Stretching

Is it good to stretch before a workout? I've read arguments for and against it. Muscle & Fitness says that it robs the muscles of strenth while Arnold's book, The New Encyclopedia of Modern BodyBuidling, says that it's good for you.

I've learned that warmup sets are good, what I referring to here is iso stretching.

Thanks for any tips!

Conrad

cfs3 said:

Is it good to stretch before a workout? I've read arguments for and against it. Muscle & Fitness says that it robs the muscles of strenth while Arnold's book, The New Encyclopedia of Modern BodyBuidling, says that it's good for you...

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You got to go with Arnold. Arnold is bodybuilding. Seriously though if stretching did steal some of your strenth it is probally benaficial to stretch because you are increasing flexibility and making your body less prone to injury.

All I can tell you I do not stretch anymore and I have not had any adverse affects.

Stretching before working out is useless IMO even though I used to do it, especially if you already do warm up sets. If you want to stretch follow up after you are done working out to get some extra oxygen and blood into those muscles, then it does have its benefits.

Stretch,,, I can tell you this if you dont stretch before or and after you'll proably get muscle bound and even if you lose a little strenght its better than Injury cause with injury is a long healing process that will kept you out of the weight room be smart go with Arnold and stretch look at him it most have not affected him,, LOL Serious do not take this ppl advise if you dont stretch your pretty stupid.. Look at it this way how many pro football, baseball, basketball players so you know that dont stretch before they play thier game...

For some people, stretching is absolutely essential before lifting weights. Especially so for compound movements such as squats and deads. However, I don't think it is advisable to stretch cold muscles. Warm up first.

Deadly13 said:

Stretch,,, I can tell you this if you dont stretch before or and after you'll proably get muscle bound and even if you lose a little strenght its better than Injury cause with injury is a long healing process that will kept you out of the weight room be smart go with Arnold and stretch look at him it most have not affected him,, LOL Serious do not take this ppl advise if you dont stretch your pretty stupid.. Look at it this way how many pro football, baseball, basketball players so you know that dont stretch before they play thier game...

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Pffff, stupid would be to believe everything Arnold says. If you go into the gym cold and put 405lb on the bar you have a good chance you will get injured. Proper warm up will prevent that. You can???t say just because people who play football stretch then you need to do so in weight lifting. In football you???re constantly punishing your body and pushing muscle where they shouldn???t be. So the more flexible you are the least likely you are on sustaining an injury. Again the only time I see stretching to be beneficial is after your done working out. But hey to each their own.

I agree with Kata. I rarely if ever stretch before.

Warm up the muscle group for a couple of minutes with some movement and then stretch. Absolutely cruicial. Ever since I started doing stretches before lifting the clicking in my shoulder joints disappeared.

do active stretching beforehand(warmups) and static(hold) streching when done to help with recover. I find though, that my calves are really tight and when i go to do legs i need a good warmup and strech of the calves, or else i have trouble doing squats

Research shows that stretching can rob the muscle of maximum power, and it is a much better idea to warm up gradually with increasing weights, but with not enough reps to fatigue the muscle.

Stretching afterword is a much better idea

cfs3 said:

What I had read was the by stretching you trigger the contracting reflex (I don't know the scientific name) thereby limiting your range of motion and the effectiveness of the exercise.

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According to my research, that is true. About 2.5 seconds into the stretch. the muscle will counteract the stretch, to save itself from anticipated damage, by contracting itself. After about 15 seconds the muscle will fatigue itself by contracting against the stretch and no longer contract.

That is why most people hold the static stretch for about 25 to 30 seconds - to outlast the counter-action by the muscle. A new school of thought is to only stretch the muscle for two seconds. By releasing the stretch so soon, you don't have to fight against the muscle. It simply requires a lot of short stretches.

Is anyone successfully using two second stretches?

I have stopped stretching before lifting because of the potential to reduce strength and shorten my workouts a little. I still always stretch after lifting. I believe I have noticed a slight increase in strength on certain lifts, but the increase was so minor I don't know if it's regular progression or a result of the nixxed stretching.

aztecwolf said:

do active stretching beforehand(warmups) and static(hold) streching when done to help with recover. I find though, that my calves are really tight and when i go to do legs i need a good warmup and strech of the calves, or else i have trouble doing squats

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You've read my mind! Excellent advice! Is there such a thing as too much stretching?

I believe a warm-up is better then a stretch before working out. I do one set of whatever exercise I am about to do, with No weight. Especially with Squats...There is no way for my hip flexors to be ready for weighted squats without first doing a few unweighted squats.
I believe that stretching and flexibility should be viewed as a separate component of a physical fitness routine, not as an integral part of a workout. I believe stretching and range of motion should have its own set of goals and just like weight lifting has. One should want to achieve "x" amount of flexibility, and "x" amount of range of motion and why those goals are important....such as....I want to be flexible because I am bulky...or, I am a runner, or a dancer... or what ever....Not that I need to stretch because thats what we did it PE when I was in 6th grade

I believe that the muscles joints and connective tissues, along with the cardio vascular system, need to be primed before a rigorous activity, but I believe ( at the age of 37) that stretching only plays a minor or even non existent roll in that pre game, pre workout up regimen.

The value and the time spent in stretching and flexibility are mis applied and also underrated. Its a separate part of physical fitness. Like Cardi and weight training are separate but complimentary. Especially when viewed in the prism of LONG TERM health and physical fitness....The LONG RUN....life

Why does everyone say that a warm up is better than a stretch before a workout?? Do you think that we do some light stretches before hitting the weights and thats all we do??...I warm up with weights and stretch to get my body ready for the heavy strain of a resistance workout.
I include stretching before, during and after a workout. If this is robbing me of strength I have not honestly noticed. The only thing that I have noticed since I started stretching was greater flexibility and faster recovery times.

If I did not include some stretching/flexibility training into my routine, I would never be able to do deads/squat because I have too much tightness in my lower back/hams.

Like Erik said strength/cardio/flexibility are "separate but complimentary".

medical study has proven that stretching pre WO does not prevent injury. but if you ask me not to strectch a cold muscle is just common sense. stretching to alleviate soreness, increase flexibitly is best performed after training when muscles, tendons and ligaments are warm and pliable.

when it comes to stretching pre WO and the effect that is has on strength. that is dependant on the individual. if your body is accustomed to pre WO stretching it then it will have little effect on your training and/or strength levels.

I use a couple of warm-up sets using around 50% of my working load before hitting the big weights...

I ALWAYS stretch the muscles i am working!

Before, during, AND after my workouts

I will do a 5 min jog 1st to warm up and then i will stetch through my weights session, it ain't worth risking an injury, like someone already said... all top athletes in all sports stretch rigirously before and after they perform

and the best bodybuilder of all time tells you its vital to stretch, based on that if your a bodybuilder you'd be stupid not to stretch

and... even if not stretching did allow you to push out an extra rep, i'd still do it as i'd rather get the benefits of less injury risk and increased bloodflow to the muscles i'm working which in the long run = a better body

smart ppl stretch

peace