I just saw this
on the internet. This goes counter to what we were taught since I can remember.
Has anyone seen this in respected medical journal?
It hardly qualifies as news. Here is an 8 year old study with the same conclusions.
And here a few years ago the CDC agree.
In my karate class we always do a physical warmup (jogging, jumping jacks) before stretching, and we also stretch periodically during the excercises. Not that my karate instructors are the world’s leading authority, but they say to increase flexibility you should stretch out thoroughly after excercise, because everything is much more warmed up.
Also, you’re not supposed to “bounce” as you stretch, that causes injuries. Hold steady and breathe.
The problem with light cycling is running into those pesky walls.
Yeah, but that’s just another thing people say because it sounds right. Did your karate instructor spend a year bouncing when he stretched and found that he was injured more often, or is he just passing on more unconfirmed “advice”.
Why not bounce? It’s a controlled bounce – it’s not like you’re flinging your arm as far back as it will go, trying to rip it from the socket. It’s stretching a little further than you can otherwise stretch. It’s a little more active.
I say, “if you’re gonna stretch, bounce!!” Someone prove to me that’s bad advice.
I’ve always thought stretching was a waste of time. I ran a marathon one year and didn’t stretch once.
My physiotherapist wants me to stretch before every workout, BUT my muscles (entire body actually) have to be warmed up before I do. Otherwise, I’m just going to pull something. Then, post-workout stretching when the muslces are nice and warm.
Even the study 8 years ago that don’t ask links to says: “He does though advise that people stretch muscles which are tight and could restrict movement.”
You don’t want to ballistically stretch a muscle to its limits unless it’s warmed up and the elasticity is good. Eg/ Martial arts kicks are brutal on the hams if you haven’t warmed up the muslces and stretched to be sure that they’re ready to go.
Again the gentle warm up is the more important part.
I usually walk “briskly” to the gym or cycle easy to get there. That’s usually enough of a warm up for me.
One of my blackbelts was also a physiotherapist who specialized in sports medecine. “Bouncing” is actually okay, IHHO… however he stressed that you are supposed to do it only within a gentle, free range of motion. You shouldn’t be bouncing at the limits of your muslce’s stretch and he advises against trying to “go further” with every bounce.
That’s where I got the term “ballistically stretching” from. He used to remind us that during warm up stretches, if you’re going to bounce, no “ballistic stretching” just let your muslces warm up in a natural, easy, non-restrictive range of motion.
He suggested using “bouncing” only as a gentle warm-up technique to get the blood flowing into the muscles and get them feeling nice and elastic etc.
“Ballistic” is something that really stuck with me.
Actually, they didn’t “always say it because its sounds right.” Until relatively recently bouncing was encouraged.
“In Ballistic stretching, there is more chance of rupture”
http://blue.utb.edu/mbailey/handouts/stretching.htm
“stretch slowly, without bouncing”
“Many physicians and exercise physiologists agree that rigorous bouncing, an early incarnation of the stretching and flexibility trend that took root in the 1970’s, is not the way to go. Most experts say the bouncing, or ballistic stretching, is more likely to cause injury than other forms of it.”
NYTimes April 24, 2004
Pretty much anyone who has a thing to say about stretching says that ballistic stertching is not helpful and probably harmful.
It is possible to be too flexible. I am hyperflexible in my wrists and this is means that I am prone to injury in that area. But in most area of my body I am “tight” and have limited range of motion. (I cannot come near to touching my toes on most days, and putting my heel on a 1ft ledge hurts) I desire to be more flexible in order to have a greater comfortable range of motion. Ergo, stretching is not a waste of time for me (you cannot get more flexible by just wishing it, I think you’ll agree).
A review of the literature suggests, among many other things
- Injury prevention from stretching is questionable, although a lack of flexibility is associated with some types of injury
- Stretching does increase range of motion and probably improve performance for sports that require an increased range of motion (e.g. swimming), possibly reduces performance for sports that don’t (e.g. running)
- “Concerns about connective tissue trauma have caused the practice of ballistic stretching to fall from favor.”
www.wmich.edu/hper_esp/files/MSSE stretching.pdf
I’ve been trying to incorporate #2 of your list into my thinking on exercise for cycling and running. Do you have a cite or other information that discusses this?
On page 373 of the already-cited article it states:
“Increased flexibility decreases running economy (15,27) and peak performance (77), but these findings are not consistent (28,58,70).”
The numbers are citations to their list of referenced studies and articles, totalling 98 in all.
Thanks for that - I’ll make sure to look it up.
I saw a study on this lasy year done in Australia. They took half the army recruits and stretched before working out. Other half did not. Results…no difference.