Thread: Overstretching??

What kind of stretching are you doing? Some types, in not used carefully, can injure you.

There's a thing called myotatic reflex. It's a built-in inhibitor that tries to prevent you from stretching too far. Some forms of stretching, such as ballistic stretching, use momentum to push past that reflex; possibly leading to injury.

Are you warming up the muscles before you stretch?

I do a dynamic warmup (high knees, marches, buttkickers)

than I do static stretching before and after resistance training. it only happened three times, and each time it was a different joint (first the back of the knee, than the ankle, and than just yesterday the front side of my Hip)
and I start feeling the pain about 30 minutes after stretching that muscle...

Originally Posted by mike456

I do a dynamic warmup (high knees, marches, buttkickers)

than I do static stretching before and after resistance training. it only happened three times, and each time it was a different joint (first the back of the knee, than the ankle, and than just yesterday the front side of my Hip)
and I start feeling the pain about 30 minutes after stretching that muscle...

You should never do static stretching before a workout. You'll trigger the myotatic reflex. That will have a negative affect on your workout and you risk damaging your ligaments by making them less flexible. And you want your ligaments flexible when you have a lot of weight on your back and go deep in the hole during a Squat; for example.

Originally Posted by DOMS

You should never do static stretching before a workout. You'll trigger the myotatic reflex. That will have a negative affect on your workout and you risk damaging your ligaments by making them less flexible. And you want your ligaments flexible when you have a lot of weight on your back and go deep in the hole during a Squat; for example.

P-funk advised me too stretch before and after my workout because I am just soo tight.

but when I hurt my hip stretching yesterday, I did not do any resistance training. Just warmed up and stretched, after about 30 minutes the pain came, it is pretty much gone now, but it hurt yesterday, and I am afraid I am damaging something.

Hopefull P or Cow can chyme in

I am going to the orthopedist right now (finally) to find out whats causing my knee pain... I will report back with info I am given

How exactly do you stretch? How long, etc.

Originally Posted by mike456

P-funk advised me too stretch before and after my workout because I am just soo tight.

You can stretch before a workout, but don't do static stretching. Do dynamic, or PNF, stretching instead.

Originally Posted by DOMS

You can stretch before a workout, but don't do static stretching. Do dynamic, or PNF, stretching instead.

Static stretching can be done pre-workout if a muscle is overly tight and requires it. But generally, no, you don't want to stretch statically before training.

Originally Posted by fufu

Static stretching can be done pre-workout if a muscle is overly tight and requires it. But generally, no, you don't want to stretch statically before training.

I guess light static stretching is okay.

Originally Posted by P-funk

I would do some light stretching for whatever is tight just following the foam roll. This is not agressive static stretching like you would do after the workout (sometimes people miss understand me when I say I stretch in my warm up). This is just to get loose and loosen up the joints. Holding for an easy 3-5 count and taking the stretch deeper of 2-3 reps. Nothing to agressive. 3D stretching would be a good idea too.

Originally Posted by Witchblade

How exactly do you stretch? How long, etc.

for my hip flexors yesterday I just did 2 sets of about 20sec for each leg- Lunging Hip Flexor Stretch

Originally Posted by DOMS

You can stretch before a workout, but don't do static stretching. Do dynamic, or PNF, stretching instead.

no, you can do static stretching too, if you are overly tight.

The only reason they say you shouldn't static stretch pre workout is because sometimes you want muscles to be tight so that they will move more weight. So if you are benchpressing you dont want your chest to be to flexible.

But in my case my hip flexors are overly tight, and I wasnt resistance training yesterday anyway...

Also with static stretching pre workout, you must think of your optimum performance. Sometimes things have a place and sometimes they don't.

Will static stretching impede on this when I am have no abnormally tight areas? - yes.

What if I am overly tight and it will have a worse effect on my performance than loosening the myostatic reflex. - then you would stretch statically.

I have people static stretch pre-workout all the time. If something is overly tight, then it needs to be taken care of.

Also, after you stretch what is tight, you move on to about 10min. of activation and dynamic warm up. Do you not think this prepares the nervous system properly?

Look at the studies on static stretching and power output. Guys stretched their hamstring and then tried to do a vertical jump and there was a slight decrease in power. WHo the fuck does that? Who stretches and then goes on to do an maximal effort explosive movement? How can a study like that be applied to what we do in real life in the gym? Even if you ONLY static stretched and then went to do power cleans. you would do several warm up sets to prepare your nervous system before performing a maximum effort. Does that make sense?

i stretch more AFTER my run than i do before it (im a newb tho, but im more flexible after running i did notice that)

wow I am pissed. Went to the orthopedist, and the only thing he does is take an x-ray, and than he tells me there is nothing wrong with my knees. I try to explain to him that when I am standing all the pressure is on the inside of my feet, and the dumbass says that it is normal. The x-ray clearly showed that my femur and tibiae were not lined up properly. What a joke and a waste of time/money.

Originally Posted by mike456

wow I am pissed. Went to the orthopedist, and the only thing he does is take an x-ray, and than he tells me there is nothing wrong with my knees. I try to explain to him that when I am standing all the pressure is on the inside of my feet, and the dumbass says that it is normal. The x-ray clearly showed that my femur and tibiae were not lined up properly. What a joke and a waste of time/money.

The problem is not your knee. the pain is in your knee. The problem is in your hip or (probably) in your ankle mobility. Find a good exercise physiologist.

Originally Posted by P-funk

The problem is not your knee. the pain is in your knee. The problem is in your hip or (probably) in your ankle mobility. Find a good exercise physiologist.

so x-rays aren't going to show shit right? do hey show if a bone is internally rotated or not?

my doctor has to send me to a specialist and she chose the orthopedist, I told her that my bones weren't the problem (she thought something was damaged), but she insisted hopefully next time I can get her to send me to a sports guy... That's not gonna be for another 6 months