Pre-Exercise Stretching Is Killing Your Workout - GoFuckYourself.com

BFT3K · 10-10-2010, 01:50 PM

Seems that most everything your high school gym teacher told you is wrong. Well, at least when it comes to all that start-of-the-class stretching.

A recent spate of studies shows that when it comes to warming up before exercising, phys ed instructors didn't do us any favors by having us to go through a series of calf extensions, hurdler's stretches and the like.

Story here...

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/pre...ry?id=11835944

PornMD · 10-10-2010, 02:20 PM

I agree with the very first comment on it:

"The study does not look at all at the effects on tendons - where the muscles attach to bones - which is where the major problems occur that runners suffer. I had one Achilles tendon surgically repaired and the other slowly healed on it own. To this day, if I do NOT stretch, I get tendonitis in that self-healed tendon. Additionally, most people do NOT stretch correctly. You should take a slow jog first. When I coached high school track, cross country, or softball athletes (up to 2002) I had them run SLOWLY over a half mile. If they ran too fast, they were made to do it again. THEN, with the muscles relaxed, slow, static stretches are done. You do not FORCE your body to stretch, you simply go as far as the body wants you to go in a relaxed manner and hold it for at least 15 seconds. I once taught my cross country kids the first steps of Tai Chi (which I had learned on a trip to China that summer) and began stretches with that, but the kids rebelled saying the other teams thought they were weird! If you travel through China, you see the Chinese doing Tai Chi and similar exercises every morning. Even on Yangtze River Cruise, as we did our pre-breakfast exercises on the deck of our ship we passed small towns where hundreds of people in many groups had gathered alongside the river to do their exercises. Most Chinese don't make a lot of money and the exercises are part of their PREVENTIVE medicine. Stretching does the same for us. Yes, there may be microtears in some muscles, but they heal quickly and prevent accumulations of slow-healing microtears in the tendons. And the idea that it requires 5% more energy to do the same exercise than without a warmup is ridiculous - that much muscle damage would require a medical visit. More research needs to be done."

Ethersync · 10-10-2010, 02:26 PM

Yeah, interesting stuff. There are also studies out that show you are more likely to get injured if you stretch before working out.

Phoenix · 10-10-2010, 02:35 PM

wow....there has to be thought on both side of that...going out cold is never good...but i agree with the basic premise that over stretching will eat into your workout/basketball game/ run etc
eh...i just hope not to get injured each time i go out there

Hentaikid · 10-10-2010, 03:28 PM

I read something about that before. In my experience I gave up leg stretches because my hip joints complained, but I still like to keep flexibility, be able to touch my toes etc I do wait until I've warmed up a good bit before stretching though, and do it gently. Stretches are undoubtedly good for RSI prevention/control

Brad Mitchell · 10-10-2010, 05:12 PM

My trainer has been saying the same thing.

MaDalton · 10-10-2010, 05:16 PM

i dunno - but i am pretty sure (from experience) that it's not a good idea to go from 0 to 100 with cold muscles

Robbie · 10-10-2010, 05:46 PM

You're supposed to WARM the muscles first. A few minutes of cardio.

THEN you stretch them a little bit once they are warmed up.

Then you hit the weights.

Or...if you are like me...you are short on time and you run into the gym. Hit the heavy weight on the particular body part you're working that day and then you're out of there in about 45 minutes with no cardio or stretching. heh-heh

pornmasta · 10-10-2010, 05:49 PM

warming and stretching are 2 differents things

dyna mo · 10-10-2010, 06:14 PM

i warm up with light sets, no stretching on training days but i do have a stretch only day.

SomeCreep · 10-10-2010, 06:19 PM

I stretch for at least 15 minutes before I start exercising. Works for me.

dyna mo · 10-10-2010, 06:24 PM

if you are exercising to lose weight, stretching makes sense, according to the article:

The researchers found that when the runners stretched before the workout, they burned, on average, 5 percent more calories during the run than when they didn't stretch.

10-10-2010, 01:50 PM	#1
BFT3K Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Narnia Posts: 10,764	Pre-Exercise Stretching Is Killing Your Workout Seems that most everything your high school gym teacher told you is wrong. Well, at least when it comes to all that start-of-the-class stretching. A recent spate of studies shows that when it comes to warming up before exercising, phys ed instructors didn't do us any favors by having us to go through a series of calf extensions, hurdler's stretches and the like. Story here... http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/pre...ry?id=11835944

10-10-2010, 02:20 PM	#2
PornMD Mainstream Businessman Industry Role: Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: San Diego Posts: 9,291	I agree with the very first comment on it: "The study does not look at all at the effects on tendons - where the muscles attach to bones - which is where the major problems occur that runners suffer. I had one Achilles tendon surgically repaired and the other slowly healed on it own. To this day, if I do NOT stretch, I get tendonitis in that self-healed tendon. Additionally, most people do NOT stretch correctly. You should take a slow jog first. When I coached high school track, cross country, or softball athletes (up to 2002) I had them run SLOWLY over a half mile. If they ran too fast, they were made to do it again. THEN, with the muscles relaxed, slow, static stretches are done. You do not FORCE your body to stretch, you simply go as far as the body wants you to go in a relaxed manner and hold it for at least 15 seconds. I once taught my cross country kids the first steps of Tai Chi (which I had learned on a trip to China that summer) and began stretches with that, but the kids rebelled saying the other teams thought they were weird! If you travel through China, you see the Chinese doing Tai Chi and similar exercises every morning. Even on Yangtze River Cruise, as we did our pre-breakfast exercises on the deck of our ship we passed small towns where hundreds of people in many groups had gathered alongside the river to do their exercises. Most Chinese don't make a lot of money and the exercises are part of their PREVENTIVE medicine. Stretching does the same for us. Yes, there may be microtears in some muscles, but they heal quickly and prevent accumulations of slow-healing microtears in the tendons. And the idea that it requires 5% more energy to do the same exercise than without a warmup is ridiculous - that much muscle damage would require a medical visit. More research needs to be done." __________________ Want to crush it in mainstream with Facebook ads? Hit me up.

10-10-2010, 02:26 PM	#3
Ethersync Confirmed User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: London, Saint-Tropez, Bermuda, Moscow Posts: 5,289	Yeah, interesting stuff. There are also studies out that show you are more likely to get injured if you stretch before working out. __________________ The best ePassporte replacement I have found: OKPAY

10-10-2010, 02:35 PM	#4
Phoenix BACON BACON BACON Industry Role: Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Poems everybody, the laddie fancies himself a poet Posts: 35,457	wow....there has to be thought on both side of that...going out cold is never good...but i agree with the basic premise that over stretching will eat into your workout/basketball game/ run etc eh...i just hope not to get injured each time i go out there __________________ Skype Phoenixskype1 Telegram PhoenixBrad https://quantads.io

10-10-2010, 05:12 PM	#6
Brad Mitchell Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Southfield, MI Posts: 9,811	My trainer has been saying the same thing. __________________ President at MojoHost \| brad at mojohost dot com \| Skype MojoHostBrad 71 industry awards for hosting and professional excellence since 1999

10-10-2010, 03:28 PM	#5
Hentaikid Confirmed User Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 1,249	I read something about that before. In my experience I gave up leg stretches because my hip joints complained, but I still like to keep flexibility, be able to touch my toes etc I do wait until I've warmed up a good bit before stretching though, and do it gently. Stretches are undoubtedly good for RSI prevention/control

10-10-2010, 05:16 PM	#7
MaDalton I am Amazing Content! Industry Role: Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 39,826	i dunno - but i am pretty sure (from experience) that it's not a good idea to go from 0 to 100 with cold muscles __________________ AmazingContent.com - providing only the best content and service since 2003 Monetize your content on Veegaz.com - one of Germanies largest VOD sites Got German traffic? We convert it into money for you! Skype: madalton02826 - Email: oltecconsult [at] gmail [dot] com

10-10-2010, 05:46 PM	#8
Robbie Leaner, Meaner, Faster Industry Role: Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Vegas Posts: 20,958	You're supposed to WARM the muscles first. A few minutes of cardio. THEN you stretch them a little bit once they are warmed up. Then you hit the weights. Or...if you are like me...you are short on time and you run into the gym. Hit the heavy weight on the particular body part you're working that day and then you're out of there in about 45 minutes with no cardio or stretching. heh-heh __________________ -Robbie ClaudiaMarie.Com

10-10-2010, 05:49 PM	#9
pornmasta Too lazy to set a custom title Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 18,959	warming and stretching are 2 differents things

10-10-2010, 06:14 PM	#10
dyna mo The People's Post Industry Role: Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: invisible 7-11 Posts: 63,914	i warm up with light sets, no stretching on training days but i do have a stretch only day.

10-10-2010, 06:19 PM	#11
SomeCreep :glugglug Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Where the Wild Things Are Posts: 26,118	I stretch for at least 15 minutes before I start exercising. Works for me. __________________ Webair Hosting I use and recommend Webair for hosting.

10-10-2010, 06:24 PM	#12
dyna mo The People's Post Industry Role: Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: invisible 7-11 Posts: 63,914	if you are exercising to lose weight, stretching makes sense, according to the article: The researchers found that when the runners stretched before the workout, they burned, on average, 5 percent more calories during the run than when they didn't stretch.