My take on stretching. Not picking on you nothuman. It just got me to thinking . . .
Me too, I’m absolutely horrible about stretching and warming up. I never needed to do these things but now that I’m older, it’s clear I need to do these things and I always put it off. I really need to take yoga because I genuinely don’t know how to stretch properly. Plus I keep reading about stretching actually causing injuries.
Yes stretching before lifting causes more injuries. Lots of studies that I learned this from.
I keep reading that lifting weights causes injuries too but that does not stop us
Ya gotta be smart about it . . . speed of movement, number of repetitions, learning
what exercises to avoid, how often to exercise . . . well, could go on and on but I
trust my point is understood.
Everybody has their own individual, limited range of motion. Obviously some
people are inherently more flexible than others but all people will benefit from
stretching. The key in my small mind is knowing what your range of motion
is and at a minimum, maintaining it, and if you are careful, improving upon
it, up to a point. Knowing that point is key as beyond that point, which is very
individual, is where injuries can and do occur, often at an alarming rate,
much like weight lifting.
Yes, yoga (‘retreats’ notoriously so) can and does cause injuries. That usually
happens when your ego gets in the way (like weight lifting) and you try to
emulate people who are, often times, inherently way more flexible than you. The
yoga magazines and videos often use models that were or are dancers or gymnasts
or some such activity that takes flexibility, sometimes a high degree, that most
people are not capable of no matter how hard or long they try. That part unfort-
unately they don’t tell you because they are more interested your wallet than your
well-being, again much like bodybuilding and its commercial interests. That is why
I would never, and have never, recommended bodybuilding drugs to a person.
(The way people toss around, recommend, steroid cycles and other drugs to people
they don’t know, even if they ask, would be just plain irresponsible for me. I guess
somebody has got to do it but it won’t be me. Guess it’s just the way I am wired.)
Years ago I took a yoga class consistently for many years and I always felt better
before class than I did after. I always thought it was just part of the deal, the way
everybody else felt, at least that is, if you listened to them. After all, who in their
right mind would pay good money to feel worse? And it was not until I quit going to
yoga class and started listening to my body, taking what ‘worked’ and disregarding
the rest, applying some simple logic (which seemed to escape me at the time, again,
my ego) and selecting the movements that were correct and beneficial for me did I
start to enjoy stretching.
As much as I don’t like speaking in absolutes, I think that there are certain ‘stretches’
that are universally beneficial like ones that improve or maintain hamstring flexibility,
lower back, neck or shoulder mobility for instance. Find the stretches that work for
you and apply them on a regular basis and I think you will be a happy camper, now
and years down the road.
We all can improve / maintain our flexibility. And much like weight lifting, we all
will get bigger and stronger but some will get bigger and stronger faster than others.
That is called life . . . get used to it.
Now here is the ’rub’ as they say. If you are older, how much flexibility can you safely
regain? Can you get back to what it was when you were a teenager? I don’t have
an answer for that or when it is the best time to stretch . . . pre or post workout?
I believe Tom Platz spent a large amount of time stretching pre-squatting so there
is one example. Personally, I have done both, pre and post, with no detrimental
effects. What is important I think is just making / taking the time to do it.
As we age, our muscles shrink (unavoidable regardless of how much or what kind
of gear you take) and we also become less flexible. So, in summary, I stretch,
at a minimum, to maintain my inherent limited range of motion. At best, I try to
improve upon it, but only to a certain point, where it feel safe. Beyond that is where
injuries occur. You can also stretch too much (think volume and frequency). Knowing
that point and what stretches to do requires that you lose your ego, educate yourself,
and pay strict attention to what your body is telling you and apply it on a regular basis.
Pretty boring I know.
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