Stretching should always be an essential part of every workout, it can also be done before your workout and/or after your workout and it can help to reduce the chances of injury to the area being used.

When you stretch the muscles and ligaments of your back you can increase your flexibility and reduce overall stress to the joints. When doing these stretches you will want to be careful of how far you stretch as it is possible to do a stretch improperly and cause an injury instead of preventing one.

A good stretching regime will stretch your whole body and not just the muscles you plan on using for that workout. When doing these stretches also make sure that you do not bounce at all, they should be slow and fluid and that you hold the stretch for at least a few seconds.

While it is normal to feel a gentle pull when you stretch an area, if you feel pain you are either stretching too far, or you are not doing the stretch properly and you should stop immediately. It is never good to stretch beyond your normal range as it can cause the muscles to tighten and it can also cause pain and/or injury.

By stretching before a workout you warm up your muscles and prepare them for the coming workout; by stretching after a workout you can relax these muscles to prevent injuries such as strains or soreness.

A good stretching regime will be one that you can easily do by yourself and does not require help from anyone else. Listed below are a few upper and lower body stretches.

Upper back stretches: interlace your hands together with the palms facing outwards, straighten your elbows and shift your shoulders forward. You should feel a stretch in your shoulder blades. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat 9 more times.

Hip & Lower back stretch: sit on the floor, cross your left leg and leave your right leg up and bent at the knee. Place your left hand on your right knee and bring it towards your chest while twisting your trunk to look over your right shoulder. Hold this position for 10 seconds and switch legs. Repeat 4 more times.

Hamstring and back stretch: lie down on the floor with your knees bent. Reach up with both hands and grab your knees, bringing them to your chest. Hold this position for 5-10 seconds and repeat 4 more times.

Groin stretch, sit on the floor, place your feet in front of you with the bottoms of the feet touching. Let your knees fall to the sides. Grab your ankles and pull them towards your body, get as close as you can without hurting yourself. While holding yourself in this position, place your elbows on your knees and begin to press down towards the floor. Hold this position for 20 seconds.

Quadriceps stretch, kneel down on your exercise mat, while keeping your body straight lean back. Hold this position for 10 seconds and repeat 4 more times.

Calves stretch, while standing straight place one leg out and in front of you. Place most of your weight on this leg. Push the heel of your straight leg towards the floor while shifting some of your weight back to the straight leg. You should feel a stretch in the back of lower leg. Switch legs. Once both legs have been stretched repeat 4 more times.