Your trainers are always reminding you to stretch because it’s no secret that stretching is good for you. You’ve probably heard about passive and active stretching; here’s info about each type and their health-boosting benefits.

Whether you stretch first thing in the morning or as a dynamic warm-up before your workouts, as a recovery tool after an intense exercise, or as a way to unwind before bed, you might benefit better from different types of stretching in each of these instances. Here’s what you need to know.

Passive stretching is a type of stretching that includes holding positions for longer periods of time. You can either do it without any props or help further intensify the stretch by using blocks, straps, bolsters, or another accessory.

Holding positions for longer than at least a minute helps you relax into the stretch, helping the muscle fibers elongate naturally. Sometimes you have gravity working with you to help you increase your flexibility and other times it’s more about improving the blood flow in a certain area and allowing it to relax and open up.

In addition to helping improve your flexibility and increase your range of motion, passive stretching may even aid in building muscle and improving the overall function of your muscle fibers. Passive stretching can also help you relax and activate your rest and digest mode, sending signals to your nervous system that it’s time to rest and relax.

Examples of passive stretches are the Child’s Pose, standing quad stretch, and triceps stretch.

Active stretching, on the other hand, is the most common type of stretching for everyone after workouts or even as a dynamic option to include in a warm-up. It includes lengthening and also tensing muscles to improve flexibility, strengthen tendons and connective tissues, and increase mobility.

While passive stretching only focuses on relaxation and eliminates any resistance, active stretching uses resistance from opposing muscles to create the stretch. These muscles are called agonists and antagonists, and they use each other to elongate and strengthen muscle fibers. These stretches are held for 10-15 seconds and usually don’t include any props or external force.

Examples of active stretches are Runner’s lunge and side lunge stretch.

Ask your trainer for tips on stretching as it really does make a difference in your overall health!