stretch before running or not?

tomdempsey200

is it better to stretch after running ?

warm-up>run>warm down>stretch?


or is it better to stretch before the run as well?


thanks

dna_leri

After if at all.

http://www.bmj.com/content/325/7362/468

Conclusions: Stretching before or after exercising does not confer protection from muscle soreness. Stretching before exercising does not seem to confer a practically useful reduction in the risk of injury, but the generality of this finding needs testing. Insufficient research has been done with which to determine the effects of stretching on sporting performance

stop animal cruelty

before and after l would think....

tomdempsey200

we always used to at gaa and club running

but now i'm running on my own i'm thinking it's better after

Ososlo

Personally wouldn't stretch beforehand as don't think it's great to stretch cold muscles. I'd foam roll any areas that were a bit tight beforehand. If you ease into your run and don't start out too fast, that's probably enough of a warm up for the muscles.
Afterwards, if I do a slow few cool down miles I don't feel the need to stretch but again, if a particular area was a bit tight like a calf etc I might gently stretch that area and again I'd nearly always finish a run with a quick foam roll. Works for me anyhew!

tomdempsey200

Ososlo wrote: »

Personally wouldn't stretch beforehand as don't think it's great to stretch cold muscles. I'd foam roll any areas that were a bit tight beforehand. If you ease into your run and don't start out too fast, that's probably enough of a warm up for the muscles.
Afterwards, if I do a slow few cool down miles I don't feel the need to stretch but again, if a particular area was a bit tight like a calf etc I might gently stretch that area and again I'd nearly always finish a run with a quick foam roll. Works for me anyhew!

you warm-up before stretching so the muscles aren't cold

thats if it should be done at all

Zillah

As dna leri points out, there's no need to stretch. Feel free to do it if it feels right but it doesn't actually achieve anything. Prepare for a backlash if you try pointing this out to anyone.

Ososlo

tomdempsey200 wrote: »

you warm-up before stretching so the muscles aren't cold

thats if it should be done at all

yeah go for a quick run:D

tomdempsey200

Zillah wrote: »

As dna leri points out, there's no need to stretch. Feel free to do it if it feels right but it doesn't actually achieve anything. Prepare for a backlash if you try pointing this out to anyone.

i'm thinking you're right on this

tomdempsey200

if you're doing the explosive stuff like sprinting then you would need to stretch right?

dna_leri

tomdempsey200 wrote: »

if you're doing the explosive stuff like sprinting then you would need to stretch right?

No, studies on sprinting are clear - do not stretch before.

e.g. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18714249

Static stretching before sprinting resulted in slower times in all three performance variables. These findings provide evidence that static stretching exerts a negative effect on sprint performance and should not be included as part of the preparation routine for physical activity that requires sprinting.

BeepBeep67

Personally for me, if I'm just heading out on a run I run the 1st few mins easy and then get into my planned pace.
If I'm doing a session that's mile pace or faster I'll thrown in some dynamic work, strides, bounds, drills, etc, mainly to loosen up and get the HR up.
If it's slower than mile pace I'm just straight into it.
Rarely stretch afterwards, any stretching I would do is incorporated into what little core work I do or when I have a niggle that needs work.

YFlyer

Glutes activation exercises before running.

pa4

I never do any before running. If I'm doing a session I might do a few after my warm up but it'll be mainly dynamic stretching. After a run I'll do a bit of foam rolling especially if my muscles are sore other than that I'll just walk off any stiffness in the legs.

Red Belly

Completely gave up stretching just over a year ago on the advice of a Physio who was treating me for shin splints and tight calves at the time. Muscle pain and injuries have improved noticeably since.

RB

ultraman1

Never stretch,,,but if ders burds doin it il hang around and watch

vitani

I read somewhere that stretching can cause more injuries than it prevents - either by people stretching cold muscles or by incorrectly stretching or overstretching. It's not something I do unless a muscle feels particularly tight.

Sauve

I've had many conversations and read oodles of theories on stretching.
Having tried almost every combination, what I do now is a good warm up before each session (1-2k), then stretch, and then do a quick stretch after a cool-down.
My legs 'want' a good stretch after a run if that makes any sense. I'd find myself stretching in the hours after a run too, almost subconsciously.
Should probably foam roll more than I do.

That's what works for me anyway

Run and Jump

I do dynamic stretches before a run and static stretches afterwards. Static stretches on cold muscles are what cause injuries:
http://www.runnersworld.com/stretching/dynamic-routine

rom

No stretches or injury in 2 years (other than shoulder but that is due to sitting down at a desk all day and not running). Before that I used to stretch and was injured every 2nd week.

ecoli

rom wrote: »

No stretches or injury in 2 years (other than shoulder but that is due to sitting down at a desk all day and not running). Before that I used to stretch and was injured every 2nd week.

Doesn't quite tell the story fully though. I would ask how long you are running in total? People often try to make direct comparison without taking all other factors into account similar to someone who has been doing one type of training for years and suddenly does a different training plan for the most recent race and puts it down to this rather than taking into account all the previous training done in the build up to this training cycle

You need to look at all aspects in order to establish causality

ecoli

While I would agree with dna_leri regarding there being no benefit in terms of performance or injury prevention during exercise I think many people are missing overall picture of the importance of flexibility overall within a training program.

Developmental stretching to increase range of movement is an important part of an overall training program which should not be ignored as they play a role in muscle contractile force, neurological stimulus (which can affect balance and posture) and general range of movement.

Personally my stretching is conducted separate to any of my running sessions

rom

ecoli wrote: »

Doesn't quite tell the story fully though. I would ask how long you are running in total? People often try to make direct comparison without taking all other factors into account similar to someone who has been doing one type of training for years and suddenly does a different training plan for the most recent race and puts it down to this rather than taking into account all the previous training done in the build up to this training cycle

You need to look at all aspects in order to establish causality

just over 3 years. long warmup and cooldown work well for me.

ecoli

rom wrote: »

just over 3 years. long warmup and cooldown work well for me.

That's what I mean, you were in your first year of running meaning you would have been more susceptible to injury due to (possibly) the new stresses to the body and your body not adapting as quick as your training was progressing. So in that case it may not have been the stretching causing the issue but rather your body not being prepared for the workload which could also have been a contributing factor

rom

ecoli wrote: »

That's what I mean, you were in your first year of running meaning you would have been more susceptible to injury due to (possibly) the new stresses to the body and your body not adapting as quick as your training was progressing. So in that case it may not have been the stretching causing the issue but rather your body not being prepared for the workload which could also have been a contributing factor

Maybe. But I would want professional advise on stretching if I was to start.

ecoli

rom wrote: »

Maybe. But I would want professional advise on stretching if I was to start.

I think this is a good point. I spent years seeing static stretching as just looking for the point of bind (or where I felt it) and holding. It was only when I started to use structured flexibility programs (1st one was the p90x stretching tape) did I start to stretch progressively and focus on the breathing (which up to this point I undervalued the importance of during stretching)

Duanington

bit of an eye opener this one. I have been doing a 10\15 minute warmup for the last 12 months or so before each run - as part of that I would include 5 minutes or so of stretching after a warmup run ( slow) - something similar when doing a w\d

Actually I suppose I have always assumed that a warm up was a light jog with some stretching and everywhere I look I read about the importance of warmups in your routine.

So are warmups essentially just a light jog to get blood flowing through the muscles before the work starts?


Further research required I think !

axe2grind

Running nearly 3 years and don't stretch...never felt right...even looking at so many others stretching before a race.
And I politely ignore all the "good advice"

I do warm-up though before going hard.

So refreshing to read this thread!

plumber77

Duanington wrote: »

bit of an eye opener this one. I have been doing a 10\15 minute warmup for the last 12 months or so before each run - as part of that I would include 5 minutes or so of stretching after a warmup run ( slow) - something similar when doing a w\d

Actually I suppose I have always assumed that a warm up was a light jog with some stretching and everywhere I look I read about the importance of warmups in your routine.

So are warmups essentially just a light jog to get blood flowing through the muscles before the work starts?


Further research required I think !

Unless you've had some problems I wouldn't go changing it because of this thread. Maybe it works for you.

Duanington

plumber77 wrote: »

Unless you've had some problems I wouldn't go changing it because of this thread. Maybe it works for you.

Thanks - I don't think I'll change it to be honest but I do like to understand the reasoning behind the things I do in training. I'll look into it a bit more but if anything, the routine I have now seems to work for me (like you say)