Stretching Thread

In the mood for another roundtable discussion type thread where we attempt to get to the bottom of an issue that seemingly does not have a bottom. Even if we don't get to a bottom, hopefully, we can all learn something.

Stretching: What's the deal with it?

The subject baffles me. I've heard it's fantastic. I've heard it's ok. I've heard it's marginal at best. I've heard it's not good.

Personally, I don't know. I've done a mix of everything and just don't know.

I guess:

-I've found warming up and cooling down properly has much higher utility
-I've found not being an idiot has much higher utility
-I've found just breathing whether that's cardio or yoga or meditation seems to have higher utility

Any ideas?

Here's an opening statement/argument:

Stretching is similar to supplements in that people that take the time to stretch are healthy and well more so b/c of all the other things they are doing rather than stretching itself.

the point of stretching is to be flexible obv -_-

i find this very useful:


/thread

I almost always warm up by doing some light exercise then stretching in some way simply because it helps my muscles to prepare and reduces any tension/soreness but haven't really found a need to cool down it just sounds like quitting early to me.

I believe the going theory is that you can forget about stretching before exercise to help with muscle soreness or to prevent injury. Instead light warm up work is preferred ie/ dynamic stretching and if you must stretch do it post exercise when the muscles are already warm. I know I've read an article on this subject in the last year or so but I just can't find it. It would have been on pubmed or sciencedaily.

As for increasing flexibilty I have no idea how stretching applies, it's never interested me.

On August 01 2012 18:21 RiKD wrote: Here's an opening statement/argument: Stretching is similar to supplements in that people that take the time to stretch are healthy and well more so b/c of all the other things they are doing rather than stretching itself.

Agreed. I've read "factoids" that appear in newspapers or magazines that stretching can add ~10 years to your life etc but have never seen the paper the factoid is based on. You'd think that it would be hard to isolate and observe. There may be benefits to old people with circulation or something but I don't know enough to argue for or against it.

what?! You have to stretch after a big amount of exercise otherwise your muscles will be extremely sore the next day.

Oh lawd a new splendid topic I am interested in.

Background: + Show Spoiler + [Pretty boring shit]

I can almost bring my butt completely down with my legs split to the sides and can easily grab over
my feet and to the bottom of my ankles without hesitation nor warm-up.
I did this by simply stretching my legs in their desired positions a few nights of the month
whilst I used the computer (doesn't work out for the stretch-to-toes/ankles one obv)

I do not feel any more "healthy" after stretching so much nor would I put much work into it unless I was
exceedingly inflexible and/or limited in some way by it (as I was in BJJ. Gogoplatas all day erryday now)
and/or female.
I am however certain that it would be much harder for me to become injured, which is the obvious
benefit of stretching for any athlete.

Actual stretching (as opposed to ligament warmups) is a ridiculous thing to do before exercising imo.
As an example it has been demonstrated that you can't lift as much weight after stretching as you can before stretching.

There are no significant studies out there that I am aware of that traditional static stretching will increase your ranges of motion. There are some studies that show that hamstring stretches display the most benefit. I've also read that static stretching can decrease performance immediately after performing the stretching.

My whole take on it is that I'll do dynamic stretching sometimes to warm up (i.e. swinging my arms/legs backwards and forwards and side to side) and sometimes I'll perform static stretching after weight training. Though I'm not sure if there's any solid proof out there that static stretching while speed up the healing process after intense resistance training.

On August 01 2012 22:33 LikeASet wrote: There are no significant studies out there that I am aware of that traditional static stretching will increase your ranges of motion.

Personally, although I do love studies, I do not need a study in this case. I have increased my range of motion so much by stretching without
any sort of exercise.

Static stretching will of course not help you at all in increasing your range of motion if the limiting factor is a joint,
that would not make any sense, but it makes perfect sense and does when the limiting factor is your muscles (and by extension, your tendons).

i want to learn kicks like crocop does it

my flexibility is really poor, i've always wanted to improve it but never took any steps to make that happen

If stretching does not increase range of motion, then what does?

On August 01 2012 20:24 Funktion wrote: I believe the going theory is that you can forget about stretching before exercise to help with muscle soreness or to prevent injury. Instead light warm up work is preferred ie/ dynamic stretching and if you must stretch do it post exercise when the muscles are already warm. I know I've read an article on this subject in the last year or so but I just can't find it. It would have been on pubmed or sciencedaily. As for increasing flexibilty I have no idea how stretching applies, it's never interested me. Show nested quote + On August 01 2012 18:21 RiKD wrote: Here's an opening statement/argument: Stretching is similar to supplements in that people that take the time to stretch are healthy and well more so b/c of all the other things they are doing rather than stretching itself. Agreed. I've read "factoids" that appear in newspapers or magazines that stretching can add ~10 years to your life etc but have never seen the paper the factoid is based on. You'd think that it would be hard to isolate and observe. There may be benefits to old people with circulation or something but I don't know enough to argue for or against it.

I've heard that it's terrible to stretch while cold i.e. totally preworkout so i always do some kind of light excercise before then stretch a bit.

On August 01 2012 20:40 Stroggoz wrote: what?! You have to stretch after a big amount of exercise otherwise your muscles will be extremely sore the next day.

Interesting. I'll experiment with that a bit Maybe I've just shrugged off the concept of warming down too, I usually run to where I want to go then just stop and often run at max speed before stopping. Sometimes I get sore, sometimes it's np. If you're on the treadmill it seems less weird to warm down slowly. I've got some friends quite into running and they never seem to stretch after a run or cooldown but do warmup in some way, maybe we're just noobs!

Stretching improves the time of recovery. The faster you recover, the more you can train. When you are a competing athlete this is important.
Stretching increases range of motion. Stretching elongates your muscles, tendons and ligaments making them stronger.
Stretching improves your body awareness. Knowing your limits help you perform to the maximum of your ability.
Stretching improves co-ordination. Being stronger in increased range of motion is a good thing.

There are two types of stretches: static and dynamic. You can stretch during any time of day. You rarely see 100m dash competitors stretch before the start or a weightlifting champion stretch before the lift but let me assure you those athletes stretch aswell. If you don't have stretching as a part of your training regime then start the countdown to injuries. Feel free to adjust the timers clock as you will.

Here is some food for thought:
Take the top 10 contestants for every olympic event and calculate their average stretching ability and compare that to the stretching ability of yourself. If you want to perform better you got to stretch more, simple as that.
If you go by hearsay then you are probably misinformed.

If i get my books back i can reference sources for the naysayers.

http://www.mobilitywod.com/

I don't do it but pretty sure it's good for you if done right. I've heard each end of the spectrum as well but haven't looked in to it enough to have a real opinion. Just thought throwing out MWoD would help some people.

On August 01 2012 18:32 dogmeat wrote: the point of stretching is to be flexible obv -_- + Show Spoiler + i find this very useful: /thread

What a premature /thread. He doesn't execute the stretches well, he doesn't hit all the areas. /open

Nice post cariadon

read up on stretches via googleing. it's common knowledge that being flexible reduces risk of injury dramatically, increases over all strength (due to increased range of motion and being able to utilize your full motion more effectively), helps you heal after intense work outs, and just overall makes you feel better...

and being poker players sitting at the computer/casino all day/night stretching out hip flexer muscles and other muscles such as quads, hams etc actually help with back pains/posture/health...having a very tight upper leg/hip area can potentially lead to back problems later. I know personally stretching has helped me immensely in that area.

sorry i didn't read thread so i may be reposting someone else's thoughts but just thought i'd share some general knowledge.

If you're an athlete I think stretching can be beneficial. If you're somebody who is just exercising for general fitness and to look good then I don't think its necessary. Lifting weights and cardio keeps me flexible enough

Edit: I also spend a lot of time on my feet throughout the day so maybe my personal experience isn't relevant to somebody who spends their day in a chair

Can you stretch your lower back, I randomly get sick pain there, not from doing "anything wrong". I take walks, i do exercise 5-10 min every morning and night, I train 3 - 4 times a week, I always get up a lot, and stuff when sitting. Not fat, but get a lot of pain in my lower back. Anyone know if you can uhm, do something magical and make it go away lol?