It’s inevitable – go to any starting line, fitness class or gym and you’ll find people in various stages of stretching. Almost always, people are stretching before their exercise. It’s what we were all taught by our elementary P.E. teachers, right? You gotta warm up those muscles so you don’t pull something!
While my elementary school teachers taught me many important and useful things (one particular lesson that has stood the test of time in my memory was Mr. B telling us 5th graders to always run the water in the sink for a good 10 seconds after running the garbage disposal. “Save you a ton on plumbing costs!” he promised. I don’t know if he’s right – any plumbers out there? – but to this day I still do it!) it turns out they were wrong about stretching.
My first real experience with stretching beyond the rudimentary toe touches and arm swings we did before standing in line to bat once in an hour was in gymnastics. Stretching, in that sport, is more of a commandment than a suggestion. The first thing our coaches would tell us when we popped out on the floor was, “Go stretch out.” In fact, we were encouraged to get to the gym early so we could devote more time to holding our various splits and backbends before joining in the coach-led stretch outs that often involved – no joke – them standing on our backs or pushing us to deepen the stretch. Even if you were injured or sick, you stretched. I became so indoctrinated in the art stretching out that I’d sit in the middle splits while doing homework or balance a leg on a stair to hyperextend a split while talking on the phone to my friends (which I did for approximately 28 hours a day).
I was reminded of this when Reader Janet e-mailed me:
“I had a question I wanted to throw at you.. I started running about a month ago with the Couch to 5k program. I joined a community forum with others involved in the program. Recently there has been a lot of back and forth about the merits of stretching before running and there is a clear divide on opinion. Yesterday someone even provided research on why it’s bad. Although this goes against everything I was taught in school about working out. I thought you should always stretch. What’s your thought?”
Take a gander at any running board and you’ll see Janet’s not the only one who is confused. We were all taught growing up to stretch first, then workout. Even today all of my fitness classes start out with some basic stretches. Research has proven that this is not only unnecessary but actually harmful.
The NY Times ran an article in 2008 that summarizes the latest research about stretching. If you want the short version: Don’t do it or you’ll diiiiieeeee! I exaggerate. But really, they don’t want you do it. Stretching after your workout? Knock yourself out. Before? Don’t.
The first problem with stretching before your workout is that it decreases muscle strength. A study out of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas says, “athletes generated less force from their leg muscles after static stretching than they did after not stretching at all.” About 30% less, apparently. And the effect lasts: “The straining muscle becomes less responsive and stays weakened for up to 30 minutes after stretching, which is not how an athlete wants to begin a workout.” In addition, stretching pre-sweat can lead to a great incidence of injury.
The confusion seems to come from the need to warm up. Our bodies do do better if you warm up your muscles – defined as working out at about 40% of your max heart rate for 5 to 10 minutes. A good warm up can help you lift heavier, increase endurance and run faster. It also reduces your risk of injury.
A good warm-up is anything that slowly elevates your heart rate. The number one mistake people make, according to researchers, is warming up too intensely or too quickly. It doesn’t work to shock your body by running at just under pace for 1 minute before hitting your workout. I have no research to back this up but I have noticed for myself that when I warm up too quickly or skip it I get side stitches. So jog – slowly! – a few laps, jump on the elliptical for 10 minutes or take a leisurely bike ride before plunging into your planned sweat fest.
And whatever you do, don’t stretch! Save your stretching for after your workout, preferably immediately after while your muscles are still limber. There are lots of benefits to stretching out. Not only does it increase your range of motion and loosen up tight muscles (although, sadly, research says it does not help prevent soreness) but it just feels good! Nothing like a good Updog after doing ab work!
So now that you know when to stretch, what’s the best way to stretch? As far as positions, I think you should just do a range of stretches that hit most of your major muscle groups (i.e. legs, arms, back, core). It’s more important how you stretch than which exact stretches you use. While there are as many methods of stretching as there are athletes (and scientists), here a few points to keep in mind:
– Don’t use stretching aids (even other people). I don’t use any aids except my own body weight to facilitate the stretch. The days of having someone stand on my back were over once I realized that being able to pop my right hip in and out of joint at will is actually not a skill but a problem. You are the only person who knows when a stretch goes from feeling good to tearing pain so it doesn’t make sense to have someone else pull or push you. There are a lot of people who will disagree with me on this point – there is a whole type of exercise called “resisted stretching” that is based on the principle of having someone else stretch you while you push back – and I hope you guys will share your thoughts in the comments. But, for me, it’s too risky.
– Go slowly. Especially right after an intense workout, you’ll feel very loose and limber but be careful before dropping down into those splits. It’ll feel good… until you can’t get back up and then you’ll be paying for it for days later. And not just with your pride.
– Hold the stretch. Don’t bounce – your ligaments are not rubberbands. The longer you can hold the stretch (I aim for at least 3-5 slow breaths in each position) the more effective it will be. Don’t hold it at the point of pain though, just hold it deep enough to get a good stretch.
What did I miss? What’s your favorite stretching exercise? Anyone else ever get into the splits and not be able to get back out?
Someday this WILL be me.
GREAT POST! It is so common these days for multiple "experts" to tell us something different about the same thing! BUT, you are so right. DO NOT stretch before you exercise when your muscles are cold! Warm up is so different than stretching. YES, warm up on a pieces of cardio equipment, march in place or whatever you need to do but don't stretch a cold muscle! Can't you feel how tight a cold muscle is!!! 🙂
When I was younger, I was much more flexible. With age, it is amazing how the body changes even though I stretch like crazy (when warm!). I used to be able to do the splits with no prob.. now, I have to stretch for 10-15 minutes before I do them!!! Stretching & flexibility are so important BUT even more so with age as the connective tissues "don't work the same"!
Charlotte, thx so much for putting this forward. I mention it here & there in my posts but have not done a full on post like this. People can get injured stretching cold, at least in my opinion.
My fav stretch.. they all hurt these days!!! 🙂 I do them all even the splits!
Ok, I've read the research and always thought, "but I always stretched before dancing and it was always helpful!" But I was thinking about it now, and realized that a dance warmup (specifically a ballet warmup) often lasts anywhere from 30-60 minutes (depending on the class) and that the intense stretching really doesn't come until the very end of that. And only then because you know, if you're going to do jumps into the splits, you should probably make sure your muscles are ready for that range of motion.
But I have to admit that my favorite thing to do is still to stretch on the floor for an hour or so. I just love it.
(And hey – my teacher used to stand on us, too! But only when we'd reached a point where we were so flexible that we COULDN'T stretch ourselves anymore. Those were the days . . . ;D)
LOVE the granny picture!
I was also a gymnast, so it's been hard to break myself of the habit of stretching before exercising. Now I try doing leg kicks or something, though – feels like stretching, but isn't static – during my warm-up. Then I do the static stretches afterward.
Since my muscles are often a bit stiff even after working out, I've found that an effective technique is to do all my stretches for a few seconds, not pushing too hard and shaking it out in between, then returning to each stretch – the second time it's much easier to go deeper and hold them without too much pain.
I have to say my favorite stretches are the ones I'm really having to battle to get back – the splits and my back bend.
Oh, and yes – I have gotten into a split and gotten stuck! Hee hee.
You're teacher's absolutely right! Make sure you run the water after you use the garbage disposal! (Bet you thought I was talking about stretching 🙂 If you don't, the food only goes part way down the drain and can harden and block it. For example, I flushed old mac-n-cheese down the drain the day I left the country for a month. Suffice it to say, when I got home, I had a couple cups full of hardened macaroni in my pipes AND a $200 plumbing bill. Simply running the water for a little bit would have washed the macaroni down the pipe and saved me big bucks!!
Sorry, got no comments on stretching…just lots on plumbing :))
(OK, those pictures are SCARY!!!! Especially that first one.)
It's interesting; just today I was in a yoga teacher training workshop, and our trainer was talking about props, and that it's better to train clients without props first, and to use their own bodies. For many of the reasons you write about.
A dance teacher I know once fell off a balance beam during a meet and fell into a split. It was her first split, ever.
I have always wondered about the new age mantra of "you have to stretch after each set of exercises to build long, lean muscles" Can stretching really affect the size and shape of your muscles?
On high school swim team I got a kick out of watching all the elaborate pre-swim warm up stretching, lots of windmill arms and bouncing and flailing.
I heard this just recently, however it just doesn't work for me. If I don't do some light stretching before I workout several muscles in my legs begin to cramp. I have tried many things to avoid it but the stretching before the warm up is the only thing that helps. And I do stretch afterwards as well.
Ooo, ooo, Charlotte, what do you know about resistance stretching? I've been reading about it everywhere! It sounds awesome. I smell an experiment……
Good to know… I'll have to research some more but it makes sense. I was always lazy and almost never stretched much before a workout but warmed up slowly for the first few minutes… that worked for me.
Every once in a while I'd feel guilty and take the time to do it. Nowadays I've actually been trying to do it right and come to find out it was probably negatively affecting my workout… 🙂
May I meet you at the bus stop sign when we're 102 and commence stretching with ya?
Im tired.
Im discombob'd
Ive lottsa laundry to do
Im back from BlogHer
Im just saying hey 🙂
There are a lot of different types of stretching, as you mentioned. Some of the more intense/crazy ones like PNF stretching need a day or more recovery before you do them again?!
My view:
Static stretching is good after exercise, but not so much before. I use it to stretch particular areas that are stiff after a warm up and some active stretching. A good sprint or two after reduces the "30% less" thing as I understand it. (I also have a pet theory that not being able to go all-out means I'm less like to pull something at the start of a game.)
Just as you want to avoid people "helping" you stretch further, you should also be cautious about stretches where your own body weight might be too much. Standing pike stretch vs sitting etc.
Ballistic stretching is just bad.
Active stretching and mobility work are good before exercise.
And of course foam rolling is great recovery work.
This doc is hugely helpful:
http://www.cmcrossroads.com/bradapp/docs/rec/stretching/stretching_toc.html
Particularly this section on types of stretching:
http://www.cmcrossroads.com/bradapp/docs/rec/stretching/stretching_4.html#SEC28
Fortunately I did get the memo a number of years ago about stretching afterwards rather than before.
Unfortunately, I usually put the stretching off until "later" and then forget to do it!
I always stretch after working out…it just feels better.
I never stretch before a workout but always warm up.
When it comes to after workout stretches, I generally stretch alone except for 2 stretches for my hip that my trainer helps me with, which has helped my hip pain immensely. I found that stretching by myself was not working because I would stop before it actually got to the stretch I needed. 2 sessions of trainer assisted stretching at the end of my session has loosened my hip so much.
But I'm ALWAYS shocked at people stretching cold. To me it just makes sense to warm up first. Weird.
bjbella – We did an Experiment last year (the Ballerina Workout/Madonna Workout) where we tested that long-lean muscle hypothesis. Our verdict? The stretching after each muscle group felt good but we didn't notice a difference in our muscles.
McKenzie – I've been trying to swing a resisted stretching Experiment for quite sometime. (Ever since Dara Torres used it to launch her Olympics comeback!) However, the DVDs are expensive and no matter how much I beg, they so far haven't given me a "review" copy. Also, a lot of it seems to depend on a coach that already knows the stretches and thus far I haven't found anyone here to fit the bill. It's still on my list tho!
I tend to forget to stretch after a workout (although I got the memo about not stretching before a workout), so I'll try to alternate yoga with weights to keep everything balanced.
Good advice. Everyone seems to know that stretching is important, but no one seems to know the best way to go about it!
I completed my RYT (registered yoga teacher) for which I did yoga for 200 hours over three months.
Point is, there is a burn out.
Secondly, you can hyper flex or hyper extend parts of your body… and really hurt yourself.
Stretching is great for keeping youthful… but I dont feel everyone should prepare themselves for rolling into pretzels or knots.
When I first started running, I followed the middle/high school gym class advice to stretch first. It wasn't long before I switched to slow start warmups instead.
It's good to know that the extra knee twinges on stretching vs. warmup days weren't all in my head. Frees up more brain space for the rest of my crazy notions.
My serious stretching began with the martial arts. Was it perfect, no. Did it get the job done, probably. Most of us never consider the advantages of youth in adapting to errors. Eventually, stretching properly pays off. Nice post, Charlotte!
Updog? I just figured out downward dog. Argh! More to learn!
I, too, learned about this a while ago and stopped stretching before I warmed up.
But now I worry about yoga… I mean, the whole class is stretching with no warmup.
Like Miz (who a met for about a minute this weekend), I'm exhausted and nearly wordless.
Still I've learned to stretch after I workout. AND.. inspite of your "do not use aids" suggestion, I have learned that foam rolling is magical for me.
So maybe add that back into a stretching routing.
And hey!
Charlotte, what's that about popping your hip in and out? I think I can do that, too. Is it bad? It always happens when I do that hip stretch where you put your ankle on the top of your opposite thigh, then pull the thigh toward you. I can only go so far until I hear POP and then I can go farther. Weird.
Christin
It makes sense. Stretching with cold muscles is bad. At my gym, we had to run for 10 minutes before stretching, or we got yelled at.
And I was one of the lucky ones who was SUPER flexible, but I just remember my 300 lb coach standing on my 90 lb teammate who wasn't so blessed. Poor Ali!
Bad Joke TIme:
#1 {sniff, sniff} Smells like updog in here?
#2 What's "updog"?
#1 Not much, what's up with you, dog?
I simply had to lead with that. I am a dad, after all, and it's my right to tell bad jokes. It came with the territory and I'll happily embrace it.
Stretching, I remember seeing this in a news alert that came to my e-mail, but never had the chance to read the actual article. Thanks for the highlights.
For me, I have to do some stretching before I work out; I have a bad back and a knack for rolling ankles. Not that I go for broke when stretching, but if I don't do just a little bit, my upper back locks up and it's right back to the chiropractor. Other than some back twisting and twirling ankles, I'm not a big stretcher, even after working out. If I do an extreme amount of riding or elliptical, then I'm right with you. Otherwise I tend to go for the slow build of stretching through yoga. I love yoga, and it's been so much easier to maintain after dropping some weight. I'm getting to a point where I'm religious about yoga because of family history. My grandma was diagnosed with MS when she was in her 30's. She did yoga four-five times a week. The MS didn't really take over until she was in her mid- to late-60's; she was in a car accident and couldn't do the yoga anymore. Then the MS came on in full force. The only explanation anyone could come up with was that all the yoga was helping to keep it at bay. And once she couldn't do the yoga anymore and the MS came at her, it was just over six years before she died. That was last September. So, whether it helped keep it at bay or not is subject to debate; and as I haven't been diagnosed with anything of the like, I'd just assume do the yoga in hopes that it does the same for me, should something like that happen. And if nothing like that happens, I just get the other benefits that yoga has to offer.
I hear so many different things about strecthing. For me, I don't like to stretch cold muscles. I need to get them warmed up first.
My favorite stretch is Pigeon Pose – love those hip openers…and I'm dying to do the splits. Someday!
great post! I totally did it wrong today and it felt wrong. I think for me its hard to stretch at the end of the workout because of time. I always have something else that must be done. Sometimes all I get is a few shoulder shrugs in the shower- pathetic but I guess that's why I cant do the splits anymore. BTW_ Thanks for alwayts checking up on me- you're the best
This is great, Charlotte. I've been learning more about stretching recently (just yesterday I did some research). I found this very academic and sometimes obtuse article that explains static stretching before exercise is bad. Dynamic stretching is fine and it also helps to warm you up. Bouncing or ballistic stretching is always bad. Basically, Cranky is right on the money.
http://www.cmcrossroads.com/bradapp/docs/rec/stretching/stretching_4.html
I always use my own body as a guide – what feels good? And it feels good to stretch after a workout. It's sort of like a reward at the end, and it just feels! so! good!