stretching before, after working out or at all?

[Future Prodigy]

I know its a pretty basic question but I have come across various views on this. What is the proper way to work out with respect to stretching?

10 min warm up then stretch then workout?
10 min warm up workout, then stretch?
warm up set, workout, then stretch?
etc...

p.s. Do you only stretch your body parts your workin that day (i.e chest, and bis) or the whole body including legs and groin, everything!?

 

[blackbeard]

i stretch everyday jsut to keep/improve my mobility..

i very rarely stretch directly before working out..i stretch a little but i would rather take more warmup sets than do a full stretching routine..

 

[huskyguy]

After is best my muscles are warmed up and it keeps me from getting too tight

 

[Mudge]

You are never supposed to stretch a cold muscle, I've posted this one before. There are various ways to warm up before your workout, treadmill etc

 

[blackbeard]

After is best my muscles are warmed up and it keeps me from getting too tight

relative tightness is good keeps the stretch reflex

 

[Behemoth]

Do not stretch before your workout. There are plenty of studies that show that stretching can actually REDUCE your performace. You should definitely do stretching still to remain limber, etc etc, but do it after your workout.

Also, stretching is NOT a warmup. Too many people consider it a warmup exercise. As Mudge said above, you should never stretch a cold muscle. So if you are going to do stretching, you should warmup first, then do stretches. What I like to do for a stretching session is warmup with some bodyweight exercises - pushups, no weight squats, etc, until my muscles are nice and warm, then do my stretching routine. It works quite well.

 

[Swellin]

I stretch the muscle I work, immediately after performing my work set. I try to do yoga on my off days as well.

 

[pretty ricky]

stretching

Do not stretch before your workout. There are plenty of studies that show that stretching can actually REDUCE your performace.


i have heard that your muscles are alot like a spring in the fact that when it is unstretched it's got all it's power and when it's lose and strtched it reduces the amount of force it can produce thus decreasing your performance.i in fact never stretch before i lift but always after mostly in a session all by itself.

 

[Future Prodigy]

so for all you guys who say you dont stretch do you do a couple warm up laps aorund the gym before hittin the weights or go right into lifting? and if so how many warm up sets do you do?

 

[Future Prodigy]

p.s when i said 10 min warm up then stretch in the above descriptions i meant doing a run or somethin for 10 mins

 

[Mudge]

I do warmup sets always, but I typically will hit the treadmill for 5 or 10 minutes walking.

 

[Swellin]

so for all you guys who say you dont stretch do you do a couple warm up laps aorund the gym before hittin the weights or go right into lifting? and if so how many warm up sets do you do?

6 minutes on the treadmill at 4mph. Then I do warm up sets. I use as many sets as it takes, depending on the muscle to be worked.

ie. bis usually take 2-3 sets, while quads take 5 sets.

 

[Vegas]

so for all you guys who say you dont stretch do you do a couple warm up laps aorund the gym before hittin the weights or go right into lifting? and if so how many warm up sets do you do?

Depending on the movement I usually do about 3 or 4 warm up sets. One light, increase the weight on the second, and either do another increase on the third for multiple reps or simply add more weight and only do 1-3 reps. That's it. I usually only warm up on my first exercise for a muscle group. No treadmill or anything like that.

 

[pretty ricky]

just lifting motions 3 sets usually increasing on all starting real light then going up something like 20 reps then 10 then 5 just to feel a little weight then work.if my shoulders are hurting i take a few minutes with a 5# or 10# weight and do front and side raises never cardio before i lift unless it's way earlier.

 

[Parteeman]

I have one partially torn and one completely torn rotator cuff muscle in my shoulders. As a result, the only way I can bench or perform any other exercise employing from front delts is to stretch and warm up my shoulders by using an exercise I've seen posted on other boards, which I can say from experience truly works. Twirl up a towel like you're going to whip somebody in the lockerroom, hold one end of the towel in each hand out in front of you parallel to the ground, then slowly roll your arms up and back until the towel is touching your butt or your lower back, then roll your arms forward to the starting position. This will not only stretch the Hell out of your shoulders, it pumps them up (sanguinates them) like you wouldn't believe in a very short time. I do 30-50 rolls before I do bench, and I now rarely if every experience any pain in my shoulders when doing so. As you get more flexible doing this exercise, move your hands closer together on the towel, as that will increase your stretch. I do do this while cold as a method of warming up a particularly difficult body part. Just my two cents.

 

[jcp2]

I stretch for a half hour, usually before i start working out as i usually have spare time. I stretch my groin out pretty good, hams and lower back, and hip flexors. I have to stretch before i squat or i can't move. My groin and hips are too tight. I also have to stretch quite a bit to maximize my setup for the bench, no way around that. I don't care what studies you show me, if i can't squat the weight down without stretching a few warmup sets are not going to happen.

 

[blackbeard]

I stretch for a half hour, usually before i start working out as i usually have spare time. I stretch my groin out pretty good, hams and lower back, and hip flexors. I have to stretch before i squat or i can't move. My groin and hips are too tight. I also have to stretch quite a bit to maximize my setup for the bench, no way around that. I don't care what studies you show me, if i can't squat the weight down without stretching a few warmup sets are not going to happen.

you wanna know something? affter reading this thread last week i started stretching post workout instead of 2 hours before or so and my flexibility has gone right down the tubes..

it was a labor to get inot my arch..squatting i didnt notice much of a difference other than lower back tightness th next day which i almost never had before..

im going back to stretching when i get out of the shower

 

[jcp2]

you wanna know something? affter reading this thread last week i started stretching post workout instead of 2 hours before or so and my flexibility has gone right down the tubes..

it was a labor to get inot my arch..squatting i didnt notice much of a difference other than lower back tightness th next day which i almost never had before..

im going back to stretching when i get out of the shower

I think it may petain more to say, static stretching for the pectoral muscle before chest work. I think what we do more is for mobility in general. I know if i don't stretch the shit out of my hip flexors, a good bench set up is a no no.

 

[inked1]

I found this on an OPO site
http://oceaniapowerlifting.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=48

With this growing interest in stretching it is important to establish the best way to incorporate it into our workouts. The “best way” means that we find a way to use it that brings us closer to achieving our goals. It has always been my aim to use research to get to the factual bottom of things. I think we are seeing some new relevant research we can use.

Recently a new study was published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2) As the title of the study so aptly states, acute muscle stretching inhibits muscle strength-endurance performance. In this study two separate experiments were conducted. In experiment 1, the hamstring strength-endurance exercise (Nautilus leg curl machine) was measured by exercise performed at 60 and 40% of body weight following either a no-stretching or stretching regimen. In experiment 2, using a test-retest protocol, a hamstring strength-endurance exercise was performed at 50% body weight on 4 different days, with 2 tests following a no-stretching regimen and 2 tests following a stretching regimen. Their findings indicated that there is a significant and repeatable decrease in hamstring strength-endurance performance using leg curls following an acute stretching treatment.

Now this is not the first study demonstrating the deleterious effects of pre-exercise stretching on strength and power. Research has shown an inhibitory effect of pre-exercise stretching on maximal strength (3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10), vertical jump performance (11,12,13,14,15), and sprinting (16,17). Despite all this evidence, people, including exercise professionals and coaches still think pre-exercise stretching is critical. Old habits die hard, especially in the word of coaching.

So my point in pointing out all this evidence that if you want to incorporate stretching into your routine for the purpose of increasing a growth stimulus, there would obviously be a good and not so good time to do it. I hear a lot of people saying that they are adding stretches after each set. This would not be the best time to use loaded stretching in that it may compromise your strength and prevent you from getting in as much volume at a given weight as you need. The best time to do your stretching would be after the last set for any given muscle group. And as always, use caution when stretching vulnerable joints such as shoulders.



References:

1. Thacker SB, Gilchrist J, Stroup DF, Kimsey CD Jr. The impact of stretching on sports injury risk: a systematic review of the literature. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2004 Mar;36(3):371-8.

2. Nelson AG, Kokkonen J, Arnall DA. Acute muscle stretching inhibits muscle strength endurance performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2005 May;19(2):338-43.

3. Avela, J., H. Kyrolainen, and P.V. Komi. Altered reflex sensitivity after repeated and prolonged passive muscle stretching. J. Appl. Physiol. 86:1283–1291. 1999.

4. Behm, D.G., D.C. Button, and J.C. Butt. Factors affecting force loss with prolonged stretching. Can. J. Appl. Physiol. 26:261–272. 2001.

5. Evetovich, T.K., N.J. Nauman, D.S. Conley, and J.B. Todd. Effect of static stretching of the biceps brachii on torque, electromyography, and mechanomyography during concentric isokinetic muscle actions. J. Strength Cond. Res. 17:484–488. 2003.

6. Fowles, J.R., D.G. Sale, and J.D. MacDougall. Reduced strength after passive stretch of the human plantarflexors. J. Appl. Physiol. 89:1179–1188. 2000.

7. Kokkonen, J., A.G. Nelson, and A. Cornwell. Acute muscle stretching inhibits maximal strength performance. Res. Q. Exerc. Sport. 69:411–415. 1998.

8. Nelson, A.G., J.D. Allen, A. Cornwell, and J. Kokkonen. Inhibition of maximal voluntary isometric torque production by acute stretching is joint-angle specific. Res. Q. Exerc. Sport. 72:68–70. 2001.

9. Nelson, A.G., I.K. Guillory, A. Cornwell, and J. Kokkonen. Inhibition of maximal voluntary isokinetic torque production following stretching is velocity specific. J. Strength Cond. Res. 15:241–246. 2001.

10. Nelson, A.G., and J. Kokkonen. Acute ballistic muscle stretching inhibits maximal strength performance. Res. Q. Exerc. Sport. 72:415–419. 2001.

11. Church, J.B., M.S. Wiggins, F.M. Moore, and R. Crist. Effect of warm-up and flexibility treatments on vertical jump performance. J. Strength Cond. Res. 15:332–336. 2001.

12. Cornwell, A., A.G. Nelson, G.D. Heise, and B. Sidaway. The acute effects of passive muscle stretching on vertical jump performance. J. Hum. Movement Stud. 40:307–324. 2001.

13. McNeal, J.R., and W.A. Sands. Acute static stretching reduces lower extremity power in trained children. Pediatr. Exerc. Sci. 15:139–145. 2003.

14. Young, W., and S. Elliott. Acute effects of static stretching, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching, and maximum voluntary contractions on explosive force production and jumping performance. Res. Q. Exerc. Sport. 72:273–279. 2001.

15. Young, W.B., and D.G. Behm. Effects of running, static stretching and practice jumps on explosive force production and jumping performance. J. Sports Med. Phys. Fitness. 43:21–27. 2003.

16. Nelson, A.G., N.M. Driscoll, D.K. Landin, M.A. Young, and I.C. Schexnayder. Acute effects of passive muscle stretching on sprint performance. J. Sports Sci. In press.

17. Siatras, T., G. Papadopoulos, D. Mameletzi, V. Gerodimos, and S. Kellis. Static and dynamic acute stretching effect on gymnasts' speed in vaulting. Pediatr. Exerc. Sci. 15:383–391. 2003