STRETCHING

STRESS: Well-stretched muscles hold less tension and, therefore, can help you feel less stressed.Reduce muscle stiffness and increase ROM slowing the degeneration of your joints.

REDUCE RISK OF INJURY: A muscle is like a spring, its a moving part and if you make a sudden movement , you are less likely to hurt it .

Increasing ROM around a joint through stretching will reduce the load on your muscles during an exercise.

Improves posture. Stretching the muscles of the lower back, shoulders and chest helps keep your back in better alignment and improves your posture.

LOWER BACK PAIN: Lowers the risk of low-back pain. Flexibility in the Posterior chain muscles and muscles attached to the pelvis relieves stress on the lumbar spine, hence reduces your risk of low-back pain.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE:  A flexible joint needs less energy to move  over a particular Range of motion making your body movements more efficient. 

BEFORE EXERCISE: Allows your muscles to loosen up and prepare for the the upcoming stress.

CIRCULATION: Improves blood flow to muscles and joints allowing for a greater supply of nutrient prior to exercise.

Dynamic stretching is often used as a warm up to stimulate your central nervous system and muscles to be prepared for the upcoming exercise. It involves moving your muscles and joints repetitively within your ROM. Make this movement similar to the motion of the exercise you are going to do

Static stretching is stretching a muscle for 20 to 30 seconds, reduces CNS (Central Nervous System) stimulation to the muscles and improves relaxation. This is non exercise specific and so can be performed after a workout.