Hey guys, I thought I'd post on something interesting I heard people talking about the other day. Myths of stretching versus the truth. It's quite an interesting topic if you ask me and something that all sports people should be doing every day. So here it goes...
1. You should always stretch before you workout (Myth): You don't NEED to stretch before you workout. Yes, it is recommended you do stretch but not all activities require stretching. For those of you into your running, you should look more towards the dynamic stretching techniques which you do during your warm up. This can include high knees, heel flicks, shoulder rotations etc. These can be done while you warm up.
2. Everyone should do the same kind of stretching: This is false. Not everyone needs to do the same stretching as the person beside you. Sure everyone's body is different and requires different stretches. Second of all, different sports require different stretching also. There are no rules as to how you should stretch but each individual to themselves, you stretch how you need.
3. Stretching will keep you from getting injured: False again. Stretching does not prevent injury so why do so many people believe this? Because at every opportunity we are told that if you stretch you won't get injured but it doesn't work like that unfortunately. Stretching is great for injury prevention as it lowers your risk of getting injured but it doesn't stop you from getting injured. Stretching increases blood flow into the muscles we are stretching and thus increases our range of movement which reduces our likelihood of getting injured but it does not prevent it.
4. Stretching will enhance your performance: This is a half-myth because it has been proven that stretching enhances performance although it does not work for every athlete out there. Dynamic stretching in particular for athletes before a training session or competition can improve their performance as this stretching loosens up the muscles and their range of movement increases as a result.
5. You can't over-stretch: FALSE. If you stretch a tight muscle you may strain or pull the muscle. You need to ease your way into a stretch. If you go straight into an intense stretch then you can over-stretch.
6. Stretching and foam-rolling are the same: False. Foam rolling, also known as self-myofascial release, gives your muscles different reliefs to those of stretching. Foam-rolling gives more of a deep-tissue relief. If you have time you should do both! (I will do a full post on self-myofascial release in the next week!)
That's the end of my stretching myths versus truths for today guys! Hope you found this somewhat interesting and can refer to this in your own training. As always, please share my posts with your friends and family who may find it interesting also! Any post suggestions please leave a comment below!
1. You should always stretch before you workout (Myth): You don't NEED to stretch before you workout. Yes, it is recommended you do stretch but not all activities require stretching. For those of you into your running, you should look more towards the dynamic stretching techniques which you do during your warm up. This can include high knees, heel flicks, shoulder rotations etc. These can be done while you warm up.
2. Everyone should do the same kind of stretching: This is false. Not everyone needs to do the same stretching as the person beside you. Sure everyone's body is different and requires different stretches. Second of all, different sports require different stretching also. There are no rules as to how you should stretch but each individual to themselves, you stretch how you need.
3. Stretching will keep you from getting injured: False again. Stretching does not prevent injury so why do so many people believe this? Because at every opportunity we are told that if you stretch you won't get injured but it doesn't work like that unfortunately. Stretching is great for injury prevention as it lowers your risk of getting injured but it doesn't stop you from getting injured. Stretching increases blood flow into the muscles we are stretching and thus increases our range of movement which reduces our likelihood of getting injured but it does not prevent it.
4. Stretching will enhance your performance: This is a half-myth because it has been proven that stretching enhances performance although it does not work for every athlete out there. Dynamic stretching in particular for athletes before a training session or competition can improve their performance as this stretching loosens up the muscles and their range of movement increases as a result.
5. You can't over-stretch: FALSE. If you stretch a tight muscle you may strain or pull the muscle. You need to ease your way into a stretch. If you go straight into an intense stretch then you can over-stretch.
6. Stretching and foam-rolling are the same: False. Foam rolling, also known as self-myofascial release, gives your muscles different reliefs to those of stretching. Foam-rolling gives more of a deep-tissue relief. If you have time you should do both! (I will do a full post on self-myofascial release in the next week!)
That's the end of my stretching myths versus truths for today guys! Hope you found this somewhat interesting and can refer to this in your own training. As always, please share my posts with your friends and family who may find it interesting also! Any post suggestions please leave a comment below!
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