Stretching: Apparently we're doing it all wrong

[Louis]

Link to NYT story (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/sports/playmagazine/112pewarm.html?em)

[Viper]

Very cool. In wrestling I was supposed to lead the team in warm-ups and I never did. I walked off the mat. I'd go pace around and jump around etc. I felt that when I stretched I wasn't sharp and I was losing energy. Swimming freestyle, I'd watch all the cats stretch and stretch and stretch, like they were ballet dancers. Same thing, I'd jog in place for a bit, jump in the pool and beat all the dudes.

A girl I know, if I received a dime every time she tried to tell me about stretching. :rolleyes: Duh, BACON is the elixir for life. :beer:

[johnnymossville]

Yep, I learned that by trial and error myself, running track and cross country for 8 years, then bicycle racing. I found the static stretching before a race just made me feel slow.

Warming up is more important than stretching beforehand. I didn't know about the scorpion, straight leg march stuff though. I'll try those.

Stretching after a race is still great, and relaxing.

[Blue Jays]

In soccer our coaches had us go for long, gentle runs before "circling-up" at the center of the field to commence stretching.
We were literally sweaty before the traditional stretches happened.
I typically don't stretch for riding given the limited range of motion encountered, yet I do "warm-up" with a half-dozen easy miles before the tempo really increases.

[bnewt07]

The research evidence for stretching as reducing muscle and tendon injuries is weak at best. In one famous study a football (that is soccer to you lot!) league had one half of the teams doing stretching before matches whilst the other half did not. They looked at injuries at the end of a season. The results suggested no benefit or even less injuries in those who did not stretch!

Warm up is largely about physiological and psychological preparedness. Raising heart rate and muscle blood flow will be important for events that are high intensity from the start but not as much for endurance etc. A great deal of warm up for elite athletes may well be about familiar routines, psychological focus etc.

I think a great deal of BS exists about stretching and warm up pre (and post) exercise.

Specific stretching for injuries or bio-mechanical problems may have some benefit.

Bruce

[thinpin]

Gave up on stretching a few months ago and instead now learning "mobilizers" and active movements from a guy into biomechanics both prior and after cycling. All of those shown in the margins of the article are included, plus some. I feel significantly free-er (sp). My range of movement is improving all the time. I've managed to drop my stem by 1cm and am more comfortable now than when it was higher. Mind you, the custom Peg might have something to do with that too!

[alancw3]

many years ago i read a report on a study conducted by the australian military on stretching before physical activity. there study included 10,000 plus people. the conclusion of which is that stretching BEFORE physical actitiy had virtually no benefit at all but that streching AFTER physical exercise was very beneficial to muscle development and strengthening. ever since i always make a point to stretch out after exercising.

[Michael Maddox]

I've suspected this for years, and avoided stretching, myself, except in late night exercises far from any workout.

Personally, I think many of us have seen it. Witness how the majority of endurance athletes warm-up doing spins and other exercise-specific loads rather than bizarre, pointless movement of other muscle groups.

I'm at risk of simply allowing this to codify what I already "knew," but I should really pay more attention to this area of research.

[Mshue]

I haven't stretched before working out for years, having learned that it was ineffective. The fact that it might be detrimental to performance is new to me and interesting. I hadn't heard of dynamic stretching before, but it looks interesting.

I have found that static stretching after a hard workout seems to promote quicker recovery. Curious what others have experienced in this regard.