Training For First HM: Stretching Advice
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I don't stretch before a run and usually don't after. But I'm fairly flexible anyway and find it difficult to actually get into a stretch that stretches anything. So I guess I'm not really answering your question
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polskagirl01 wrote: »WickAndArtoo wrote: »This is why I don't stretch before running
https://philmaffetone.com/dangers-of-stretching/
Thank you for sharing that link! I read through it, I had no idea about all of that, but it explains why I have been hearing a lot of people mentioning not to do static stretches before a workout.
Very interesting. I had heard somewhere that static stretches BEFORE a run were "bad for distance runners", but a lot of what he's saying in the article is new to me. I am also probably wrong in what I've been classifying as a static stretch. Probably half of what I do is more like Pilates moves, but I log it all together as "mild stretching" and am sitting or laying down to do it instead of jumping around like a dynamic warm-up, so in my head I just lump it all together. Stretching (static, like the article is warning against) does feel good to me after a run, though... so it makes me wonder how it can be harmful... will need to do some more reading on this topic!
It looks like he is maybe only talking about before a run and then there are links to his recommendations otherwise? I haven't got around to clicking on his other info yet.
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This is why I don't stretch before running
https://philmaffetone.com/dangers-of-stretching/
If I may say so, this advice seems a bit dated.
Yes, coaches have moved from recommending that athletes do a bunch of static stretches before activity to recommending dynamic stretching before.
And, yes, I believe much of this came about because some studies showed that static stretches left muscles weak afterwards.
But I believe that, upon further review, the experts have concluded that "weaker" is something like less than 10 percent weaker and that "weaker" only lasts for a short, finite amount of time -- something like ~ 20 minutes, if memory serves.
Yes, I have heard researchers say: "I've read all the evidence, and I no longer stretch anymore. Not a whit." And that is because some studies have suggested that stretching before activity does not reduce the risk of injury.
But those studies were short-term. They tend to be of the type: Let's take two groups of people. We'll have half of them stretch before they got on their runs, for eight weeks, and we'll have half not stretch before runs, for eight weeks. Then, at the end of those eight weeks, we'll compare how many got injured.
Well, eight weeks is not a long period of time. It really does not tell you anything about whether being more flexible or limber prevents injuries. And, if it is really true, why do we recommend warming up at all?
Warming up loosens your muscles. I guarantee if you take 20-30 guys and have them sit still in a chair for two hours, then get up and immediately sprint 200 yards, a lot more of those guys will injure themselves than 20-30 guys who warmed up and loosened themselves up a bit first.
So, sure, static stretching is out and dynamic stretching is in, because we all need to warm up a bit before we start activity. That makes some common sense.
But let's not overstate the case.
Static stretching, over time, will make you more limber. Clearly. Yoga shows us that. If you practice you get better. And limber is good. I am convinced it is. I run. I play tennis. I played soccer until I was 50 years. And I got injured much less frequently than most of my compatriots. Heck, most of them did not last on the soccer pitch to 30 years.
I believe I lasted because I am rather religious about stretching and I practice yoga. I can bend over with straight legs and touch the floor. Yes, there are some yoga poses I do not do -- like those that seem to stretch your joints, not your muscles, like a lotus pose or a pigeon pose. But, for the most part, I have flexible muscles. And I have those because I stretch and have stretched for years. And I believe those flexible muscles allow me to do many things that other adults my age do not, and can not, and that stretching helps with my recovery after activity, and has made me much less prone to injury OVER THE LONG-TERM!1 -
WickAndArtoo wrote: »polskagirl01 wrote: »WickAndArtoo wrote: »This is why I don't stretch before running
https://philmaffetone.com/dangers-of-stretching/
Thank you for sharing that link! I read through it, I had no idea about all of that, but it explains why I have been hearing a lot of people mentioning not to do static stretches before a workout.
Very interesting. I had heard somewhere that static stretches BEFORE a run were "bad for distance runners", but a lot of what he's saying in the article is new to me. I am also probably wrong in what I've been classifying as a static stretch. Probably half of what I do is more like Pilates moves, but I log it all together as "mild stretching" and am sitting or laying down to do it instead of jumping around like a dynamic warm-up, so in my head I just lump it all together. Stretching (static, like the article is warning against) does feel good to me after a run, though... so it makes me wonder how it can be harmful... will need to do some more reading on this topic!
It looks like he is maybe only talking about before a run and then there are links to his recommendations otherwise? I haven't got around to clicking on his other info yet.
In the comments section, he clarifies he's talking about pre- and post- workout static stretching. https://philmaffetone.com/dangers-of-stretching/#comment-28712
Sounds like there are differing opinions out there, though!2 -
polskagirl01 wrote: »In the comments section, he clarifies he's talking about pre- and post- workout static stretching. https://philmaffetone.com/dangers-of-stretching/#comment-28712
Sounds like there are differing opinions out there, though!
@polskagirl01 thanks for providing that link to the MAF Editor comments. I think that goes a long way towards clarifying the point of the article.GiddyupTim wrote: »So, sure, static stretching is out and dynamic stretching is in, because we all need to warm up a bit before we start activity. That makes some common sense.
That's exactly what Maffetone is saying, so it appears you agree. I'd be curious about the statement in the comments linked above that yoga is not stretching by body alignment. I have no idea, I don't do yoga.
What's outdated is the notion of static stretching before activity.
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It always burns me up when I see someone stretching their hamstrings *before* a run.
That's not how this works.2 -
I do an hour of Body Balance (yoga/pilates/planking/relaxation) once a week just because I'm naturally flexible and it's a lovely way to relax.
I do a bit of jumping and a slow jog before a race, and I walk a hundred metres or so before and after an easy run.
I stretch whichever muscle feels tight after running using my yoga knowledge but only when it needs it. Love a good pigeon pose.
But don't do routine post-run stretching since I find flexibility for flexibility's sake anathema to running.1
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