Stretching?

[jay o.]

A few q's...How important is it in bodybuilding? When do you stretch? How often? What are good methods of stretching? Should there ever be any stretching before your training session? Let's talk..

 

[itrain]

I found it to be very detrimental in my bodybuilding endeavors a light stretch to get blood out of a pumped muscle is one thing but in general they are bad for strength.. As they weaken tendons, making your joints prone to more injuries ...

My 2cents ,, I use to be an avid stretcher.. I prefer a hard rubber ball same idea as a foam roller just use it on shoulders, lats, tris, quads, hams and its great for getting knots out , it works like a deep tissue massage except you control the pressure and areas you want to hit..

 

[jamescb77]

It's been shown that static stretching prior to explosive movements is not the best idea. However dynamic stretching is a different story. Also static stretching has it's place post workout but you never wanna stress so hard you move the stress to the tendon and off the muscle

 

[aussiebulldog]

"extreme stretching" in the end of workout to muscle worked helps my recovery.
Parrillio's theory is that stretching exercises are designed to stretch the protective sheath of connective tissue, which surrounds the muscle, expanding the fascial, enabling the muscles to grow. Fascial stretching can actually help increase strength when done correctly

 

[garcia]

I have just started stretching before legs and cardio. It makes a HUGE difference in strength and stability.

 

[Google&Pubmed]

It makes a huge difference in the recovery when it's done post-workout but you really have to stretch and not pussy foot around.

 

[thebigguy84]

I think it is a must I always warm up really well with light weight real high reps just range of motion stuff and always try to stretch out the muscle bf I work it.

 

[Crowler]

Things have changed dramatically when it comes to stretching.

I used to really stretch a lot but now hardly stretch at all and can still reach just as far. Joints feel MUCH better and tendons feel stronger. Can't say they are but they feel much better.

Now they even say you should NOT stretch before running. Many pro triathletes don't even warm up anymore before races.

 

[Denali]

I had not been stretching during workouts, but I did add stretching during my competition prep. Quite honestly, I didn't notice a difference from stretching. I may keep stretching in the workouts as I shift focus back to bulking to see if I notice changes with my training back to "normal".

 

[Cosmicdrifter]

I used to have pain in my elbow and both bicep tendons. I was afraid to do curls because it hurt so much.

I started hanging between each set or each two sets and now I have no painful tendons or insertions.

I don't hang loosely, that would hyper-extend my elbow - I hang with my arms slightly bent at the elbow - like I am trying to start doing a curl but stop after the first 3 inches of movement.

I have no joint pain in my upper body. I don't know if it fits into any theory or principle but it works for me.

 

[Jblack]

I try to stretch as much as possible. More of my lower half than my upper half honestly. I try to keep my upper body lose and stretch during work outs, but I rarely do anything afterwards. I always stretch my lower body post workout and foam roll. My massage therapist is always working on my upper body more so than my legs so that right there tells me I should do it more. I just personally do not make it a priority.

I will say that if you search on here you will find a lot of threads where people are talking about how stretching is a game changer for some.

 

[saps]

"extreme stretching" in the end of workout to muscle worked helps my recovery.
Parrillio's theory is that stretching exercises are designed to stretch the protective sheath of connective tissue, which surrounds the muscle, expanding the fascial, enabling the muscles to grow. Fascial stretching can actually help increase strength when done correctly

Agreed. I incorporate the DC style forced stretches at the end of my respective training. Highly effective.