Exercise Videos
Exercise videos Home
Aerobics & Workout
Aquatics
Baby Boomer Fitness
Budokon
Dance to Fitness
Fitness Tools & Accessories
Jump Roping
Karate
Kick Boxing Exercise
Kids Dance & Exercise (& Sports!)
Pilates Mat Work
Prenatal Exercise
Recovery/Limited Mobility
Seniors' Dance & Exercise
Spinning
Stability/Fitness Ball Workouts
Step Aerobics
Stretching & Warm up
Tai Chi/Qigong
Tone & Firm
Treadmill
Walking
Weight Training
Yoga

Instructors/Series

Denise Austin
The Firm
Cathe Friedrich
Gilad
Patrick Goudeau
Christy Lane
Lotte Berk Method
The Method
Leslie Sansone
Richard Simmons
Tae Bo
Urban Rebounding System

Stretching & Warm up

Stretching is the activity of gradually applying tensile force to lengthen, strengthen, and lubricate muscles, often performed in anticipation of physical exertion and to increase the range of motion within a joint. Stretching is an especially important accompaniment to activities that emphasize controlled muscular strength and flexibility, such as ballet, acrobatics or martial arts.
Stretching is also believed to help to prevent injury to tendons, ligaments and muscles by improving muscular elasticity and reducing the stretch reflex in greater ranges of motion that might cause injury to tissue. In addition, stretching can reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
There is some controversy over the most effective methods of stretching, and whether some stretches, such as ballistic, or "bouncing", stretches, may actually be harmful.

A warm up is usually performed before participating in (technical) sports or exercising. A warm up generally consists of a gradual increase in intensity in physical activity. For example, before running or playing an intense sport one might slowly jog to warm muscles and increase heart rate. It is important that warm ups should be specific to the exercise that will follows, which means that exercises should prepare the muscles to be used and to activate the energy systems that are required for that particular activity.