Stretching.

Barefoot Gentile

Barefooters
Apr 5, 2010
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What is your views on stretching? Personally I don't believe stretching has any benefits in athletics. I never stretched playing sports in high school and college, and never had a injury.

When I hurt my IT band a few months ago I started to do alot of stretching exercises, because that's what everyone told me to do. What happened was I felt my body being weaker and something just felt off, I was feeling very gimpy and to loose, that spring I had was gone.

I stopped stretching and went back to what really works for me, strength exercising and now feel stronger and more tight as a runner.



Then I came across this blog entry:



http://www.scienceofrunning.com/search/label/stretching
 
I don't stretch before a run;

I don't stretch before a run; sometimes, I stretch a little after a run. I understand if you don't stretch AFTER a run, you are losing some of the benefits of the run.


NakedSoleNate wrote an excellent article titled Why I Do Not Stretch Before Running. Check it out here: www.barefootrunners.org/build2/story/why-i-do-not-stretch-running
 
I actually stretch after a

I actually stretch after a run, and usually walk about a half mile after a run before stretching. I forget the reasoning why, I remember reading an article on it when I first starting running 16yrs ago. It had something to do with the blood flow in the muscles, and not abruptly stopping would decrease chances of leg cramps along with stretching after a run? I am not sure, but it works for me though. I have been told also that not stretching before a run could cause me to land more forefoot than midfoot on either side from calve stiffness? I am not sure about all of that, haven't tried it?
 
 My views are pretty plain

My views are pretty plain :)...and Barefoot TJ beat me to the punch of posting the link :-D
 
I learned pretty quickly not

I learned pretty quickly not to stretch before a run. For a long time I stretched after running. Then I stopped stretching thinking it didn't do much. Then I got hurt and went back to stretching :)

It may have a lot to do with personal flexibility, maybe some people need to stretch more than other.

Last week I had a calf that was feeling really tight, like it was going to cramp. I stopped by the house (to drop off the dog and put more ice in my water bottle) stretched the calf well and took off again. It felt much better after the stretch. I don't routinely stretch during a run, but if I feel the need, I go with it.
 
 i've spent time with olympic

i've spent time with olympic running coaches and they all said do not stretch before running unless it is dynamic, meaning you use movements to stretch the muscles. they referenced a rubber band. a stretched rubber band will just bounce back to it's natural state. heat that band up and it will stretch and stay but still have elastic properties. it made sense so i've used it and feel it benefits me.

i might not be able to do a split and lay my head on the floor anymore like i could when i was younger and stretched all the time but my muscles do not ever feel tight with the dynamic method so i'm flexible but just in a natural way i guess. i do like to do static stretching after a run just to help force the muscles from tightening up too fast which would make me tight after a run or workout.

i always thought stretching was boring and did not like doing it. i was so happy to have dynamic flexibility introduced to me all those years ago as it made sense and it's not as boring :)
 
 Besides the fact that I'm a

Besides the fact that I'm a yogi...the real reason I love static stretching is that it teaches me how to relax at a very deep physical level, to let go, and surrender....it's a level of relaxation that I am also learning to be able to do while actually engaging muscles, like in running...(and of course, in the other half of my career of Martial Arts, staying relaxed increases my efficiency and speed)...staying relaxed while running helps me feel like I can go forever.

And, oh, yeah, if I'm more flexible, I'm less likely to get submitted in grappling, and I can get my legs into all sorts of advantageous positions :-D.
 
Back in high school, we

Back in high school, we always stretched before working out. When I started running again as an adult, I never really stretched, unless it was while laying on the bed waiting for dinner to settle before running. Now that I train much harder, I never stretch before a run, and rareley stretch after a run. I am a strong believer in a proper warm up and cool down though. For a typical workout it usually takes me a half mile or more to warm up. I've found that for shorter races like 5 and 10k's, I need to be sweating and breathing a little hard for best performance. I used to think that warming up too hard would sap all my race energy. Now I know its the opposite. It takes a good hard warm up to get my heart rate up and ready for a fast start.

For a cool down i usually walk until my heart rate comes back down to near normal, then a light easy run(don't EVER say the "j" word!) for a quarter or half mile. I've been injury free for 3 years, so I've found what works for me.