Why is it that if you are not flexible and you stretch to touch your toes, it hurts. But if you get out of bed and stretch (you know, hands in the air) it feels good?
Danger: WAG.
When I stretch (toe touch) at track, my body is in a more stressful position. It’s hard on the back, the hamstrings, calves, gluts, etc. Stretching (like after sleeping), is more natural. You’re standing upright as you stretch the spine and neck, and you’re also not stretching these areas as much.
maybe it has something to do with good pain and bad pain. Like it feels good to be sore after you work out hard but when your tired it feels bad to touch your toes and pull your muscles more than they want to be worked
I found an online chat with an MD about the benefits of stretching. The relevant section for this question is here, I think:
Entire chat transcript may be found at http://onhealth.webmd.com/lifestyle/live/chat/archive/item%2C87358.asp
I think that what this says is that you shouldn’t push it too far. If it hurts to touch your toes, don’t try to touch your toes, just try to touch your knees. Or your shins, or whatever. Get a good stretch, but not something that feels painful. If you keep at it, you’ll become more flexible and eventually be able to touch your toes without pain.
This last paragraph was just my own WAG, of course.
My WAG:
Touching your toes is something you never do in ordinary life. All the muscles being stretched are being stretched to unusual configuarations. Just stretching your arms is something we do all the time – even with a desk job we are constantly moving our arms around in just about every way. Try getting out of bed and doing one of the “weirder” arm stretches, like clasping your hands behind your back and lifting up until your arms are straight up. Bet that won’t feel so hot!
I used to be into martial arts quite a bit (and could even do the chair splits).
My experience is that the body is more flexible under certain conditions. When you first wake up, you generally tend to be more relaxed and flexible. Likewise, the same goes after you’ve been exercising lightly or during warm weather. I generally tend to be the “tightest” after work, and when it’s cold.
Anyway, long answer short: you’re more relaxed when just getting up, so you don’t have to fight muscle tension when making a movement.
Don’t take this is as a sign that you can “do more” when you’re tight–this is your body’s way of warning you not to do that. Ease off a bit or do something to raise your metabolism a bit before coming back and stretching (jogging a lap or two, even sit-ups or crunches seem to work). I’ve pulled a muscle or two by ignoring that advice.
Semi-WAG (I’ve studied yoga a bit, and I’ve been doing karate & sword for six years, with lots of different stretches): Bending over to stretch your hamstrings compresses your body and forces it into itself. Stretching tall, like a cat that just woke up, expands your body. It’s like the difference between making a fist and opening your hand as wide as you can.
Bending over to touch your toes stretches the hamstrings, but if you have a tight back, you may not be able to bend too far. Stretching upwards does not stretch the hamstrings and a tight back will not inhibit that stretch. Stretching and reaching up stretches the spine, and may help loosen the back. I can’t touch my toes because of a tight back, not so much the hamstrings.
As noted previously, don’t stretch past the point of pain. Stretch to the point, but not beyond it. If you do successive stretches, each for 20-30 seconds, you will find that you will be able to stretch further w/o pain with each succeeding stretch.
I ususally stretch my hamstrings with my foot resting on a step and trying to touch my toes in that position. Of course, I can’t come close. But that’s a good hamstring stretch even if you don’t reach to touch your toes.