What’s your favorite class of the day? For some, it’s math. Others prefer language arts or science. And, of course, there are those who can’t wait for lunch and recess!
But what about physical education? You might call it “P.E.” for short. Do you like the chance to play games and exercise during the school day?
If your school is like most, your gym teacher probably starts out class having you do some warm-up exercises, like jumping jacks. You might also do some light stretching. Have you ever WONDERed why you do that? Why not just start playing a game right away?
Gym teachers have you warm up and stretch before exercising for the same reason that professional athletes take time to warm up and stretch before practice or a game. Stretching helps prepare your body for the exercise it’s about to get.
Before you stretch, it’s important to warm up first. Warming up sounds sort of like getting ready, but it actually helps raise the temperature of your body and your muscles so they’ll be ready for exercise and prevent injuries.
Warming up also increases your heart rate, gets more blood and oxygen flowing to your muscles and prepares your body to burn more energy. Usually five to ten minutes of warming up is sufficient. You can warm up doing the same thing you’ll be doing for exercise, just at a slower pace. So if you’re getting ready to run, just jog for 5-10 minutes first to warm up.
After your body is warmed up, it’s time to stretch. It’s important to remember to warm up first, because stretching cold muscles can lead to injury. If your muscles are warm, though, stretching properly can reduce injuries and give you better flexibility, range of motion, posture and coordination.
When you stretch, make sure you’re doing it properly. Stretching should never hurt, so be sure to stop if you start to feel pain as a result of stretching. Holding your stretches for 10-30 seconds helps your muscles lengthen. Try not to bounce when you stretch, as this can damage your muscles.
Keep breathing during your stretches. Proper breathing will make sure that your muscles get the oxygen they need during stretching. Always make sure you stretch both sides of your body equally. It may be natural to focus on your dominant side, but you should focus on stretching all your muscles equally.
If you play sports, ask your coaches to recommend specific stretches that target muscle groups that you’ll use often in the sport you play. In this way, you can better prepare your body for the specific type of exercise it’s about to get.
When you’re done exercising, it’s important to cool down. Stretching is an important part of the cooling down process. Stretching after a workout helps to avoid tired, stiff and sore muscles by relaxing them before returning to a normal pace.
Loading ...
We think tomorrow’s wonder will be about sophomores.
Great guess, Wonder Friends in Ms. Bayko’s Class! We are happy to know you’re WONDERing with us on this marvelous Monday!
I learned that acrobats stretch before a game or trapeze because they need to warm up their muscles and it helps pump blood to different parts of their body. I still wonder what kind of stretches they do. I think tomorrow’s wonder will be about school.
Warm muscles are the key to a great stretch! We’re so glad you shared what you learned, Evan! We Wonder if you participate in any activities, like running, karate, or swimming, that require stretching? We like to stretch first thing in the morning, it helps us get warmed up for the day!
Thanks for sharing your guess for tomorrow’s Wonder of the Day®, we think you’re on the right track!
Dear Wonderopolis,
We think that the next wonder will be about high school. We think that if you are not a freshman, junior, or senior then it will be about a sophomore!
Your friends,
Mrs. Reasor’s fourth grade class
Way to go, Wonder Friends in Mrs. Reasor’s Class! We think it’s super cool that you put the pieces together to form your next Wonder guess! GREAT WORK! Thanks for visiting us today– we are glad you’re learning about keeping your muscles warm and healthy!
Thoughts: I think the video was cool because I saw a lot of persuasion. (Maria) Where is a good spot to stretch? (Cristian) How long should people workout to stay healthy? (Isaiah). Andrew wants you to know that half of the stretches on the video his teacher can no longer do.
Connections: When I watch boxing, I’ve seen a lot of boxers doing those stretches. (Leslie) I’ve seen my uncle stretch like that before he starts exercising. (Michelle) This reminds me of when my grandmother and I take walks and stretch before. (Maria) This reminds me of our P.E. teacher, Mr. Radcliffe, because he teaches us how to stretch safely.
Predictions: Why do you go to preschool? Do you have to go to preschool? (Briahna) Why do we have school? (Michelle) When will you graduate? (Maria) Are you a senior? (Jaaron)What is a sophomore? (Mrs. Hess)
Good morning, Mrs. Hess’ class!
We love your thoughts section, Maria, Cristian, Isaiah and Andrew! Perhaps you can help answer some of those questions as a group. You can even use information from this Wonder from the past: Wonder #218– What is the President’s Challenge? http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-is-the-president%E2%80%99s-challenge/
It sounds like the connections you made are great ones, Leslie, Michelle and Maria! You all have a great understanding of the importance of stretching before and after exercising! WOHOO!
These predictions for tomorrow’s Wonder of the Day® are awesome, Briahna, Michelle, Maria, Jaaron and Mrs. Hess! We think you’ve got some SUPER guesses… and here’s a Wonder you might enjoy in the meantime: Wonder #237- Why Do Graduates Wear Funny Hats? http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-graduates-wear-funny-hats/
Thanks for visiting us today, Wonder Friends!
Stretch Stretch And Stretch Some More!!! That Wonder Was Wonderful!!!
I Know 2 Stretches or…100!!!
Hm Looks Like I Was The First Person To Comment!?!?!?!
I Think The Next Wonder Is College Or Pre School Or Just 4th 5th Or 6th!!!
We LOVE your enthusiasm, Max!! It sounds like you’re on the right path for stretching– all those different stretches are probably targeting different muscles, so you’re getting a great stretch for your entire body! That’s the goal!
We are so glad you’re here today, Max, and we look forward to finding out what tomorrow’s Wonder will be! Check out our graduate Wonder from the past: Wonder #237– Why Do Graduates Wear Funny Hats? http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-graduates-wear-funny-hats/
I really liked this article. Whenever I exercise, I never stretch but from now on I will.
We’re glad you learned something new with us today, Melissa! We think it’s super that you’re exercising already! Now that you know a few new stretches, you can stretch your muscles before and after your workout! WOHOO!
Hi Wonderopolis,
Today’s wonder was cool because it explains that if you don’t stretch you could get an injury and it could be serious.
Thanks Wonderopolis,
Ben
You did a SUPER job of summarizing what you learned today, Ben! We wouldn’t want an injury to prevent us from enjoying all the fun activities we do everyday! We hope you’ll try a few stretches from today’s Wonder to keep your muscles nice and limber! Thanks for visiting us today, Ben!
Dear Wonderopolis
It does help to stretch.
We’re glad you agree, Jakob! Stretching is great for your entire body, especially when you’re involved in lots of activities! We Wonder if you have a favorite stretch?
Dear wonderopolis,
I think today’s wonder of the day was very good and important. Somtimes my muscles start to hurt if I forget to stretch. I think tommorow’s wonder of the day will be about school.
Thank you so much for sharing your comment, Maddy! We’re glad you remembered how important stretching is– your muscles will thank you! We Wonder what kinds of activities you’re involved in, Maddie? It sounds like you’ve got a great guess for tomorrow’s Wonder, too! NICE WORK!
Dear Wonderopolis,
I loved today’s wonder of the day beacause it helps teach everyone how important it is to stretch before exercising. Sometimes I forget to stretch before exercising and my muscles get really sore. I think tomorrow’s wonder of the day will be about school.
We bet you and your muscles were happy to Wonder about stretching today, Karsen! We’re glad you stopped by to Wonder with us today, it sounds like you learned a lot! We can’t wait to Wonder with you again tomorrow… you’re on the right path!
HI!
You really think Liam and I should make a wonder about Karate? Yes, I do practice Karate. For the writing a wonder thing do you mean nominate a wonder? Nice wonder.
We think you would an awesome job of creating a Wonder of your own with Liam, Brady! We think it would be cool to share what you already know about karate, and then you could do some research of your own about its history! Keep up the great WONDERing!
HI wonderopolis
Now I know why I get sore.
Phew, we hope these stretches will help your muscles before and after you exercise, Brendan! We Wonder what kinds of activities you are involved in?
We really enjoyed learning about how stretching works.
We were wondering how do professional runners exercise on rainy days?
It sounds like our Wonder Friends in Mrs. Mori’s Class have a few new stretches to try out– AWESOME! We’re so glad you have been WONDERing about other types of exercise, including running! We think it’s always important to listen to our bodies, but some professional runners enjoy the rain (as long as there are no storms)! Some wear ponchos to keep their bodies dry, and others wear hats to help them see better in wet conditions. It’s important to drink lots of water, even if it’s raining! We Wonder if you can think of any other options for exercising when the weather doesn’t allow it?
Thanks for the comment on the soler storm that made my day. Well moving on, my class has do do streches every day at gym so I think all people should work out.
From
Jayden
We’re so glad to hear that you enjoyed our Wonder about solar storms, Jayden! It’s so much fun when we can learn something new together! HOORAY for WONDERing!
It’s great that you and your classmates are already stretching before and after gym– what a great way to warm up your muscles! Thanks for inspiring us to stay healthy and active, Jayden!
I am in middle school and don’t have recess, we go right to 6th period (5th is lunch).
I know what tomorrow’s wonder is it is: a sophomore! Ha ha I got it!!!
…or is that in college?
……..nope sophomore is definitely in high school.
Hey there, Wonder Friend Hunter! We Wonder if you have gym class or P.E. during your day? We bet you do some stretching in that class!
Thank you for sharing your awesome guess for tomorrow’s Wonder… we think you’re on the right path!
Your hint for the next wonder is hard to figure out, I STRETCHED my brain trying to figure it out.
We are glad you’re exercising your brain, Jusin! Keep up the SUPER work! What was your favorite part of today’s stretching Wonder? Do you have any favorite stretches to share?
We think tomorrow’s wonder will be about sophomores and high school.
Way to go, Mrs. Swick’s Class! We are happy you’re WONDERing and guessing with us today! We think you’re on the right path… we hope to see you tomorrow!
Great wonder today wonderopolis.
Thanks for telling us that you enjoyed today’s Wonder, Tymier! What was your favorite fact from today? We learned a LOT about stretching, how about you?
Those stretches were awesome! They really woke us up and got us going today! We think tomorrow’s wonder is about graduating! Thanks again Wonder People!!
ALRIGHT, we’re glad you tried some of the stretches, Gwen and Angus! HOW COOL! We think stretching is a great way to start the day, too… thanks for inspiring us!
We bet you’ll enjoy this graduation-themed Wonder… and we hope to see you tomorrow, too!
Wonder #237- Why Do Graduates Wear Funny Hats? http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-graduates-wear-funny-hats/
I know why people have to stretch before they workout… so they don’t pull a muscle!
Plus because as soon as you workout then it will be easier to exercise! ;D
We like your comment, Crystal– you’re oh-so-correct! We are glad you learned all about the benefits of stretching before and after a workout– we want to keep those muscles happy!
We loved the stretches in today’s wonder! We tried all of them and felt great afterward. It really helped our bodies. We all do different sports and activities and can’t wait to focus on stretching to help us improve as athletes.
Our guess for tomorrow is that the wonder is about sophomores.
Thanks for showing us more about the importance of stretching!
HOW COOL, Wonder Friends from Mrs. Lawinger’s Law Enforcers! We are glad you tried out these awesome stretches– what a great way to warm up your muscles! Thanks for being great Wonder Friends, we think you’re on your way to becoming SUPER athletes! We are excited to Wonder with you again tomorrow… what a stellar guess!
Why is it so important to stretch before a workout? It is important to stretch because it gets your blood pumping and it helps with health. You are suppose to stretch every day morning and night. Plus it helps with your lungs and breathing.
We’re glad you pointed out the lungs in your comment, Daniel! They are super important when it comes to stretching and exercising… our lungs are very important! We hope you’re having a SUPER day and we’re so glad you’re WONDERing with us!
Dear Wonderopolis,
Today we learned:
-Stretching is good for you.
-Athletes need to stretch because they could get pains in their legs.
-You can get an injury and pull a muscle if you don’t stretch.
-We stretch so that we can be faster.
-We should try to stretch every day!
-You need to stretch your muscles equally.
-Stretching loosens your muscles and makes you stronger.
We think tomorrow will be about Sophomores.
Sincerely,
Ms. Uppena’s Third Grade Super Sleuths
Nice work, Super Sleuths! We are so proud of you– you did a fantastic job of sharing what you learned from today’s Wonder! You really are SUPER Sleuths, because you watched the video, read the text, and summarized what you learned! And in addition to that, you used your sleuth abilities to guess tomorrow’s Wonder! HOORAY FOR YOU!
Awesome.
Good luck.
We hope you learned some new stretches today, Wonder Friend Susan! Thanks for sharing your comments- we appreciate your encouragement!
Can’t you pull muscles if you don’t stretch? It’s happened to me before, and stretching releases tense muscles!
You’re right, Salma, stretching is a great way to keep those muscles warm and healthy! That way, you won’t be at risk for pulling a muscle if you stretch before and after!
I loved the wonder today you guys helped me learn what to do every time before you walk, run, go hiking or anything or if i forget I can think back to wonderopolis.
Thanks for helping me learn.
ALRIGHT, that’s the spirit, Wonder Friend Inshirah! Thank you for sharing what you learned from today’s stretchy Wonder… we are glad that you’re muscles will be ready for all kinds of activities since you have some new stretches to do! Thanks for visiting us today, we look forward to WONDERing with you again soon!
I think it is going to be about a high school or a college.
SUPER guessing, Kalyn! We can’t wait for tomorrow’s Wonder either, but we think you’re on the right track! Keep up the SUPER work!
The stretching video was awesome and I learned some stretches. I know I have to stretch before I participate in activies. I’m new on this website.
Welcome to Wonderopolis! We are so glad you liked our stretching Wonder, Tatianna! We bet your muscles will feel great after these stretches, you’ll be a healthy, happy Wonder Friend! Keep up the great work and we hope to Wonder with you soon!
I really liked the video and I learned tons of new stretches.
VERY COOL, Wonder Friend Eriaunna! We’re so glad that you know how to keep your muscles limber and healthy after WONDERing about stretching! We can’t wait to Wonder with you again soon!
Our PE teacher doesn’t make us stretch but we do jump rope before starting any activities. Thanks for this info I never knew why you stretched. Thank you also for this great site. And I wonder who invented wonderopolis.
It sounds like jumping rope is another great way to get your heart pumping, Andrew! We hope you will try some of the stretches you learned in this Wonder, and perhaps you and your classmates can stretch at the end of P.E.! We are so happy you’re WONDERing with us, it’s a lot of fun!
Wonderopolis started on October 4, 2010 thanks to an organization called the National Center for Family Literacy! Wonderopolis is a place to learn, Wonder, smile and have fun! We have lots of Wonder Friends here at Wonderopolis who contribute to WONDERing, writing, researching, editing and responding to awesome comments from Wonder Friends like you!
I do gymnastics and I stretch and work out almost every day!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love sports and P. E. class!!! Thank you for letting me wonder this with you!
It sounds like you are a very active and healthy Wonder Friend, Katie! Keep up the great work! It’s very important to keep your muscles warm while you exercise and do gymnastics– that’s a great way to prevent injury! Thanks for WONDERing with us today!
WHAT STRETCHES SHOULD WE DO BEFORE RUNNING?
Great question, Samantha! We’re glad you asked!
All the Wonders you saw in our Wonder video, as well as those in the “Try It Out” section! Happy running! 
I do tumbling. Of course we have to stretch before we tumble. I get hurt too many times without stretching out muscles! Good thing I’m as hard as a rock! sort of. Thank you for this wonder! I’m going to try my backflip next time!
What a cool sport, Elizabeth! We bet it’s VERY important to stretch before and after tumbling… you need to warm up those muscles! Thanks for sharing your comment– good luck on your backflip!
That is a cool wonder wonderopolis I play tennis we always have to warm up then!! Because if we don’t you won’t swing good and you can also get very hurt thanks for the wonder wonderopolis but what stretches should we do in tennis? I never did stretches in tennis before.