Stretch, Even if You’re Not Preparing For Exercise
This is one of the best things you can do to prevent injury and help strengthen your muscles and joints. In fact, stretching is recommended before every workout and after every workout, no matter what kind of exercise you’re doing. Stretching before a workout will help you perform better and reduce the chance of injury. Stretching also helps ensure that your muscles are more flexible, so they’re ready to work properly when you start the activity.
When you’re stretching, focus on your quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves. When you stretch these muscles, the strain and pressure on your kneecaps and knees reduce significantly. You can stretch these muscles without equipment at home with step-ups, or you can start your gym session with a set of hamstring curls using very light weights.
Another part of your body that should be more flexible is your hip. You can build hip flexibility by doing hip mobility exercises such as the butterfly stretch and the standing hip flexor. After that, include things like glute bridges, hip thrusts, and hip raises in your routine. This type of exercise will help you stretch out your hip flexor muscles. These stretches can prevent injury when you perform squats, lunges, and other movements involving your hips.