It doesn't matter if you are working a nine to five job in an office or you are a marathon runner, we are told that stretching is important for everyone to do. They say it can save you from injuries, headaches, and a great amount of pain-but is it true?
Stretching has been promoted for years as an essential part of a fitness program. It is a way to decrease the risk of injury, prevent soreness, and improve performance.
While researchers continue to look at the benefits and pitfalls of stretching, there is still limited (and conflicting) evidence to sort out these opinions. Some research suggests that stretching doesn't prevent muscle soreness after exercise.
Researchers of the University of Sydney conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of ten previously published studies of stretching either before or after athletic activity. They concluded that stretching before exercise doesn't prevent post-exercise muscle soreness.
They also found little support for the theory that stretching immediately before exercise can prevent either overuse or acute sports injuries. Research physiologists at Nebraska Wesleyan University published study results indicating that more flexible runners had lower running economy (how efficiently they use oxygen) than runners with tight hamstrings.
Consequently, those runners were faster than the 'flexible' runners. Yes, it was a very small study, and yes, they only measured sit and reach scores.
But the results were still a bit surprising and brought more attention to the question: to stretch or not to stretch ? Much of this confusion comes from a misinterpretation of research on warm up.
These studies found that warming by itself has no effect on range of motion, but that when the warm up is followed by stretching there is an increase in range of motion. Many people misinterpreted this finding to mean that stretching before exercise prevents injuries, even though the clinical research suggests otherwise.
A better interpretation is that warm up prevents injury, whereas stretching has no effect on injury. If injury prevention is the primary objective, the evidence suggests that athletes should limit the stretching before exercise and increase the warm up time.
Studies do support that range of motion can be increased by a single fifteen to thirty second stretch for each muscle group per day. However, some people require a longer duration or more repetitions.
Research also supports the idea that the optimal duration and frequency may vary by muscle group. The long-term effects on range of motion show that after six weeks, those who stretch for thirty seconds per muscle each day increased their range of motion much more than those who stretched fifteen seconds per muscle each day.
No additional increase was seen in the group that stretched for sixty seconds. Another six week study conducted found that one hamstring stretch of thirty seconds each day produced the same results as three stretches of thirty seconds.
These studies support the use of thirty second stretches as part of general conditioning to improve range of motion. When sorting out all the research on flexibility for athletes, it's important to remember that the goal of lengthening your muscles is to develop and maintain an appropriate range of motion around specific joints.
It is also important to realize that releasing tight muscles should go hand in hand with strengthening the weak muscles. After exercise, cool down and hold a given extension only until you feel a slight pulling in the muscle, but no pain.
As you hold it, the muscle will relax. As you feel less tension, you can increase it again until you feel the same slight pull.
Hold this position until you feel no further increase. If you do not seem to gain any range of motion using the above technique, you may consider holding the stretch longer (up to sixty seconds).
Most experts believe ballistic, or bouncing during an extension, is dangerous because the muscle may reflexively contract if re-stretched quickly following a short relaxation period. Such eccentric contractions are believed to increase the risk of injury.
In addition to improving range of motion, it is extremely relaxing, and most athletes use these exercises to maintain a balance in body mechanics. However, one of the biggest benefits may be something the research can't quantify: it just feels good.
Author Resource:-
Ronald Pedactor is a fitness trainer. He has been coaching athletes for more then 20 years. He recommends the bestfitness exercise equipment to achieve your fitness goals.
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