I like to stress the importance of proper warm-ups before any kind of workout; whether it's a weight training session or a game of tennis, you need to be prepared. Of course, stretching has a lot of other benefits to offer; not only as a warmup, but as a worthwhile addition to your fitness regimen in its own right.

I'll try in this article to convince all of you of the merits of stretching each and every day, whether or not you'll even be working out that day because flexibility is important to every aspect of your life, not just as a bodybuilder or athlete of any stripe. And it gets even more important the older you get!

Stretching will give you a greater range of movement. This comes in handy in every situation. Remember the last time you had to contort yourself to get something into or out of your crawlspace-style attic, for instance? Imagine how much easier that would have been if you were a bit more flexible. Or perhaps you have kids it's easier keeping up with children after following a regular routine of daily stretches.

Here's something else, people don't realize about stretching: You'll be more relaxed. Stretching causes your heart rate to slow and stress levels to lower somewhat. With regular stretching, this effect lasts far beyond when you are actually doing your stretches. (this is one of the reasons why yoga is so good for you!)

Sore muscles can actually be soothed by stretching. Although this may not make sense to you, it really works! Think of when you first get up in the morning and you want to get the blood flowing -- you stretch out with your hands above your head to get your muscles moving, relaxed and ready to go. Next time you have some sore muscles complaining to you, try a gentle stretch before reaching for that heating pad or ice pack (Although there's nothing wrong with using them and you should, a stretch can increase the pain relief and should be your first reaction).

Better posture. Posture is important, especially for weightlifters.

A great many strength training exercises require you to keep your back and head straight, which can be difficult if you have poor posture. Not only that, but if you have poor posture you'll end up over strengthening certain muscles and weakening others (which is a major cause of back pain!) Stretching can help with this and help you both avoid straining yourself during exercises like squats as well as let you make the most of your workout!

Now, here's the last thing you should keep in mind You should warm up before stretching! Yeah I know, it seems like you don't need to, but you do need a little blood to get flowing. Just a quick walk with your arms moving freely as you do so is sufficient for this; but you don't want to go from a dead stop to a stretch. Because you need to make sure your muscles aren't totally "cold". And you certainly don't want to get an injury during your warm up! So now you know what to do -- so get stretching! I'll see you in the weight room!