41–50 of 93 posts
Did our ancestors stretch before hunting? I doubt it.
Hard to know: https://www.google.com.au/search?q=lion+stretching&hl=en...
It is nothing new, it was suspected for a while by many studies. Personally I do not practice stretching. It initially started as an experiment - as in "if I don't stretch I should get hurt ?", "ok I want to test this and see precisely how much!", ie to try to evaluate the marginal value of stretching. So far I have yet to see a negative consequence of not stretching (ie increased risk of injury, even if anecdotal ex…
It's not called "warming up" because of the minor uptick in body heat.
Not a criticism; just remarking on the oddity because it amused me.
- Jack LaLanne on stretching, from Outside Magazine
Title is misleading. The article's main focus is on pre-workout stretching. I run several times a week, sometimes up to 20km at once and post-run stretching is most definitely a must-have.
I wonder how much of this effect (muscles weaker after stretching) is because stretching tires the muscles, as it will certainly require energy to execute a static for a minute or so. If the effect is similar to other forms of muscle use, it would be unsurprising. If it weakens muscles in a unique way, that seems more interesting. I stretch quite a bit because my muscles get tighter over the time, in particular from…
I'd place my money on a CNS phenomenon.
The title is misleading, to say the least. I occasionally suffer from lower back pain. From experience, tight hamstrings seem to be the cause. If I regularly stretch my hamstrings, I am without back problems. If I stop stretching, then, after a few months, I'll suddenly develop severe back pain. It's happened 3 times already, so I'm seeing a pattern. So I guess my point is: stretching can help in other areas; it just…
Post-exercise stretching, or regular therapeutic stretching, is not what they're talking about.
Another thought, as someone who sits all day (really need a standing desk!) and practices Karate and a little Yoga I definitely recommend that people who sit all day do some sort of stretching and other activities to counteract the effects of prolonged sitting...
Title is misleading. The article's main focus is on pre-workout stretching. I run several times a week, sometimes up to 20km at once and post-run stretching is most definitely a must-have.
I avoid most pre-run stretches, but find that both static and dynamic stretches of my ankles pre-run are helpful. There are specific studies that also support this.
I used to think stretching was stupid. Then I got old. Now I find that stretching reduces soreness the next day after a run. Certainly others have had the same experience?
There are two different kinds of flexibility involved in running or exercise in general. 1) Static flexibility: Responsible for your ability to bend over and reach down to your toes. 2) Dynamic flexibility: Remember those drills where you try to kick your heel as high as possible? From standing, bringing up your heel as far as possible is difficult, but even while you're jogging slowly, it's much easier.
While it is important to maintain a good balance between static and dynamic flexibility, the latter is more important during exercise. Consider doing a dynamic warmup before your exercise [1], rather than doing static stretches. The reasoning behind this is that static stretching reduces the tension within your muscle fibers and leads to decreased strength and stability during exercise. After exercise, thorough static stretching is fine. While the effect on lessening muscle soreness is somewhat doubted, stretching muscle fibers after exercise prevents your muscle fibers from shortening and aids in restoring flexibility and tension for your next exercising session.
TL;DR: Rule of the thumb: Pre exercise -> dynamic warm-up; post exercise -> static stretching