Does ANYONE know what 'proper stretching' means?

[tafnut]

Reading a link from the homepage, I am reminded how little I know about stretching after 40 years in the sport.

I have yet to read anything appoaching an authoritive, comprehensive study about athletic stretching, be it static, dynamic, after warmup, before warmup, pilates or yoga!

Ballet dancers and gymnasts of yore did cold static stretches that gave them complete range of motion and I don't recall any worries about injury. Current theory says to do dynamic stretching after proper warmup. I am starting to lose faith in stretching doing anything EXCEPT improve range of motion, which, of course, IS important.

I ALMOST think that if you just graduallly built up the intensity of a workout so that full explosive sprinting or jumping was delayed until 30 minutes in, you'd be fine, and then END the workout with range of motion exercises.

Bottom line - what's the REAL DEAL? Anyone have the answer?

[edited to clarify syntax]

[tafnut]

Re: Stretching Misinformation

really? This long and NO takers!

[Jon]

Re: Stretching Misinformation

Put "Webb" in the subject line.

[slowcoach]

Re: Stretching Misinformation

You answered your own question.

That, apparently, is now best practice.

[EPelle]

Re: Stretching Misinformation

I don:t stretch before my easy days and Sunday runs, I stretch after.

Workouts (Mon-Wed-Thu), I warm up 2,000 meters, stretch, do drills, 1,600m of strides, then track work. Warmdown then more stretching.

The only time I have felt twinges in muscles, tightness or stiffness in practice is when I rush through the warmups. Easy days (even those steady-state days), I don:t warm up... just start off easy, and progressively overload the system until it reaches its peak activity for the day, then ease back down until the breathing is back under control.

[kuha]

Re: Stretching Misinformation

Ooops, sorry. From the title, I thought this was a discussion of the basic nature of internet communication.

[tafnut]

Re: Stretching Misinformation

>Ooops, sorry. From the title, I thought this was a discussion of the basic >nature of internet communication.<

you're probably being facetious, but I changed it anyway.

[Pego]

Re: Stretching Misinformation

<I am starting to lose faith in stretching doing anything EXCEPT improve range of motion, which, of course, IS important.>

You've answered your question. You loosen the joints (range of motion) and get the blood flowing through your muscles. What more you want?

[tafnut]

Re: Stretching Misinformation

>>What more you want?<<

I don't know. I was hoping someone could demythologize all the old school (and some new school) canards about when and how and how much one should stretch for optimal performance/injury prevention. Alas, I don't think anyone has REAL evidence. The 'US Army study' that came out last year was a complete mess, full of half-truths and misleading conclusions.

[Old Timer]

Re: Stretching Misinformation

You've hit on the problem: no one knows and no one is prepared to find out. I'm old enough so that I thought (and I wasn't alone) that lifting weights knotted the muscles (harmfully) and stretching loosened them (harmfully). As a steeplechaser, my only stretching was lead leg and trail leg hurdle practice.
I think the stretching rituals today are very helpful, but mostly as ritual.
By the way, back when, I allowed myself only an hour for a workout, including changing and showering. But I was an amatuer.

[jhc68]

Re: Stretching Misinformation

Does anyone know? No, that is the answer. I'd guess we've all seen the stuff published a while back that said stretching does not enhance performance and may actually decrease muscle efficiency. But I agree with tafnut: who the hell knows what that means?

I know that such a premise is counter-intuitive. Even as a flexible kid, if I had tried to straddle high jump or run a hurdles race without event-specific stretching I believed then (and now) that the result would have been at best a mediocre performance and at worst disastrous injury. Even a lengthy running warm up would not have been sufficient without stretching, I believe. Am I wrong or am I wrong!?!

[Thor]

Re: Stretching Misinformation

Is flexibility and range of motion really that connected?

When, at age 29, I started training again after a 10 year lay-off, I stretched for as much as 3 hours a day and for the first time ever I had some flexibility. My range of motion was always very good however and I noticed no improvement there.
Today I have stopped stretching altogether and are back to barely being able to touch the knees with the palms of my hands when standing or sitting. Range of motion remains the same and I have suffered no more injuries than before. I'm training for the sprints, by the way.

[MJD]

I'd be careful:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/14931

[Pego]

LOL.

[SQUACKEE]

1st everybodies differant

2nd there is no substiute for a good long jog warm up.

3rd along with holding the stretch there's a new study that suggest its better to hold a stretch for 5-10 secounds then release and hold again for 5-10 secounds than to hold for 20 secounds with no break.

contrary to most schools of thought i like to lightly stretch before i jog. then after a mile ill stretch again but more intense. if i was running a race id stretch again after some wind sprints.

you can overstretch and tear something if you not carefull. my wife and i both have injured our hamstrings stretching when we were warmed up enough. maybe its an IQ thing and were meant for each other. :wink: