Stretching

Passive and Active Stretching

Many people know that stretching is a good way to increase your range of motion (ROM) and loosen up muscles. Having good ROM can speed up injury recovery and improve exercise performance, and it can even prevent injuries from happening in the first place. There are many different types of stretching you can do. This article will breakdown passive vs active stretching, and how you can use them in your workout program. 

Passive Stretching

Passive stretching is when you stay in one position for a set amount of time. In order to passively stretch, you must manually or mechanically apply pressure on your body without the use of the muscles being stretched. You can use an accessory, prop, wall, floor, or another person to keep your body in the stretched position. Passive stretching is best performed after a workout, or as a standalone activity. Passive stretching techniques can be used when you have muscle tightness, are injured, or cannot stretch an area of the body on your own. 

How to Passive Stretch 

Make sure that you are in a neutral position throughout the stretch. When passively stretching, you should not be using your muscles on either side of the joint you are stretching. The person or equipment should be the only thing moving your joint into a stretch. An example of this would be a lying hamstring stretch. Lie down on your back, and have a person lift your leg slowly, keeping it straight at the knee. If you don’t have a person to help you, use a towel or band and loop it behind your calf so you can pull your leg up with your arms. Move your leg upwards until your leg cannot go any farther. You might feel some slight discomfort, but stop the stretch if you feel any pain. 

Active Stretching

Active stretching is great to use as a warm-up since it loosens your muscles and gets your blood flowing. An active stretch is when you use the strength of your muscles to pull your body into a position without using any assistance. Active stretching is commonly found in yoga and pilates. 

How to active stretch 

You will likely not be able to stretch your joint as far in an active stretch than you would in a passive stretch, and that’s okay. Make sure that when you are actively stretching, you do not use your hands to assist; it must all be done using the muscles closest to the joint being stretched. An example of this would be reaching your arm over your head and bending to the right. This stretches your obliques, spine, and deltoids, intercostal muscles, lats, and hip muscles on the left side of your body, while the muscles on your right side actively pull your torso into the side stretch. Shake out your limbs in between stretches. You can hold an active stretch for extended periods of time, as long as it is not causing you pain.

Note: If you have any questions or concerns about stretching and how to integrate it into your physical activity routine, please contact your fitness professional or healthcare provider.