Curious of the science behind stretching on a scientific level. What exactly is happening to our body when we do it? How does our body recognize stretching in a manner to increase mobility vs “overdoing it” and potentially tightening or immobilizing part of our body (to an extent)?
Google searches have just led me to a plethora of links talking about how many benefits there are etc etc but not really science behind it. Like IS it really beneficial? How long would it take to to actually have some legitimate mobility/flexibility increases?
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Muscles contract because a whole bunch of very tiny levers all switch from one position to another. When you relax, they go back to their first position, but sometimes not all of them to. When you stretch, you’re pulling the sticky ones back to their start position, so the muscle can return to its original length. This is good for you, because if some of the tiny levers get stuck in the “closed” position for a long time, then you can’t move as much because your muscle can’t ever return to it’s full length.
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