Stretching The Truth
By
Woody Green
of
RUNNERS NICHE
Most everyone involved in exercise in any way has been preached to
about the benefits of stretching. We have all heard how important it is
to maintain and / or improve flexibility. Stretching is useful for
injury prevention and performance enhancement. It can, however, be
disadvantageous if used improperly.
Never stretch vigorously when your muscles are cold. Always do some
light form of exercise to get blood flowing to the muscles before
stretching. That is why coaches advise that the best time to stretch is
after a workout. At the very least, jog or walk a bit to warm the
muscles up before stretching, and never consider stretching first thing
in the morning right out of bed.
Anecdotal evidence and scientific studies alike indicate that
stretching cold muscles does more harm than good. At worst it is
possible to injure yourself by stretching cold muscles, and at best you
can do little to increase the flexibility of a cold muscle. Think of
your muscles as being like a piece of taffy. Warm taffy stretches as
far as you can pull it, but when cold, it can break into pieces in your
hands.
Another time that you have to be careful with stretching is when you
have a sore or injured muscle. It seems logical that stretching would
help a sore muscle to feel better, and sometimes this works. Muscles
can be sore because of tightness, and carefully stretching can help to
relieve this kind of soreness. Stretching, however, might aggravate a
torn muscle. You can delay healing or even make an injury worse by
aggressively stretching. The best thing to do in these cases is very
easy, controlled stretching. Don't push it at all and back off
completely if you feel discomfort.
Just like any other kind of exercise, don't overdo it. If you haven't
been stretching, don't start off by stretching for a half-hour. Ease
into it. Also, don't try to push yourself too hard. Your muscles will
respond well to gentle, even stretching. Don't try to force your
muscles to stretch farther than they want to. Also, don't use jerky
motions that will actually cause your muscles to shorten in a defensive
manner.
Used correctly, stretching can be a great aid to your running. Just
remember to use it wisely.
