In this day and age, most people understand that warming up before activities and stretching after exercise can help prevent injury - although few really understand why. Regular stretching lengthens the fibers of the muscles and with time, creates flexibility. When you deeply and slowly stretch a muscle group you are also helping to bring a good flow of oxygenated blood to the area.

This increase in irrigation has another important function, which is to allow the trillions of muscle cells to discharge their waste products, primarily lactic acid. Lactic acid build-up is the reason that the muscle fatigues and, in large quantities, can form trigger points or painful “knots” in the muscle body. For this reason, it’s important to stretch after your kite session.

Note that a flexible muscle is much stronger and more resilient than a rigid one. This means that a flexible muscle will most likely experience fewer injuries.

Now you might have questions running through your head like what stretches, how long, etc… Truth is… There is no right answer on how long to hold a stretch or even how long to stretch in general as it all depends on the individual.

A general rule of thumb when doing static or dynamic stretches is to try and hold each stretch for 5 long breaths, and if you feel like you need to go longer, just listen to your body and move accordingly. Stretching routines usually take a good 10-25 minutes to properly stretch overall.

Before you go kiting try to get the blood flowing and body warmed up to reduce chances of injury. Some ways to do that is by pumping up your kite, doing jumping jacks, quick swim anything that is light and easy though gets the heart pumping.

If you want to get the most out of stretching then do not worry so much about stretching directly after a session. Wait 4-5 hours after your session to do a stretching routine as this is when your muscles really begin to tighten up. A nice habit to develop is stretching right after brushing your teeth and going to bed. This will help you physically as well mentality unwind after a long day!

In our stretching series we will be releasing information, specific actionable stretches you can do anywhere, anytime and taking questions and requests.

We would like to know if you warm up before a kite session and stretch after you are done. If you do warm up and stretch tell us your favorite warm-up exercises, static stretches, and dynamic stretches.

Let’s all stay flexible and injury free from here on out!

If you want to check out the complete eCourse today on stretching check it out here.