What is stretching? We define stretching as the act of releasing tension from the muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons, and gaining youth as you do so. Kika Stretch Studios looks at stretching as a way to find that ultimate relief you’ve been searching for. Not only will stretching make your body feel good, but it’s health benefits will reduce the effects of aging and leave you feeling and looking younger.
Types of Stretching
- Dynamic Stretching – is a type of stretching that is based on movement, which uses the muscles to stretch themselves. It is more so used as a warm-up for athletes, as it does not stretch the muscles to their fullest capacity, and works on activating them instead. An example of a dynamic stretch would be doing arm circles before lifting weights or doing an arm-heavy sport.
- Static Stretching – is stretching where you hold a single position for a period of time, typically less than a minute. It is usually done after a workout, as it increases blood flow and range of motion, but could poorly impact an athletes performance. An example of static stretching is holding a forward fold position.
- Ballistic Stretching – is a form of stretching that attempts to use the momentum of a body part to stretch past normal range of motion. This typically looks like bouncing in and out of a stretching position to try and get farther into the stretch. An example of this might be bouncing forward in a seated position in an effort to touch your toes.
- Passive Stretching – What we do! This is a type of stretching where you stay in one position for a period of time. What is so great about passive stretching is that it gives your muscles the time to fully release, which other forms of stretching do not. The Kika Method is a form of fully assisted passive stretching, which means that the coach is doing all of the work for you, and your only job is to relax. An example of passive stretching is having a person gently push your leg towards you in a lying hamstring stretch.
- Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation or PNF stretching – is a method of stretching used to find maximum range of motion through holding and releasing the muscle, or contracting and releasing the muscle. This is done by passively holding the stretch, pushing the muscle out of the stretch, and then allowing it to go back to the passive stretch, hopefully with more mobility. An example of this would be a lying hamstring pull, by pushing against your hands to contract the muscle.
Stretching is an important part of sports medicine, as it is the only way to increase blood flow to the muscle fibers, improve range of motion, and aids in preventing injury.
Benefits of Stretching
What’s the point of stretching? Stretching is the point. In today’s world, everything is about how fast you can go and how much you can do. When does one’s body get a chance to let go and just completely relax? When you come to Kika Stretch Studios, home of The Kika Method. The first and last step to any fitness program is stretching. Stretching is beneficial to both flexible and inflexible people.
1. Relief from Discomfort
Most people have a nagging feeling of discomfort, hidden in the body that they can’t seem to release. The Kika Method helps you release the tension that’s locked inside of your body. For 9 years, we have helped the public feel:
- Less discomfort in their bodies
- Become more flexible than ever before
- Feel younger and happier
2. Improved Physical Health Through Flexibility
Stretching is often the fitness program that people overlook, or are misinformed about. A continuous stretching program is imperative for physical health. Whether you’re already flexible or are looking to increase your flexibility stretching can help:
- Allow a constant flow of blood to all muscle groups helps revive all areas of the body
- Very flexible people balance out the body and alleviate all discomfort, even if they don’t know that they need it
- Reduce the impact aging has on the body and make you feel and look younger.
3. Workout Recovery
When you work out, do strength training or take other types of fitness classes, your body becomes very toned, but it also accumulates a great amount of tension. Why do you need to stretch?
- You need to release the tension that you gain during workouts , in order to truly benefit from the activity that you are doing.
- Imagine eating for 5 days and not brushing your teeth in between. All of the food that has entered your mouth will get stuck between your teeth and accumulate. Over time, this pattern will lead to more accumulation, a backup, and further health problems.
- The same is true with not releasing the tension that Is being held within your body, it will cause more problems as you age.
4. Pain Relief
This tension can be relieved through both dynamic and static stretching, which will help to release the connective tissue that is causing you pain. Stretching in a lot of cases is a way to solve chronic pain without a million different doctor visits.
The Kika Method Stretching
Kika Stretch, or The Kika Method, is a form of passive assisted stretching that helps the body release tension in muscle groups that has been trapped inside of it for years.
The Kika Method of stretching helps invigorate any and every fitness program. When you stretch by yourself, you only go so far each time. How can you increase your range of motion in specific muscles if you never go past your current level of flexibility? Our coaches help lead the body and encourage it to go to a new level in a safe and effective way, through regular stretching and a stretching routine. Maintaining your current state of flexibility is good, but improving it and releasing tight muscles is how you can best prepare your body for the future.
Let’s face it! We all fall, we are all getting a bit older each year, and we are all trying to stay as healthy as possible. Even if you are already considered “flexible”, you must passively stretch, to consistently release tension from the body and reduce risk of injury. When you increase your range of motion passively, you are decreasing the chances of becoming injured when you fall, decreasing the chances of feeling “stuck” in your own body, and increasing the chances of living a long and healthy life.
Fitness must go hand and hand with proper stretching. It’s great to have a lean body, but you don’t want to have a lean body that has body parts that are not getting enough tension relief. If you’ve never worked out before using a stretching technique, using The Kika Method will allow you to select the fitness activity of your choice, without the fear of hurting yourself. Stretch and let go. Don’t be afraid to relax and fall deep into a new level of movement. The Kika Method is a form of fitness that will not only help you stay fit and in shape, but also will help you relax, giving your body the treatment it deserves.
How to Stretch Properly ?
When stretching, it is important that you are doing it properly, so that you do not risk worsening or causing new injuries, and are releasing the muscles that you intend to. Whether you want to release tension in your lower back, upper back, hip flexors, hamstrings, quads, shoulders, or anywhere else, you have to stretch correctly to see results.
- Warm-up before stretching. It is important to warm-up before you stretch, so that your muscle fibers don’t tear. The warmer the muscles, the loser they are. When your muscles are loose, you are able to stretch further and find more release in the position because your muscles are not busy trying to warm up.
- Consult with a professional. When it comes to stretching, you want to make sure that you are doing what is right for your body. Come to Kika Stretch Studios, and find out exactly what your body needs and how to do it correctly.
- Stretch regularly. In order to see long-lasting results and relief, you need to work stretching into your daily routine. Even if it is only 5 minutes a day, a little will go a long way in terms of maintaining flexibility.
- See results. By following these steps, soon you will start to feel that relief and flexibility you desire!
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