To stretch or not to stretch after a run/session?

Wottle

I know this has come up before.

I'm convinced that it's your pre run warm-up, dynamic stretching and drills that are more beneficial to keeping you injury free. I also think foam rolling post workout is a must also and I think static stretches post run is a waste of time. If there's any benefits to it, they are only psychological.

I've had this out with someone recently and they swear by the static stretching.

Am I the one who's wrong?

Would love if anyone could direct me towards papers that might back my point up and even papers that may make me change my stance.

Cheers

dna_leri

Wottle wrote: »

I know this has come up before.

I'm convinced that it's your pre run warm-up, dynamic stretching and drills that are more beneficial to keeping you injury free. I also think foam rolling post workout is a must also and I think static stretches post run is a waste of time. If there's any benefits to it, they are only psychological.

I've had this out with someone recently and they swear by the static stretching.

Am I the one who's wrong?

Would love if anyone could direct me towards papers that might back my point up and even papers that may make me change my stance.

Cheers

Hi Wottle

The below article references a meta analysis that suggests there is no benefit to post exercise stretching.
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/flexibility/a/aa022102a.htm

I have not looked to see if there is any evidence of benefit from rolling.

Personally I think it's a matter of preference. If you feel better from rolling or stretching after exercise then do it. Before exercise do dynamic warmup.

Wottle

Found this aswell on Steve Magness site, few years old though.
http://www.scienceofrunning.com/2009/08/stretching-is-it-useless.html

uvox

Some thoughts that foam rolling may have the edge: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/life-by-dailyburn-/foam-roller_b_8111178.html

Works for me anyway...

Murph_D

uvox wrote: »

Some thoughts that foam rolling may have the edge: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/life-by-dailyburn-/foam-roller_b_8111178.html

Works for me anyway...

Think the OP was looking for something more research based than an article in the Huffington Post. :pac:

Myles Splitz

dna_leri wrote: »

Hi Wottle

The below article references a meta analysis that suggests there is no benefit to post exercise stretching.
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/flexibility/a/aa022102a.htm

I have not looked to see if there is any evidence of benefit from rolling.

Personally I think it's a matter of preference. If you feel better from rolling or stretching after exercise then do it. Before exercise do dynamic warmup.

That meta-analysis refers to Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness specifically though rather than overall benefits of stretching

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004577.pub2/epdf

I think the article does make some very good points though that are not always highlighted.

It's also important to realize that stretching (or releasing) tight muscles should go hand in hand with strengthening the weak muscles.

Muscle functional range of motion, strength and elasticity all need to come into play, people tend to focus on one but in order for a muscle to be healthy and efficient and have low injury risk it needs to have functional range of motion, strength (power/force), strength (tensile)

To give you a few examples

- A flexible muscle without strength has decreased power generation and as such fatigue quicker and increase overuse injury risk

- A strong muscle can cause muscle imbalance issues and inhibit antagonistic muscles which ties back in with last point

- Muscles with high elasticity but decreased range of motion effectively have a ballistic nature with ground contact (thinking ankle in particular for this one) which increases injury risk

Magness also touched on the hormonal responses of the Golgi Tendon Organ and the effects stretching can have on the nervous system. Decreasing neural activity, and increasing hormonal activity (decreasing Cortisol secretion and increase (or atleast initiation) of IGF-1 secretion can have an impact on increased recovery

There are definitely places for both outside of just the placebo effect of one or the other.

Like anything, it's not a silver bullet its about combining sleep, nutrition and supplementary work in order to facilitate the body to handle the stresses put on it in any way that can benefit

Little bit of everything is better than overdoing one aspect.