Stretching is a fundamental exercise that all people ought to partake in, whether they are active or not. In addition to improving your range of motion, thus helping prevent injury, it is also a very theraputic endeavor both mentally and physiologically. In the context I am writing about stretching, we will focus on it’s ability to reduce post-exercise muscle soreness and reduce the severity of delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). There are many different methods, all with their merits, which include: active stretching, static/passive stretching, ballistic stretching, PNF stretching, dynamic stretching and resistance stretching. Today you will learn about static/passive stretching and will touch on dynamic stretching.
Stretching works by elongating a specific muscle or muscle group to it’s fullest length, improving perceived elasticity and eventually extending one’s flexibility. Static stretching is something we have all done before, as it involves extending the muscle in a certain position, and holding it for a set length of time (typically 10 - 30 seconds). Passive stretching is something most of us have likely done as well. You use one body part to “force” another into a set position, such as with an across the chest shoulder stretch, and then hold for the desired length of time. These two methods are the sort I recommend for post-exercise recovery. You must be fully warmed up beforehand, or you risk injury or at the very least additional soreness. When holding your stretch, use a time that is comfortable to you and increase this time as you become more used to stretching. Remember: DO NOT BOUNCE in your stretch, hold it gently and if it hurts a lot, you’re stretching too far. Given that there are literally thousands of possible stretch moves which we cannot possibly cover in this brief article, I will include a simple chart of examples from which you can create your own routine. Don’t forget to do a google search for stretching methods either!
While a must for post-workout recovery, I personally do not feel that the two forms of stretching mentioned above are the preferred method to use pre-workout for a number of reasons. Primarily, I feel that they have the potential for adverse effects such as a temporary decrease in muscular strength, potential for injury due to lack of proper warming up, and can make muscles looser and less stable for quite some time afterwards. A much better approach can be had in the form of Dynamic Stretching, which involves less warm-up and utilizes movements to increase your ROM and activate your nervous system, thus making you more limber and alert, yet not losing any strength or power. To perform this method, during warm up, involve movements such as trunk twists or front and back kicks, and gradually increase your reach and range of motion.
One form of stretching I absolutely do not recommend at all is Ballistic Stretching, which is moving into a passive stretch and then “bouncing”. It WILL sooner or later lead to injury.
Here is a decent video I found on youtube which gives a pretty good idea of what I mean by Dynamic Stretching:
May 18, 2008 at 12:01:00
Good video there…knew about some of those stretches but definitely not all of them.