Stretching

I've been thinking about this a bit lately and whether stretching is good or bad for you, or an over / under rated tool to help recovery.

I played a lot of junior sport and it was always warm up and stretch and afterwards cool down and stretch. Prior to ever doing compound lifts, I had persistant sciatic nerve pain that referred down my left hamstring, behind the knee and in the calf. Over the years I was treated by chiros, osteos and relied on massage and the advice was always to stretch. For a large part of that time I did a number of different stretches for approximately 15 minutes each night. It definitely eased the pain when it was acute but never made it better or made the condition go away. As my back and legs have started to get stronger I've only had DOMS and nothing more serious.

Up until several weeks ago I was stretching to assist with DOMs but I reckon I get as much benefit from this as going for a 30 minute walk with my dogs in the morning before work. Then occasionally I've heard or read about stretching before exercise potentially causing injury or muscle strain.

Does anyone have anymore experience than this or an opinion as to whether its good, bad or indifferent?

Cheers,

Jeff.

If you are overall healthy, stretching before weight training, sports etc is a bad idea. This is because you are literally stretching the muscles out longer - and in weight training and sports you are contracting them, if they're stretched they don't contract as well.

The exception is if you have some area of particular tightness because of injury or postural issues. Then you'd stretch just that part.

There is also an exception for sports where flexibility is needed during the performance, such as gymnastics.

Stretching after a workout or sports has been shown to help recovery. And yes, a 30 minute walk will help recovery, too. So do both

But really it's up to you. Millions of people do weight training and never stretch afterwards. Most never seem to have any harm from it, many have injuries but were they caused by not stretching? Hard to say.

I find that stretching helps me to mentally wind down after a workout, and helps recovery. With the people I train, I only stretch areas of particular tightness due to their posture (eg a pec stretch for the person with the rounded-shoulders posture) or injury history (eg lower back stretch for the guy who once twisted it), or if they have some area which feels uncomfortably tight that day.

general stretching isn't bad for you before weight training. obliviously dont stretch out your pec for 3 mins before you attempt a pb bench. mobility drills can be useful to loosen the joints and get you warm. i wouldn't analyze it too much.

You'll get enough stretch when you weight train, if done properly.

I do my stretch in bed when I wake up it feels good.

Simple

Dont stretch before work up progressivley.


Stretch after words or bad shit happens..

I now have calf glute itb and knee problem on my right side because i stopped stretching everything locked up and im ****ed.

Worlds strognets man actually does ballet to stay flexible i shit you not.

30min a day of stretching will do you the world of good and a massage every 2 weeks.

Stretching really helped me rehab my back.

I still stretch but not as often as when I was coming off the injury.

I sometimes stretch but most of the time i dont.The ownly times i get cramps is in my biceps when i push it to the limits and also in my toes.

I stretch slightly before working out (mostly hamstring and shoulder stuff) then go for hell afterwards working on my hamstrings (I have very poor flexibility).

My flexibility has improved greatly, though I'm still troubled by knots and cant sit with my legs crossed.

Yes you’re right Puff, the debate is raging hot out there between the experts. However Haz and Oliver summed it up beautifully; do stretch before your workout but not to the extent of your post workout. So a 30 second holding hamstring stretch after warming up and before your workout, versus a 2 or so minutes done in the same fashion for few sets of 2 minutes post workout. The word here is stretch and not tear and definitely no rocking (in most cases)


Fadi.

There is no point being tight and no point being hypermobile, they are both bad for your joints/muscles.
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I dont know if this is just me, but i tend to do some light stretching during my workouts on the major muscle group im using. E.g. I stretch my shoulders when im doing shoulders or legs when im doing legs and this tends to help me in between sets. It gives me a greater range of motion if im tightening up (especially shoulders) and saves me time at the end of my workout. I've started doing some research into Fascial Stretching (stretching of the fascial connective tissue that compartmentalises our muscles). The suggestion being that if we stretch this it gives more room for muscles to expand and extra blood flow. Fadi may correct me if my beliefs/assumptions are wrong.

Gareer

How do they tell you you can stretch your fascia?
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dave said:

How do they tell you you can stretch your fascia?
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I have to ask, who is they? And fascial stretching isn't a 'myth'. The fascia is a part of the muscular-skeletal system and while no specific research has been done into it, anecdotal evidence suggests it may work. I choose to try it and have found it helps with my workouts (placebo effect?), allowing me to lift more weight. If you need more evidence I'd be happy to link some quotes.

The point being, it seems to be working for me and saves me some time stretching at the end at any rate.

Gareer

They is the people who you have been researching. Fascia is just the connective tissue surrounding muscle that consequently coverges to form tendons at the end of the muscle. Fascia surround muscle fibers, bundles of fibres and then the entire muscle itself. So specifically saying you can stretch the fascia is true as that is what you are doing when you stretch. But I wanted to know the specifics of how (from your research) they say you can place more of an emphasis on the facia.
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When I started doing research on it, fascial strething was just a term a trainer used (probably incorrectly) for stretching done during training. The basic premise being the stretching in between reps and sets stretches the muscle and the fascia increases the size of each muscle cell and expands the fascia as a whole allowing more blood flow and a greater 'pump'. Sorry if i misused it/created a misunderstanding, that is just what i have called it. Some examples of weighted muscle fascia stretching are things like, if your done working your chest for the day and have a strong pump doing a dumbell flye down to the negative (not to the point of overextension) and holding it there for a period of 30 seconds to 1 minute. This is pretty hard to do, and supposedly stretches the fascia.

Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean your muscles will automatically grow, but it allows the opportunity for them to do so. Once again this is all just basic research and trying it out myself with some success or feeling of success.

Gareer

For this to work you would be needing to stretch your fascia across the muscle not along the muscle. This is not possible unless you are pumping your muscles full of blood and fluids which will only happen through exercise usually high rep pump inducing stuff (leads to sacroplasmic hypertrophy). A stretch only works along the muscle length not across it so really the reasoning is not very good at all.

This doesn't mean I am against stretching between sets, I do it myself, but for reasons such as keeping adequate muscle length for joint health.

If you are overall healthy, stretching before weight training, sports etc is a bad idea. This is because you are literally stretching the muscles out longer - and in weight training and sports you are contracting them, if they're stretched they don't contract as well.

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A few years ago I did a Level 1 Olympic Weightlifting Coaches Course and they were pushing for athletes to perform dynamic stretches rather then static stretches.

Once again, this is all very true, just expressing an idea. And you've put up a good reasoning for why it isn't the case. Thank you for the reasonable discussion. I'll most likely continue the stretching but as you for muscle length joint health. I'll continue doing research and if i come up with anything more i'll let you know.

Gareer

gareer said:

I dont know if this is just me, but i tend to do some light stretching during my workouts on the major muscle group im using. E.g. I stretch my shoulders when im doing shoulders or legs when im doing legs and this tends to help me in between sets. It gives me a greater range of motion if im tightening up (especially shoulders) and saves me time at the end of my workout. I've started doing some research into Fascial Stretching (stretching of the fascial connective tissue that compartmentalises our muscles). The suggestion being that if we stretch this it gives more room for muscles to expand and extra blood flow. Fadi may correct me if my beliefs/assumptions are wrong.

Gareer

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Spot on Gareer. Stretching for few seconds during (as in between sets) is great. If it allows in an extra rep because you somewhat reduced the tightness in that muscles than that's one extra rep no one can take away from you and is one more to be added to the total of your whole workout.

The problem occurs when people get their timing wrong and start extending the seconds into minutes based on the wrong mentality that if few seconds is good then a minute would be even better. That actually weakens the muscles and makes it susceptible to an injury.

PS: A range of motion is a range of motion. It's not to be extended beyond its limit unless you are forcing an opponent to "tap" as in a UFC fight! But I think I understand what you mean Gareer.


Fadi.

Once again my english fails me, but the basic premise was, when your muscles tighten the range of motion of the exercise your doing may decrease if your trying to get to certain reps. By stretching it allows that full range of motion to really work the muscle at the end. Thanks for the wise and well written response fadi.

Gareer