Stretching Routine Truth

When should I stretch?! Growing up when I was in gym and at sports it was always stressed that I needed to stretch before a work out or playing a game or else I was going to “pull a muscle”. This seemed to make sense and I did not question my coaches and teachers. So I stretched, bent, twisted, counted to 10 and did the other side. Didn't think twice about it. When I completed my workout I was done. I showered and carried on with my daily routine.

Then in college at age 21 was the first time I heard that I was doing it all wrong. I was told that I should stretch after my workout not before. This confused me. What do you mean? So I did my homework, researched, and listened to the lectures. Guess what? This stuff if for real. Science have moved on and what I learned back in grade school has changed. It is not that you don't stretch before a workout—it is just a different kind of stretching. No counting one, two, three...

There are two kinds of stretches. Dynamic stretching and static stretching. Static stretching is holding the muscle in a fixed elongated position. This is what I always did at the beginning of my workout. No, no! This should be completed during the cool down phase of the workout after your body has had a chance to warm up and the muscles are loose. It can actually hurt performance if done before a workout. Static stretching is important for every muscle group. You can always be working on your flexibility. It is recommended to hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds and repeat three times. So complete this after the workout for maximum results.

Dynamic stretching uses a fluid motion. Now, this is the type of steatching that I learned should be completed before the workout. It loosens up your muscles and increases your heart rate, blood flow, and body temperature. Unlike static stretching this will help you complete your workout more efficiently. Start slow and focus on form. When you got it down you can pick up the pace and range of motion. Some examples of dynamic stretches are as follows.

Walking Lunges-Step forward lowering your body with keeping the knee just behind your toes.

Butt Kickers-Walk forward bending and lifting your foot to your bum.

Skipping-Be a kid again! Move by hopping on one foot and then the other.

High Knees-In a marching motion lift one leg with a bent knee followed by alternating the opposite leg.

Swinging Leg Lifts-Lift one leg up to the side and swing it to the other side across the front of your body.

Strait Kicks-Walk forward keeping your limbs strait alternate lifting your legs out in front of your body with the opposite arm.

*There is still some controversy on the topic of stretching but there is always have room to learn and grow.