To Stretch, or not To Stretch

Who doesn't love a good stretch? What more reward can you ask for than to feel a muscle aching from your tireless exercise and to just try to stretch the heck out of it? But is there a time and place for structured stretching?

During my years in athletic programs, we ran the gamut of possibilities, stretch before exercise, stretch after, stretch during, stretch when you wake up, stretch after a turkey dinner. Back then, we just followed the dogmatic approaches coaches offered, who had no certifiable history of exercise and training. They just played the sport, and went on to coach the sport. I should note, that there are a couple different types of stretching, dynamic and static being the most popular. Dynamic stretching is actually more of a warm-up, as there is no stretch and hold as you do with static stretching, and is actually advantageous to perform before a session.

I'm here today to suggest an optimal timing and routine for active stretching, relative to exercise schedule. FLEXIBILITY is one of the key components of fitness, and can reduce chances of injury during physically stressful situations, as well as improve stability and muscle recruitment during everyday activities. AND IT'S REALLY SIMPLE!

Two basic rules:

Rule 1: Do not stretch statically without warmup. This is one of the reasons Bikram Yoga has taken a popular turn. Aside from other benefits such as eliminating toxins through the skin, hot yoga warms up the muscles and allows one to reach further into more flexible positions than when practicing in room temperature. Think of your connective tissues, such as ligaments and tendons, as having fluidity or viscosity. We have seen how almost anything flexible or viscous will behave differently in cold environments. It has a tendency to break! Freeze a rubber band and give it a pull, but DON'T use your favorite rubber band... Now think about what kinda snap is in store for your cold muscles and ligaments when you stretch them hard without a warmup! My recommendation: WARM UP FIRST! Spend 5-10 easy minutes on an aerobic machine or jogging before stretching, or stretch at the end of a warm shower for greater soothing power.

Rule 2: Do not stretch statically before vigorous exercise. This is a debatable subject, but when you consider the benefits of stretching after exercise, you might choose to stretch when you are finished sweating. Many studies regarding high-level athletes have been conducted regarding stretch timing. This article explains the results of static (or bend and hold) stretching before resistance training. The studies show that there is a marked decrease (roughly 5-10% depending on length of stretch hold) in force-producing capacity of a muscle after static stretching. The studies go on to describe how the athletes lose some of their balance and felt more wobbly after static stretches, which is something we definitely want to avoid during our training sessions. This leads to my next recommendation: STRETCH AFTER EXERCISE! Stretching after exercise can also help relieve lactic acid that builds up during your workout that causes soreness. It can help realign kinks that develop during forceful muscular contractions. When your muscles are tired from your session, they are more fluid from being warmed up and stretching will more accurately target the tight regions of your muscle and connective tissues, and allow for a deeper stretch.


And if my explanations and links aren't enough to sway you... Here is a study from the National Center of Biotechnology Information (NCBI) with exhaustive citations regarding how I am right.   :-P

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Thanks for reading, and watch out for my next blog post featuring a handful of simple yet effective home exercises that will help you maintain your New Year's resolution of increasing your exercise and decreasing your waist!

Any questions or contributions, feel free to email me...