rest or digest" response, which decreases the heart rate.

During exercise, the sympathetic nerves are stimulated, which speeds up the heartbeat, dilates blood vessels, speeds up blood flow, and raises the body temperature. After exercise, in order to cool down the body, the parasympathetic nerves that antagonize the sympathetic nerves need to play a role, reduce energy consumption, and relax the body. Stretching can stimulate the parasympathetic nerves and help the body recover better.

The above are the benefits of stretching! After reading this, do you feel that you have gained a lot and are full of energy, and want to stretch and relax right away? In the next issue, the editor will teach you how to stretch scientifically. Please pay attention to us now for more exciting things that you can't miss!

Editor: Diudiu

Photo: Marinaquetestudinis

Art Editor: Section

Review: Lao Bi

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