To Improve General Flexibility--Static Stretching

What's great about static stretching is that you can do it anytime you want (except before a weight workout). A general guideline is to do static stretching twice a day but each session can be as short as 4-5 minutes. You don't need to warm up your muscles for static stretching but you do need to keep in mind the duration of the stretch. You can hold the stretch for as little as 5-10 seconds but you will get better results with holding the stretch from 20-30 seconds. Because most of the benefits happens with the first stretch repeating the movement has little effect. Even though static stretches aren't suggested before a workout they contribute to improving your "passive" flexibility which are beneficial for daily activities such as bending, kneeling, and squatting.