stretching...

[thicks]

stretchin'

[tracstarr]

i've heard about that 'research'. I disagree with it. I'm sure that any athlete will tell you that too. I've seen many injuries that have occured when then athlete did not stretch, and definatly less than those that did.

Stretching increases your flexability, and having that increased flexability is itself preventative to many sports injuries in my opinion. It may not necessarly increase performance, but would definatly decrease injury potential. I would say that 'warming-up' muscles does increase the performance potential. I would ventue to guess that a lot of people consider stretching and warming-up to be grouped together whenever they hear either of them. They go hand in hand.

[thicks]

I certainly dont know enough about it to comment, just for the record. I just thought it was an interesting link.

[dcentral]

I heard this on the radio on the weekend.

They didn't say stretching was bad for you. What they said was that stretching really does not provide any benefits before an athletic performance.

They said that most injuries occur during normal range of motion so why before an athletic performace would you be stretching to maximize your range of motion when if you are going to probably be injuried when you are not at your max stretching.

They did say stretching was import to increase flexibility and range of motion, but it is was something that should really be done as part of your training regiment.

Warming up was still key as well, they didn't want you going in there cold.

Now I'd hazard a guess to say that if you've been stetching your whole life as part of your warm up it would probably be a good idea to continue because you would know what your body needs to do to be ready to compete.

All this article really says is that you can do it and you aren't going to be hindering your preformance that much but overall it isn't really going to help prevent injuries.

The biggest test case too look at is when Micheal Johnson pulled up in his race with Donovan Baley. His injuried occured when he was in normal range of motion, not when he was at full stride.

Some of the studies about seditary people were really interesting as well.

I personally still do a little stretching when I work out. But most of the time I get more benefit strecthing after an activity. I usually like to warm up by doing whatever actvity I'm doing -- whether it be judo, climbing, running etc.

[The Teth]

I would say that stretching would still likely be beneficial and prevent injury in climbing more than other sports. We push our range of motion a lot more climbing than for most other sports. I have had muscles bind up often while doing high-steps in particular. A bound up muscle can easily tear. A bit of stretching allows me to get back on the problem and do the high-step without my muscles binding up (providing I have not already torn them the first time).

Teth

[dcentral]

I agree that it is very sport specific.

[cooper]

they are doing a lot of research on the subject over here at mun
wat has been found is that doing light stretching enhances performance while dynamic stretching or forced stretching before you exercis causes a loss of strenght and stability during the your workout
dynamic stretching or forced stretching should be done after your workout to emprove rang of motion and flexibility
-Ryan

[Richard Eh!]

While I agree with DCCentral that for some sports I seem to "get more benefit from stretching after an activity", I also agree with Teth that when climbing I very much find an improvement in performance because of the enhanced range of motion, not only in "high steps" but also in contorted and rotated body positions under oblique forces generated from the different vectors in which we as climbers commonly push and/or pull.
I think that it is important to bear in mind when stretching as a precursor to activity that you involve the target muscle groups in a low impact warm-up prior to the stretch, and that at no time should you use bolistic stretching (i.e. "dynamic stretching or forced stretching" ).
I know for a fact that if I don't stretch after a day of major exertion, my recovery time is almost doubled and I do experience low level pain the following day whereas this is not usually the case if activity is followed up with the proper stretching while the muscles are still warm.
Of course the hydration level before, during and after the activity plays a very significant role in all that as well.