Active Isolated Stretching is a great way to get in shape

You want to get your muscles in shape, but you also don’t want to overdo it. When you watch athletes on television, no doubt you wonder how it is that they can stay in such great shape and use their muscles day after day. Do what many athletes do: try active isolated stretching.

About Active Isolated Stretching

Active isolated stretching is a well-known secret among athletes, that is only now really becoming known. Active isolated stretching is a way to tone muscles, but also make them more flexible at the same time.

There are a few basic principles that should be applied to active isolated stretching. Only one muscle should be worked at a time. The opposite muscle of the muscle that is selected for stretching should be contracted, thus allowing it to prepare for its own stretching.

Stretch the selected muscle quickly, but also gently, as you do not want to tear it. By stretching the selected muscle in this manner, you are making the muscle more flexible, since it does not have enough time to contract into a protective position, which muscles often do during stretching exercises.

An example of active isolated stretching is the Straight Leg Hamstrings Stretch. This stretch allows you to stretch the hamstrings, which are the large muscles located on the back of your thighs.

The goal of this stretch is to contract the muscles that run from the front of the hips to the front of the thighs. All you will need for this exercise is a piece of rope. You should be laying on your back, and the leg that you are not exercising should be bent, with your foot firmly on the ground.

The ends of the rope should be placed near each other, thus resembling a loop. The foot of the leg that you have chosen to exercise should be placed in the loop. That leg should be stretched straight out, and the knee on that leg should be locked.

Lift the leg as high as you can, grasp the rope, and move hand over hand up the rope in a climbing motion. Be sure you hold each stretch for only about 2 seconds, and also be sure that you do 10 repetitions on each leg.

There are many other exercises that you could do in regard to active isolated stretching. For mote information, consult various exercise books, or search the internet. With the proper practice, you will be efficiently toning your muscles and getting into great shape.