Stretching after Lifting

agleckle

I have been doing the New Rules of Lifting for Women and I love it. I know that lifting heavy is not going to make me look like a man. However, one of my co-workers said something to me that I am curious about. Now, he used to be one of those guys that took steroids and pumped iron like no one's business. I don't think he knew much about proper ways to lift and the nutrition surrounding it, though. I was telling him about my lifting today and he made a comment to the effect of, "Are you stretching after you lift? Because if you don't stretch, your muscles will be tight and grow back more bulky. But, if you do stretch afterward, you are lengthening them and they will grow back longer and leaner looking which is what you want because you are a girl."

Now, I KNOW that stretching is very beneficial. I generally don't stretch after lifting, but I will stretch some things out after cardio. And like I said, I know that lifting is not going to make me look bulky like a man or something. But I can't help but wonder if there is some small seed of truth to this. Is it possible for stretching to make that much of a difference in the way your muscles repair? I'm curious to see what everyone has to say.

rybo

I have no idea as to the truth in his statement, I have heard that many times in the gym.
I always stretched a ton both while lifting between sets and afterwards. For me it just felt good, and I think it helped lessen the ache of my muscles the next day. I'm sure it also helped maintain full range of mobility in my joints as well.
My guess is that this is yet another "myth" passed down in the weight room.