Posted: 3/1/2007 9:25:04 AM EDT
| What kind of stretching do you do before running? Also how long do you stretch in each position? |
| I dont bother doing static stretching before running anymore. I usually do dynamic. Rotational exercises to start up. I like to kick my legs out to the front and then back as far as possible, swing my legs sideways. Then some woodchoppers and thats about it. There was a study done once with sprinters where the found static stretching before the sprint actually slowed them down. Something about the muscle gets stretched much farther than it is when being used to run. |
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incline/wall-lunge calf stretches, straight leg and bent leg quad stretches figure 4 stretch (it-band/hip) glut stretch (sitting on floor, cross left foot over right leg with foot flat on floor, hug knee) hammy stretch all 30-40 secs, 2-3 times per leg EDIT TO ADD: twice as much stretching after running, along with foot drills |
| Last I read, static stretching not only hasn't been shown to decrease injuries, but may even raise the risk a tiny bit. There's no reason at all to waste your time doing them before running. It was pretty decisively shown that the most important thing you can do is warm up. Dynamic streching is fine, but your pre-run ritual's focus should be a proper warm-up. |
Yes, static stretching before exercise is at best useless, you should skip it. I don't know what constitutes a proper warmup, but I like to spend a few minutes at a slow jog to get the muscles warm (walking doesn't quite do it for me). |
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When I don't stretch, I'm a whole lot more likely to tighten up during a run, especially a long run. The post-exercise stretch is even more important, though. If stretching before exercise is so bad, why do so many high end sports doctors and physical therapists recommend it? I would really like to see a justification why it makes you more likely to get injured. This simply makes no sense to me. |
I used to be convinced of the same thing, but by paying better attention to my warm-up, I feel like I'm much more injury-free, not less. Note again that we're talking about static stretching, not dynamic. In addition, what may be best statistically might not be best for you personally. So, provided you've given the "do a better warmup instead of static stretching" a try, if you still think you get injured less with stretching, then go for it.
Keep in mind that these studies seem to be relatively recent (3 or 4 years ago is when I found them). It's my sense that the number of coaches recommending static stretching before exercise has absolutely plunged. Regarding how you'd get injured, stretching micro-tears the muscles. Entering the hard exercise with already micro-torn muscles is the explanation. Note, however, that any increase in probability of injury is very slight, so that isn't what you should be latching onto. If you ignore that, the most important conclusion is that static stretching beforehand makes no difference at all, which makes it a waste of time. You want injury prevention, spend more time on the quality of your warm-up. |
Actually, in true ARFCOM fashion, I do both. I am also a big fan of warm up exercise.
I wonder if how you stretch makes more of a difference here. There are a lot of people who do not stretch themselves gradually, or bounce in their stretch, or try and force themselves into more flexability than they really have. Also, with stretching I'm more concerned with connective tissue than muscles, as this is where most of my injuries are centered. If I have muscle pain or injury, it is almost always a symtom of an issue with connective tissue (e.g. plantar faciatis, tendonopathy, etc.). Also, in a non-warmup situation, stretching increases flexability and range of motion more effectively than exercise alone, which in turn has a positive effect on performance. In any case, I am very much a fan of stretching, and it seems to really help me keep uninjured. A year and a half ago, I was a total wreck injury-wise... changing my stretching regimen as well as my strength training to accomodate for past injuries has really improved my performance and ability to keep more or less injury free. The only major change I plan on in the near future is to tweak my nutrition (want to lose a little mass) and step up my strength training and anaerobic stuff this spring. Might try some plyo again over the summer, and see how the knees take it. |
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My cousin has a degree in Sports Medicine and also preached that a good warm up is what should be done, and not static stretching. I played ice hockey at the time (high school) and took his advice. The first game taking that advice, I pulled my groin. I do a light warm up lap around the track now and do static stretching following that, then the actual run, followed by more static stretching. |
| I stretch once a year whether I need it or not. I usually stretch in June before a race. I run this half marathon and you get bussed out to this park and run 13 miles back. well alot of people usually stretch in this one corner of the park by the bathrooms and drinking fountain. I really cant tell you what stretches I do or how long I hold them for because I am usually too busy checking out all the chic's ass's bending over and stretching. |
| Lately, I have skipped stretching before my runs. I run a slow warm up mile and that seems to be working just fine. I normally start to tighten up around the fifth mile whether I stretch ahead of time or not...lol. BTW, my decision to skip the stretch and warm up with the first mile was based on advice from a distance runner... shrug. YMMV. |
Being invovled in and teaching martial arts I agree with a lot of what has been said about warm ups being more important that stretching for a couple of reasons. 1) most people dont know how to stretch properly so wind up doing more damage than good. The comment about the micro tears in the muscles is very true. Micro tears create micro scar tissue. Scar tissue doesnt stretch so the next time you try to stretch you have made it harder on yourself. Basically stretch as often as you can on a daily basis and most of all when you stretch dont push it ... when it hurts STOP. 2) A study done last year that included about 80 subjects compared stretching before exercise to not. The study demonstrated NO advantage to stretching. In fact it showed the opposite. Most sports injuries occur during the normal range of motion and stretching exceeds the normal range hence you are just as or more likely to be injured as a result of impoper stretching as opposed to light jogging or walking to warm the muscles. Too many high schools teach stretching because they simply dont know any better...but then they still teach Columbus discovered America and that he thought the world was flat. |
I have read summaries of a couple of those studies. I can't determine if they documented causation or correlation. If it was a correlation between folks who stretched before exercise and injuries, wouldn't it make sense that those who had suffered past injuries, and may be more disposed toward future injury, would be more likely to stretch before exercise? |
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Static stretching before running is now "old school". Coaches and others still recommend it because like anything, change takes time. This month's issue of Men's Health actually has a small article about this that is educational for those interested. Doing a brief warm up, 5 minutes or so and then running is what I now do after years of stretching beforehand. It takes a time or two to get used to but I assure you I am fine and have suffered no injuries. We also have a large university nearby and I am fortunate to know a few physical education majors (who are also insanely beautiful!) and they were the ones that told me that stretching before is not recommended anymore. (so now you understand the real reason why I changed my routine!) Hope this helps answer your question and gives you a direction to go. April 2007 issue of Men's Health, page 44. You can go to your newsstand and read it real quick without buying it if you want. The source for their info is a report from Strength and Conditioning Journal. |
Doing static stretching before physical exercise can make you more prone to injury than dynamic stretching. I was told that when I was in physical therapy for my ACL repair. My physical therapist told me what University did the study but I dont remember. |
Men's health had a great article on stretching a few months back which covered dynamic strecthing. Stretching |