Stretching

[PTC]

You guys wont be surprised, but I have a controversial opinion on stretching.

Do you guys stretch before, after, during training?

What is your normal procedure prior to lifting. How do you warm up?

I was just reminded of this as I was reading an article by an elite lifter.

Discuss.

 

[leachy]

I NEVER see anyone stretch at my gym, kinda freaks me out.

I stretch the shoulders against a wall, rotate them, this does the chest as well. Rotate the hips a bit to get the blood flowing, touch the toes, etc. Stretch out the quads, hamstrings, groin and glutes before anything involving legs. And continue to stretch throughout the workout to get the blood flowing evenly.

Stretch before bed If I sense I will be sore the next day, especially hamstrings, they seem to tighten up overnight.

Whats your opinion PTC?

 

[Daniel.308]

I do body squats and stretches whilst warming up on a 20kg bar... Then spend 15mins stretching after my workout...

I need to stretch before I squat as I can't go deep without falling back...

 

[Christian]

After only, dynamic stretching..

Never static stretch before..

 

[Goosey]

My view on stretching is not common.

I don't view stretching highly as a method to increase ones flexibility.

My view is a properly performed exercise is all one needs.

I occasionally stretch after a workout, but only as a form of relaxation.

 

[Sticky]

I do some empty bar work to warm up and get my joint working. On bench I also use a thera band and do a few mins on my rotator cuff.
Then I train balls out, and then do some static streches at the end of my workout. Streches are mainly for hammys, glutes, groin ect......
I never static strech like leechy before I train.

 

[leachy]

After only, dynamic stretching..

Never static stretch before..

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2D5kh4X5Og]YouTube - dynamic stretching[/ame]

Something like this?

PS. Checkout the hottie doing squats behind him.

 

[leachy]

I do some empty bar work to warm up and get my joint working. On bench I also use a thera band and do a few mins on my rotator cuff.
Then I train balls out, and then do some static streches at the end of my workout. Streches are mainly for hammys, glutes, groin ect......
I never static strech like leechy before I train.

I get the feeling not many people static stretch before training, why is this?

I played sport when I was younger and we ALWAYS stretched before training and a game, be it basketball or footy, athletics...

 

[MikeW]

No stretching at all. I warm up with light weights probably over extending the full ROM as much as possible, that's it. If I'm not going to work more than that then I don't stretch more than that. I want my muscles as tight as possible.

Sometimes, like now, my shoulders feel a little sore, so I raise my arms and stretch them a bit, but that's it.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[ebagz]

I warmup 5-10 min on the bike

2-3 warm up sets starting with the bar and increasing to around 60% max

stretch before working sets.

thats all I do.

 

[Christian]

You don't stretch before liftin because . Think of your muscle like a rubber band.. Stretch the fuck out of it loses its power/force.

 

[PTC]

Since Max was 6 and started playing sport, I have had to instruct his coaches that Max is never to stretch, ever.

Kevin Bartlett played 402 AFL games, couldnt touch his toes, never did a hammy.

Andy has got this right.

Dr Mauro Di Pasquale has an interesting article on why stretching is a bad idea, before, during and after training.

Any stretching before training, that is outside the exercise ROM can create micro tears and loose joints

Stretching does not reduce soreness.

Empty bar exercises should be your warm up, no need to go beyond the ROM.

For the record, Max has played around 600 games of soccer, basketball and cricket without a single soft tissue injury, ever. He has never pulled a muscle in the gym either.

He cant touch his toes. Either can his dad. Or his brother.

 

[PTC]

I should add, creating micro tears before exercise, then lifting heavy weights...do the math

 

[Stevo82]

Everytime I haven't stretched I have pulled a muscle (2 times), I ride to the gym which gets my core up, then some light static body stretch. At the power rack I set the bar for grion height then hurdle over it a (1 leg at a time) for a few reps, then drop the bar down and squat down and go sideways under it for a few reps. Seems to work for me anyway.

 

[Daniel.308]

What if you have issues squatting deep due to poor flexibility of hip flexors and glutes?

If I don't stretch before squats my squats turn to goodmornings in no time...

I'm confused...

 

[Rugby88]

Never stretch before I train - but I do a fair bit of lower body hamstring stretching/lower back stretching + alot of band work for lower back - purely due to my injury.

 

[MikeW]

I'm with you 100% on this one Markos. My bench warmup is obviously just down to the chest and all the way up so can't over extend that one. Squats I load 60kg and make sure I go all the way down into the hole and out again for about 5 reps. Deads I also start light with 60 odd and make sure I do full lockout at the top and maybe over accentuate the shoulders back a touch. I'll watch that.

I just want to make sure, that when doing squats for example, that if I fail and have to drop all the way back down into the hole and roll the bar back to the safety bars, that I'm not experiencing that range of motion for the first time that night with that max weight on my shoulders. I train without a coach or training partner or spot, so its all by myself.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[PTC]

I'm not saying one way is right or wrong, as there are 2 sides, they each defend their own way

I'm just sayin, thats all

I've always questioned why anyone would ever need to have a ROM greater than the task you are to perform it over.

Nathan Buckley comes to mind. True pro, stretched and did everything by the book.

His super flexible hammies ended his career early.

 

[leachy]

What about the rest of the professional athletes who stretch before games, who are advised by top exercise coaches with degrees in sport and human movement. Are they getting it wrong?


I suppose at the end of the day it is a personal preference!

 

[ebagz]

I do some empty bar work to warm up and get my joint working. On bench I also use a thera band and do a few mins on my rotator cuff.
Then I train balls out, and then do some static streches at the end of my workout. Streches are mainly for hammys, glutes, groin ect......
I never static strech like leechy before I train.

You get your balls out when you train??? hahaha jst kidding