Stretching surprisingly is a major controversy in the fitness world. Some people will tell you to stretch before you go on a run while others say you never should. Who is right?
Technically, both are correct, but it is very important to know how to incorporate your stretching routine into your program.
First lets look at why you SHOULD NOT stretch before you workout. Very simply, think about why you stretch in the first place. Most people will say to prevent injury, but this isn't really the case. Essentially, when you stretch you are relaxing your muscle. As the muscle is stretched out, it will send an impulse to the brain and tell it become inhibited and relax so you can pull it into a further range of motion. Once you hold a static stretch for around 20-30 seconds this neurological impulse occurs. You have probably felt this before. Try holding a static stretch for 30 seconds. After that time you will notice your muscle will relax and you will be able to reach further into the stretch. For roughly an hour after a stretch you have deadened this muscle. This is not the ideal situtation for exercise and performance. Research is showing that static stretching before exercise, like running, does not decrease the risk of injury and may actually increase the risk.
There is also much evidence that by stretching before a run you will decrease power and running economy. If you look at elite runners, it looks like they bounce from stride to stride. They are actually using the elastic property of muscles and tendons to save energy. This will allow them to run faster without using as much energy. If we stretch you loose this bounce from the muscles and tendons.
If you are going to perform static stretching before a run you only need to stretch overactive muscles that you do not want to become even tighter during the run. I think one easy example to see with running are the upper trapezius. This is the muscle that will allow you to shrug. As people get tired during a run you will often see their shoulders start to creep up towards their ears. This is not good running form and is a waste of energy. If we static stretch the traps before the run, however, we may be able to prevent this. Below is an example of a trap stretch.
So if you shouldn't static stretch before a run, what should you do? We obviously do not want to just hit the run without warming up at all. So instead we perform a series of dynamic stretches. These are move movements that will prepare the joints and muscles for the exercise. This has been shown to be a much more beneficial warm up that static stretches. Below are a few sample dynamic flexibility exercises you can incorporate before a run.
Hip Flexor/Hamstring Stretch
Thoracic Spine Rotation
Lateral Leg Swings
Leg Swings
Active Hip Flexor Stretch
Balance To Reach
The World's Greatest Stretch
It is however always a good idea to static stretch after a run or a workout. We want to make sure we return our muscles to a lengthened position after a workout that might have tightened them. It is not necessary to stretch every muscle. Focus on the ones that cause the greatest problem. If you have a guitar that is out of tune do you need to adjust every string? Most likely you only have a few strings that need to be adjusted. Our bodies are the same way. If you don't have a tightness problem you don't need to work on flexibility as much there.
While this is a very quick summary of flexibility and stretching I think it at least will give you an idea of a few concepts and what you should and should not be doing. Flexibility is actually a very complicated concept and we are still learning more and more about the best ways to utilize it. With time we will gain a better understanding of everything.
You Stay Healthy San Diego!
Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training
My Workout Creator
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