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Stretching/flexability

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Stretching is good, especially when women are doing it.
 
missiontomuscle said:
I've always been a big fan of stretching before workouts. Especially PNF stretching on chest before benchpress.

Not sure if there are any studies pro or against stretching before/after workouts though?
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missiontomuscle,

Yes, there is research on stretching.

When To Stretch

Research has demonstrated that prior to your workout decreases strength and power output. Thus, stretching before your workout isn't the best time.

String Cheese

The most effective time to stretch is at the end of your workout. That because you connective tissue is more supple and elastic.

Think of you connnective tissue as string cheese. When it's cold, it is ridig and unflexible.

After you warm it up, it is more pliable and elastic.

Soreness

Also, stretching after your workout appears to decrease sorness.

Exceptions To The Stretching Rule

Dynamic stretching prior to a movement is the exception to the rule. Dynamic stretching employs a slight bounce in the movement.

A dynamic stretch increase blood flow to the area and as prepares the stretch reflex in the connective tissue for work to come.

The stretch reflex is a "rubber band" like effect that allows you to produce more power. Connective tissue that is stretched with the right amount of tension, "springs" back just like a rubber band pops back after it is stretched.

Kenny Croxdale
 
Thanks for the info. Interesting read.
 
Dancers are rarely sidelined with pulled muscles

Stretch 15-30 mins before and after workouts. Used to be a dance major.

Contrary to popular ideologies, dancers train their legs & core 6x week. They don't take off 2-3 days between leg workouts. They do bar work & floor work that is equivalent to the free weights (admittedly most is for endurance and not strength) and then they perform every day, which is the equivalent of functional training.

In over 20 years of dancing, I never once was incapacitated for a torn or pulled muscle. I did injure ligaments & tendons but never muscles. I'm convinced it's because of the amount of stretching dancers do before & after workouts. They also stretch when laying around with friends or sitting in front of the TV.

Most people -- if they stretch at all -- stretch for 5 minutes then lift weights for 90 minutes... hence the reason for so many pulled & ruptured muscles!
 

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Old dance instructor, a mean old ballet mistress from Russia, used to tell us that we had to hold a stretch for at least 3 minutes to make the muscle fatigue and drop their resistance to the stretch. Once that happens, the muscle collapses/relaxes allowing you to stretch it further and hence increases your flexibility.

Never seen any published research proving her theory but it worked for me & everyone else with whom I studied. At almost 48, and without stretching for nearly 20 years on any regular basis, I'm not as flexible as when I danced & tumbled but still more flexible than 99% of 18 year olds.
 
PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) stretching

ThicknCurvy said:
Old dance instructor, a mean old ballet mistress from Russia, used to tell us that we had to hold a stretch for at least 3 minutes to make the muscle fatigue and drop their resistance to the stretch. Once that happens, the muscle collapses/relaxes allowing you to stretch it further and hence increases your flexibility.

Never seen any published research proving her theory but it worked for me & everyone else with whom I studied. At almost 48, and without stretching for nearly 20 years on any regular basis, I'm not as flexible as when I danced & tumbled but still more flexible than 99% of 18 year olds.
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ThicknCurvy,

PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) stretching

PNF stretching that you are refer to has been around for quite a while. There is plenty of research on it. It is utilized a lot in rehabilatition.

It is not necessary to hold a stretch for hold the stretch for three minutes to fatigue the muscle to allow a deeper stretch.

Kenny Croxdale
 
ThicknCurvy said:
Stretch 15-30 mins before and after workouts. Used to be a dance major.

Contrary to popular ideologies, dancers train their legs & core 6x week. They don't take off 2-3 days between leg workouts. They do bar work & floor work that is equivalent to the free weights (admittedly most is for endurance and not strength) and then they perform every day, which is the equivalent of functional training.

In over 20 years of dancing, I never once was incapacitated for a torn or pulled muscle. I did injure ligaments & tendons but never muscles. I'm convinced it's because of the amount of stretching dancers do before & after workouts. They also stretch when laying around with friends or sitting in front of the TV.

Most people -- if they stretch at all -- stretch for 5 minutes then lift weights for 90 minutes... hence the reason for so many pulled & ruptured muscles!
Click to expand...

ThicknCurvy,

Pulled & Ruptured Muscle

Lack of stretching isn't the cause of pulled and ruptured muscle.

The primary reason for a ruptured muscle is overexertion. That means pushing a muscle beyond it capacity.

It like loading up a barbell with 500 lbs when it rated to hold 400 lbs. You've overload the capacity of the bar.

When you do that a bar will bend and eventually break/rupture.

Kenny Croxdale
 
Kenny Croxdale said:
ThicknCurvy,

Pulled & Ruptured Muscle

Lack of stretching isn't the cause of pulled and ruptured muscle.
The primary reason for a ruptured muscle is overexertion. That means pushing a muscle beyond it capacity.
Kenny Croxdale
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Hey Kenny:
Dancers & gymnasts work the same muscle group for 6-8+ hours/day and often 6 days a week. If ever an athlete should rupture muscles from overexertion, it would be dancers & gymnasts. I can do a two hour leg day with 100 sets including maxing out my weight. Despite this, I never walk out of the gym with weaker legs than I did after a long ballet class.

Anecdotal studies of professional athletes, who started studying dance, yoga, pilates, martial arts concurrently with playing football, baseball etc, reveal less muscle injuries ... perhaps in part because of better understanding of the the kinesiology but also because of the consistent stretching balancing the stress on the muscle group on intense weight days.

My own training partner is a former fitness competitor. She's guided my muscle development & I her flexibility. I now have her stretching every day and taking yoga a couple of times a week. It's allowed her to dramatically improve her strength & endurance at 48 years old.

I'm new to the muscle & fitness world so I'm definitely looking to learn from everyone but added the post re stretching because I've seen bodybuilders I've dated completely ignore its role in developing a great physique and because I've seen it make such a huge difference for my training partner in the 9 months we've been training together.
 
ThicknCurvy said:
Hey Kenny:
Dancers & gymnasts work the same muscle group for 6-8+ hours/day and often 6 days a week. If ever an athlete should rupture muscles from overexertion, it would be dancers & gymnasts. I can do a two hour leg day with 100 sets including maxing out my weight. Despite this, I never walk out of the gym with weaker legs than I did after a long ballet class.
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Hi Michelle,

Dancer and Gymnast

They certainly put in a lot of training time. It can lead to come chronic problems.

However, most muscle tears are created from pushing the muscle beyond it capaticy in high intensity movements that require an enormous amount of force production.

The force placed on the muscles and connective tissue is beyond it capacity. I had a slight pec tear at a powerlifting meet a few years ago for just that reason. The tear healed and I still compete.

Barbell Analogy

Let's go back to the barbell analogy. Barbells in gym spend a lot of time in use...somewhat like dancers and gymnast.

What cause a bar to bend is too much force being applied to them.

As long as the load place on the bar are below it rating of 400 lbs, there is not problem.

400 lb Bar

A 400 lb barbell that is overloaded with let's say 600 lbs is going to bend or snap apart. I guarantee it.

ThicknCurvy said:
Anecdotal studies of professional athletes, who started studying dance, yoga, pilates, martial arts concurrently with playing football, baseball etc, reveal less muscle injuries ... perhaps in part because of better understanding of the the kinesiology but also because of the consistent stretching balancing the stress on the muscle group on intense weight days.
Click to expand...

Research Contradiction

A multitude of research has demonstrated that stretching doen't not decrease injuries.

Anectotal Information

In all my year of working with athletes to increaze strength, I have not seen or found stretching to decrease injuries.

Howeever...

Stretching Has It's Place

Stretching is a viable training tool. One of the most intereting aspects of stretching is that by stretching the Antagonist Muscle (the muscles not being exercised) more power and strength can be produced by the Agnoist Muscle (the muscles being worked).

That means if you stretch your lats (Antagoinist Muscle) before bench press (Agonist Muscle), you can exert more force...more strength and power.

Reciprocal Inhibition

Stretching the Antogonist Muscle allows it to relax so that you can produce more force with the Angonist Muscles.

It also, as you pointed out in a previous post, allows you to perform a deeper stretch (PFN Stretching).

Stetching also appears to alievate the Delayed Onset of Muscle Sorness. I believe there is something to that.

Stretching also has some other positives.

ThicknCurvy said:
My own training partner is a former fitness competitor. She's guided my muscle development & I her flexibility. I now have her stretching every day and taking yoga a couple of times a week. It's allowed her to dramatically improve her strength & endurance at 48 years old.
Click to expand...


I have no doubt we could all learn something from your stretching.

One of the most interesting things is it use in increasing muscle mass and perhaps some strength.

Facial Stretching For Bodybuiders John Parillo

I agree with Parrillo's stretching method.

..."unique stretching exercises are designed to stretch the protective sheath of connective tissue which surrounds the muscle, expanding the fascia, enabling the muscles to grow. Fascial stretching can actually help increase strength by as much as 20 percent when done correctly." Welcome to Parrillo Performance

ThicknCurvy said:
I'm new to the muscle & fitness world so I'm definitely looking to learn from everyone but added the post re stretching because I've seen bodybuilders I've dated completely ignore its role in developing a great physique and because I've seen it make such a huge difference for my training partner in the 9 months we've been training together.
Click to expand...

Learning

Learning is an endless process. So, we are all in this together.

Stretching For A Great Physique

This is definitely one area that bodybuilder neglect as well as strength athletes (limit strength, power and speed athletes).

Kenny Croxdale
 
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thanks for this - I think we get so involved with the workout, sometimes we forget just how important and beneficial stretching can be.

Michael
5X5 Workout
 
Thanks - I needed these too. It seems that I hurry through my warmups and end up regretting it.
 
I know stretching between sets can be beneficial; is stretching after a workout ok?
 
The stretching article was good, too bad the site forgot to add proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching. It is THE best form of stretching and hopefully will have a some clients that are interested in just being PNF stretched once i get my NSCA certification in a week or two!
 
just start doing yoga... plus all the hot girls love us guys in there
 
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