5 Passive Stretching Exercises That Can Reduce Muscle Stiffness And Heart Disease Risk

Stretching is great for your body, but did you know there are many varieties of stretching? There’s active, passive, dynamic, ballistic, and active isolated stretching - and all these come with their own sets of benefits. A recent study in The Journal of Physiology revealed that at least 12 weeks worth of passive stretching can not only reduce stiffness in the body but also reduces the risk of vascular diseases like stroke, heart disease, hypertension and diabetes.

Clearly then, passive stretching is an extremely beneficial form of stretching and you need to pick it up to gain said benefits. For those who don’t know, passive stretching involves you remaining in one position and stretching your muscles through external pressure put by a partner, an accessory or a prop. The following are some easy passive stretching exercises you can start with.1. Neck stretch

2. Quad stretch

3. Butterfly stretch

4. Back stretch

5. Chest stretch

For more information, read our article on Exercises to do at home during COVID-19 pandemic.Health articles on News18 are written by myUpchar.com, India’s first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.