Stretching is very important for both pre and post exercise because it prepares the muscles and joints for all types of movements and lifts.
It forms a massive part of injury prevention and helps increase performance by improving range of movement. Each stretch can be held for 15-30 seconds and comes in a variety of forms:
Static (is used to stretch the muscles whilst the body is at rest)
Dynamic (is a form of stretching using momentum to gain a greater range of mobility)
Ballistic (is a form of dynamic stretching performed in a bouncing fashion)
PNF (is a set of stretching techniques commonly used in clinical environments to enhance both active and passive range of motion in order to improve motor performance and aid rehabilitation)
Lukas Chodat for the Illawarra Mercury