Stretching is fantastic for you, and you should do it often!<\/p>\n
Well that was easy.<\/p>\n
Wait. . .\u00a0 Yeah, I guess that, just like everything else in the health and fitness world, it’s not that easy.<\/p>\n
So let’s start with how stretching works.\u00a0 We’re going to split this up–\u00a0 For the science, read this paragraph;\u00a0 If science isn’t your thing, skip this paragraph.\u00a0 That being said:\u00a0 Stretching can be easily defined as improving the extensibility of a muscle by moving it through it’s full range of motion.\u00a0 There are different types of stretching, but for this, we’re going to mostly refer to static stretching, which is holding a stretch for 30 seconds or more.\u00a0 There is a neuromuscular response in the body known as “Autogenic Inhibition” that is used to increase the extensibility of muscles.\u00a0 Without getting too involved:\u00a0 In your muscles, you have muscle spindles that sense the length and speed at which a muscle is lengthened;\u00a0 In the tendons that attach muscles to bones, you have “Golgi Tendon Organs” (GTOs) that sense the tension and rate of tension.\u00a0 Autogenic Inhibition is where the tension experienced by the GTO overrides the impulse causing the muscle to contract;\u00a0 Thus, it forces the muscle spindle to relax, allowing you to increase the extensibility of the muscle.\u00a0 In order for you to benefit from Autogenic Inhibition, the stretch must be held for 30 seconds;\u00a0 That ensures your muscle spindles have relaxed.\u00a0 There’s more to all of this, but this is a very brief overview of how stretching works.<\/p>\n
So, to recap, to gain the benefits of static stretching, you should hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds for it to work–\u00a0 Less time and you may feel better, but you’re not doing much to increase flexibility.\u00a0 So what are the benefits to static stretching?\u00a0 Stretching, and Flexibility Training can:<\/p>\n
From my own experience, I only ever stretched in between sets, and would hold the stretches for about 10 seconds or less.\u00a0 (I now know that this was actually getting in the way of my goals;\u00a0 More on that later.)\u00a0 I was not flexible at all–\u00a0 Who am I kidding, I’m still not flexible, but ever since I’ve incorporated flexibility training into my exercises, I have experienced less soreness after exercise, increased flexibility, and increased range of motion.\u00a0 Alissa has also benefited from the flexibility training and is now going ATG on squats.\u00a0 So from experience, I can tell you that even 3 weeks of flexibility training can make a huge difference.<\/p>\n
Now, there are many people that say that stretching before working out for you is bad.<\/p>\n
. . .\u00a0 And they’re mostly right.\u00a0 Studies have found that static stretching before activity may decrease strength and power for up to 10 minutes after the stretching, but there is little evidence that it has any impact on overall general performance. So when should you stretch?<\/p>\n
If you’re engaging in maximal effort exercises or activities (Powerlifting, Heavy Lifting, Sprinting, Competitive Sports, etc.), it’s recommended that you either don’t stretch, or you do active \/ dynamic stretching only as part of your preworkout warmup.\u00a0 If you’re engaging in any other sort of activity, static stretching prior to workout is still recommended, especially if you have particular muscle imbalances.\u00a0 (Of course, don’t stretch during your workout, as this will further reduce strength and power output.)\u00a0 After your workout, at a minimum you should be stretching the muscles you stretched preworkout, and it’s also recommended that you stretch muscles that were worked during your workout.<\/p>\n
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Clark, Michael.\u00a0 NASM essentials of personal fitness training.<\/em>\u00a0 4th ed.\u00a0 Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2012; 154-56<\/p>\n Fowles JR, Sale DG, MacDougall JD.\u00a0 Reduced strength after passive stretch of the human plantarflexors.\u00a0 J Apply Physiol<\/em> 2000;89:1179-88<\/p>\n Knudson D, Noffal G.\u00a0 Time course of stretch-induced isometric strength deficits.\u00a0 Eur J Appl Physiol<\/em> 2005;94:348-51<\/p>\n Dr. Yessis, Michael. Build a Better Athlete. Ultimate Athlete Concepts.<\/em> 2006<\/p>\n Alter MJ.\u00a0 Science of Flexibility, 2nd ed.\u00a0 Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1996.<\/p>\n