Do You Stretch or Warm Up?

June 17, 2008

Stretch or Warm Up?

It has been a cornerstone of exercise philosophy to stretch prior to exercising to prevent injuries. But according to a review of more than 350 studies, “stretching was not associated with a significant reduction in injuries.”

Stretching and warming up are different things and they produce very different results. Warming up involves muscular contraction. Stretching involves the opposite— relaxing and lengthening the muscles. Flexibility is the result of stretching. Flexibility equips you with mobility to move freely in a variety of directions by developing elasticity in the muscles and range of motion within the joints. Being flexible allows you to change direction quickly and bounce back with ease after a fall.

Warming Up

1. “Warming up” means just that - - raising the temperature of the muscle.
The temperature increase comes from the heat released during exercise and from the increased blood flow to the muscle.

2. The best way to warm up is to do the same activities you are about to engage in, only very, very lightly, instead of strenuously.
(Warming up different muscles than the ones you will be using doesn’t help much.)

3. Gradually increase your exertion level. As your body temperature rises, so can your intensity level. The result: You’ll not only be warmed up and loose, which lessens your chance of injury during the activity, but you will be well prepared for maximum performance.

4. Stretching a muscle “cold” (especially with a bouncing stretch) has a high likelihood of producing an injury — especially as you get older. So, if you are going to stretch at all before your activity, stretch *after* warming up.

5. The “best” time to stretch is “after” your activity. For several reasons:
a. The muscles are warm, and unlikely to tear. That makes it possible to work to *increase* your range of motion. (Stretching before the activity, on the other hand, should be limited to preparing the muscle for the activity — not for pushing the envelope.)

b. The stretching increases blood flow to the muscles, which need it to wash away metabolic byproducts and obtain nutrients for rebuilding. So both recovery time and soreness are reduced.

Note:
In activities where performance depends on being fully stretched out and loose (martial arts and dancing, among others) it does make sense to stretch as part of the pre-event warm ups. Emphasis should be on light exercise that warm ups the body as muscles are stretched.

Stretching

Stretching is an important tool in promoting a healthy Range of Motion (ROM). The greater a person’s ROM, the less likely that they will
be placed in a position that will lead to injury.

When stretching, it is imperative that the stretch is held long enough for a benefit to be derived.
Casually stretching a muscle for 2-3 seconds is nowhere near long enough for any benefit to be derived.
At least 10 seconds are needed for a stretch reflex (contraction of the muscle) to subside.
This figure should be seen as a bare minimum. There will also be differences from person to person and from muscle to muscle. Experimentation is required by each person.

Good flexibility allows the joints to improve their range of motion. The American College of Sports Medicine has the following recommendations for increasing flexibility:
· Focus: major muscle groups
· Frequency: three to seven days per week
· Type: slow, sustained static stretches
· Duration: hold between 10-30 seconds, “it’s best to start easy and work your way up”

So do you warm up or stretch – the answer should be “yes”.

You should warm up, and you should stretch, but you should be knowledgeable about when to do each.

A compilation of articles by Food and Fitness Advisor.
Suzanne Nottingham, spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise.
Eric Armstrong, Treelight com.

Malcolm
Yoshiki Goshin Jutsu