Stretching.

[Feops]

Do you stretch?

Do you feel stretching is beneficial?

Common wisdom claims that stretching is beneficial to mitigate injuries, but I've never really heard much discussion about it.

[Halla74]

Do you stretch?

Do you feel stretching is beneficial?

Common wisdom claims that stretching is beneficial to mitigate injuries, but I've never really heard much discussion about it.

Stretching is great! I never stretch before a workout, as that's when your muscles, tendons, ligaments are cold and more prone to tearing/getting whacked out by overly aggressive stretching.

I warm up via cardio, or if doing weights only (rarely nowadays) then I start each exercise with a light set to get that region of the body warmed up and loose.

The best time to stretch is AFTER your workout. Once you've done your cardio/weights/both then take some time on the mat and stretch away. I do a combination of old school soccer/track & field type stretches in conjunction with some yoga stretching I learned a few years ago. I usually get a few really good cracks out of my back and sometimes even neck/upper back area when stretching.

I'm 35 and I can still lock my leges while standing and place my palms on the ground. I guess all the karate as a kid paid off in staying limber. :happy:

[wolfy]

Do you stretch?

Do you feel stretching is beneficial?

Common wisdom claims that stretching is beneficial to mitigate injuries, but I've never really heard much discussion about it.

Read this article. I use this stretch routine. It's fast and easy.
The Lazy Man's Guide to Stretching (http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/the_lazy_mans_guide_to_stretching&cr=)
15 minutes to (joint) freedom!
by Ian King

[Trinity]

Yup and yup. Besides normal stretching for working out I incorporate it with Yoga and Tai-Chi to great benefit. Plus I've had dramas with my pelvis in the past, some specific stretching helps me avoid problems there.

[Morgan Le Fay]

I've had dramas with my pelvis in the past
Try to stay on topic, Trin!

Love streeeeetching! Love rolling back over in bed more.

[Trinity]

Try to stay on topic, Trin!

Love streeeeetching! Love rolling back over in bed more.

:smooch:

[Delilah]

Plus I've had dramas with my pelvis in the past, some specific stretching helps me avoid problems there.

Need any help with that? :newwink:

[Trinity]

Heee, you sig'd me :D

Need any help with that? :newwink:

Always *grabs Del by the arm, pulls her inside, shuts and locks the door*

[BlackCat]

Always *grabs Del by the arm, pulls her inside, shuts and locks the door*

I can help. :smooch:

Also stretching is awesome.

http://curiousanimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/stretching-cat.jpg

[Giggly]

Be careful stretching immediately after you'd had a big muscle injury. It needs time to heal first then do lots of stretching.

[kyuuei]

Oyy. I feel ya'll on the before-workout stretching. I don't even FEEL good doing it before working out. I do some simple rotations quickly to get the blood moving and jog in place for a minute. AFTERWARDS though, stretching calms me down and keeps me from getting all jittery from all that work.

[xNTP]

I always feel like a pansy when I stretch. It's kinda like yoga. You never see a guy doing down dog and say "man, that guy's probably such a badass."

[wolfy]

http://i699.photobucket.com/albums/vv354/wolfyjp/511TQCE8K6L_SL500_AA240_.jpg

This guy looks pretty cool stretching, Thomas Kurz. Great book by the way. Awesome info.

[LucrativeSid]

I've always been extremely inflexible. Standing up with my legs straight, I can only bend down far enough to reach my wrists to my knees. And I've always been like this. As a kid in gym class, we did this thing called the V sit and reach. 0 inches is at your toes, and I'd always get like -12 inches. Keep in mind, I was a skinny kid that was in good shape. I've always wondered if my body would feel different if I could stretch farther. Touching my toes has been nothing but an idea for my whole life.

Anybody here gone from being extremely inflexible to being flexible? How worth it was it?

[Feops]

Read this article. I use this stretch routine. It's fast and easy.
The Lazy Man's Guide to Stretching (http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/the_lazy_mans_guide_to_stretching&cr=)
15 minutes to (joint) freedom!
by Ian King

Neat, thanks.

[sciski]

I cannot stretch enough. I envy cats their stretchability.

[nightning]

Stretch before you exercise apparently increases the chance of injury... Sustained stretches weakens the fibers and lead to more chances of tearing. What you should be doing is warming up the muscles, jog or shake them up. Forgotten where the article I got that from is...

[Grayscale]

i am going to disagree with some of the people here and say the most important time to stretch is before any strenuous exercise, although it is also helpful to do a bit of light warmup beforehand, like jumping jacks for a minute or two. stretching afterwards is also helps to decrease the lactic acid buildup and recovery time, but usually not as much is needed as beforehand. im not sure about injuries related to tearing muscle, but it will reduce the risk of pulling a muscle and it helps your overall flexibility and range of motion.

an important point to remember is that you should be stretching to the point of some light discomfort, not pain. if you cant stretch as far as you'd like, it is something you have to work on slowly. for my stretching routine i take 2 deep breaths for each stretch, 3 seconds in, hold for 3 seconds, then 3 seconds out (twice) before training and then about half that afterwards.

[phoenity]

Static stretching is bad to do before a workout. In fact, I don't like static stretching at all.

You should do some dynamic stretches going through your entire range of motion to warm up your joints and muscles to get them ready for more strenuous activity.

[Sytpg]

Stretching is great! I never stretch before a workout, as that's when your muscles, tendons, ligaments are cold and more prone to tearing/getting whacked out by overly aggressive stretching.

I warm up via cardio, or if doing weights only (rarely nowadays) then I start each exercise with a light set to get that region of the body warmed up and loose.

The best time to stretch is AFTER your workout.

Aren't you supposed to stretch after AND before? Before serving as a warm up for the actual exercise. That's what I do anyway.