tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406291341256928923.post826150052007265886..comments2023-10-20T17:37:23.277+02:00Comments on Train Smarter: The fallacy of static stretchingMarcelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14382984379195563565noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406291341256928923.post-6541647469043561112010-09-06T14:19:01.274+02:002010-09-06T14:19:01.274+02:00After retiring from being a full time athlete I ch...After retiring from being a full time athlete I changed the way I stretched, as in I did not really do any! mainly because of time restraints and I could not justify the amount of time I used to stretch and do Yoga to my personal life. however I did find a difference and maybe it was not so obvious because the hours of training were not high but initially I felt that I had been wasting my time stretching as I felt fine and normal, but then after about 6 weeks of training and racing I was able to tell the difference, boy I needed to stretch! I think the important area to watch though is that during Summer training there is plenty of time to stretch after training which most people do and people generally do not do much of a pre exercise warm up session, but what tends to happen is that during the race season we do more of a pre race thing doing stuff, that lets face it we just some top World Cup athlete do, and not the same amount of post race stretching. we must continue to do what we do in the Summer or tweak what we do in the Summer to something we know we can keep up in the Winter so we are able to assess if it is adequate?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02517591449795785397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406291341256928923.post-23899090634787369902010-09-05T15:55:54.475+02:002010-09-05T15:55:54.475+02:00Here is a comment I've had from a fellow athle...Here is a comment I've had from a fellow athlete who has much insight in to training and I have copied it over to the comments:<br /><br />I am not sure there is a FALLACY with static stretching! If you mean static stretching before exercise, then it is total fallacy and it is know by every exercise professional in the game, from elite performance coaches to the personal trainer at your local fitness centre. It is well documented that static stretching pre-exercise can have a negative effect on performance and increase the chances of strain and injury. Dynamic stretching it the recommended form of pre-training stretch which activates the elasticity of the muscle like you mentioned above.<br />But static stretching plays a large part in performance and recovery for almost every elite athlete. Although i have never know any athletes to stretch to remove or reduce lactate. But post-exercise stretching is very important to maintain flexibility. After exercise the muscles shorten and then repair so over time without static stretching to lengthen the muscles to normal state again there will be permanent shortening reducing flexibility.i know several athletes that have shortened calfs through lack of stretching which has reduced flexibility in the ankle preventing them from performing a basic squat correctly!! placing added stress on the lower back which could lead to injury.So with the correct application of knowledge you'll do the right stretch at the right time!Marcelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14382984379195563565noreply@blogger.com