Spring break is less than two weeks away. The treadmills are running full speed and sit-ups have become a way of life. With all the time students are spending in the gym, many forget an important part of working out -- stretching.

"Typically, stretching of all the major muscle groups should be done on a daily basis," Bob Ricketts, senior lecturer of kinesiology, said. "You should get in about 10 to 15 minutes a day of stretching. I personally get some stretching done during commercials."

At the gym, stretching should be a part of your warm up and cool down.

"Before you stretch, you should warm up your muscles for about 5 to 10 minutes, to the point where you break a sweat," said Mari Haggerty, assistant athletic trainer, who also works with the track and field team.

"You should stretch hamstrings, quads and calf muscles, as well as the upper body, back and, most important, the groin muscle," she said.

Haggerty said poses that are good for stretching the back include the "prayer" and another one, which uses a chair. For the prayer pose, begin on your hands and knees then fall back on your feet while keeping your arms stretched out in front. For the other pose, sit upright in a chair, tuck your chin into your chest and rotate your body.

There are two types of stretching: ballistic and static. Ballistic is a bouncing stretch, which causes increased damage to the muscles and is not recommended. Static stretching involves a hold and release, Ricketts said.

"During a static stretch, you increase your range of motion until you feel your muscle stretch, then continue to hold for 15 to 30 seconds," Ricketts said.

He added that it is important to remember to breathe during a stretch. Exhaling as you begin a stretch allows you to go deeper.

Haggerty said that while working with athletes, she not only holds a pose for 20 seconds, but also repeats each stretch three times.

Dancers must also spend time stretching before their workouts.

"In ballet, we work with the bar stretching before moving to the floor to dance," Gina Passero (sophomore-marketing) said. "My ballet class is 50 minutes long, and we spend 30 to 35 minutes stretching -- pretty much the majority of the time. We stretch not only our legs but our whole body, and as time moves on, the stretches get more challenging."

The benefits of stretching are an increased range of motion in joints and muscles as well as increased flexibility.

"Increased flexibility makes exercise easier. For example, it is easier to run when your muscles are not holding you back," Haggerty said.

The benefits of stretching are numerous, but it is possible to overdo it.

"Stretching muscles too much or far can cause tissue damage, but that is not the case with many people," Ricketts said.

Controlled stretching is not a cause of muscle pulls.

"Muscle pulls can occur from a number of things -- overexerting yourself, beginning to train a lot, lifting too much weight, even slipping on the ice," Haggerty said.