Safe and Effective Stretching

The FITT principle stands for __________.

A. frequency, intensity, time, and type

Why are arm circles considered a dangerous stretching exercise?

A. They are a ballistic stretching exercise.

The standing toe touch is most likely to result in __________.

A. a hyperextended knee

Why should you allow a minimum of 24 hours of rest between intense stretching activities?

As with any exercise, stretching stresses the muscles of the body. In order to avoid muscle fatigue or injury, sufficient rest is needed between workouts. For moderate to intense stretching, 24 hours of rest is generally sufficient, but for more intense workouts, 48 hours of rest between workouts may be necessary.

Which of the following is a ballistic stretching exercise?

B. arm circles

Which of the following is NOT a good exercise for the lower body?

B. spine stretch

Describe what ballistic stretching is and why it's harmful. Then, provide at least two examples of how one should properly stretch?

Ballistic stretching is a form of stretching when one bounces and moves while stretching. Ballistic stretching can be dangerous, especially for those who aren't under the supervision of profession trainers or for the less experienced. This is because you are at risk of straining the muscle tissue and pushing the limbs where you comfortably stretch. An alternative for this type of stretching is dynamic and static stretching. Dynamic stretching involves rapid movements, and the muscle reflex contracts the muscle before returning to its initial position. This can be done by swinging your leg across your body and repeating with the other leg. Static stretching is when you gently push a limb past its limit for some time. As you are comfortable with the stretches, you can increase how long you hold the stretch.

Explain why head circles and arm circles are considered dangerous exercises.

Both head circles and arm circles involve stretching with motion. These stretching exercises risk serious injury to the muscles of the neck and shoulders if the motions are not trictly controlled. When the head goes back, it hyperextends the neck, which is dangerous; despite not involving bouncing, arm circles are a ballistic exercise and should not be performed.

Describe a potential risk that distinguishes hurdle stretches performed with the leg pointed back from hurdle stretches with the leg inside.

Both types of hurdle stretches loosen up the hamstring in the same way. But the hurdle stretch with the leg pointed back puts sideways torque on the back knee and can result in injury. So while the potential benefit of the exercises are the same, one risks serious injury to the knee.

If sufficient rest is taken between workout activities targeting specific muscle groups, how many sessions of the same activity can safely be performed in a one-week period at the MOST?

C. four

Which of the following is NOT an appropriate result of healthy stretching?

C. muscle pain

Stretching before and after a workout allows for __________.

D. all of the above

Ballistic stretching is BEST performed __________.

D. never

A full stretching session should take between __________.

D. ten and twenty minutes

The chest-and-arm stretch squeezes __________.

D. the shoulder blades together

The hip flexor is predominantly a calf stretching exercise.

F

There aren't health risks with any yoga positions or forms.

F

Explain what is meant by balance stretching.

RespoBalanced stretching refers to performing stretching exercises across the entire body. Stretching the entire body balances the fitness benefits across all muscle groups instead of limiting the benefits to a single or limited number of muscle groups.

Explain why it is important to stretch slowly and why bouncing during stretching is very dangerous.

Stretching a muscle slowly prevents it from overextending and being damaged. When stretches occur too quickly, such as with bouncing, the muscle can be seriously damaged during the uncontrolled motions.

Stretching should be accompanied by slow, deep breaths.

T

When preparing to exercise, it's best to warm up your muscles before stretching.

T