Stretching: An essential part of your regular workout regimen

Life Health & Fitness
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It’s a miracle-you really have one hour of spare time ahead of you in which you can finally get that exercise in you’ve been promising yourself you would do. Your first tendency might be to jump on the treadmill and take off, burning calories as fast as your legs can go. However, research indicates that if you don’t stretch first, you risk of injury is dramatically higher than the risk of those who do stretch. In fact, according to Reuters, “experts say . . . stretching will help you hone your performance, prevent injury, perk up your posture and even boost your mood.”

Stretching: An important part of your workout routine

Two ways to stretch

Stretching doesn’t have to take up your whole workout time-just try to fit in at least five minutes of stretching before and after your workout. There are two types of stretching to select from, according to Reuters, who explains, “A static stretch is essentially a stretch held in one position; dynamic stretching involves active movements.” For instance, a static stretch could be a toe touch held for 30 seconds while a dynamic exercise may be jumping jacks.

How to stretch safely

A word of caution for your stretching: don’t push your body too far. Jessica Mathews of the American Council on Exercise claims for stretches to be “safe and effective, they should be held only to the point of tension-never to the point of pain.” And when you do your static stretching, do not bounce, says the Mayo Clinic, this can trigger small tears inside your muscles which will lead to further stiffness. And for those who have any injuries or chronic pain, talk to your doctor about what stretches would be best for you.

Sources

Reuters
Mayo Clinic

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Stretch is far better than shrink, I always say.

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usatoday.com/news/health/201 … cles_N.htm

[quote]Experts: Don’t stretch before exercising
LONDON (AP) — Want a better work-out? Then don’t stretch beforehand, some experts say.

Many people take it for granted that they should start their exercise routines with some stretching on the spot, perhaps hoping it will loosen them up for their work-out. Most fitness experts now agree this kind of static stretching before exercise is not just counter-productive, but potentially harmful.

Traditional stretches, like when people bend over to touch their toes or stretch their legs on a fence, often cause the muscles to tighten rather than relax — exactly the opposite of what is needed for physical activity.

Experts say it is like extending a rubber band to its limit. When people stretch to the maximum, they are more likely to pull a muscle.

“We have developed this idea of static stretching at exactly the wrong time,” said Kieran O’Sullivan, an exercise expert at the University of Limerick in Ireland, who has studied various types of stretching and their impact on athletes.

When you stretch before exercising, your body may think it’s at risk of being overstretched. It compensates by contracting and becoming more tense. That means you aren’t able to move as fast or as freely, making you more likely to get hurt.

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But the message has yet to trickle down to legions of joggers and recreational athletes. “This is classic, old-school stretching that has been done for generations,” Cohen said. “It’s going to be very hard to convince people to start doing something different.”[/quote]

I don’t ever recommend static stretching before working out. It isn’t necessary and is even counter productive. Dynamic stretching can be useful but isn’t done properly by most people because they don’t work on their form. Static stretching after a workout or later as a form of recovery, though, is an excellent idea.

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I’m a runner and I very seldom stretch. It’s important to warm up before and cool down after exercising, but stretching not so much. It could be beneficial to do some stretching once you’re warm but only if it’s done properly. Stretching cold muscles has no benefit and might cause injury!