To stretch or not to stretch: there is no question (video post).

by

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uWCJg_5XzY

Now you.

Do you make time for stretching?

Or are you like I am was & tend to make that the first thing you trim from your exercise routine when pressed for time?

Are you a ballistic stretcher even though many sources say not to stretch this way (I have friends who *swear* by this approach)?

Have you ever experienced PNF stretching with a personal trainer or partner? Did you adore it as did I?

Are you currently a trainer? Have any stretching tips you wanna share with the reading masses?

Are you jealous of my messy head & bandanna wearing?

Please to hit us all up in the comments.

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Comments

  1. I used to be terrible abput stretching, but am now a lot better. It really is a neccesity for me now and it really does feel good!

    I loved partner stretching too (we did it at Boot Camp).

    Avoid the ballistic though.

  2. It seems as though there is never a definitive answer on this one so I always skip it.

    shhhhhh LOL

  4. Ummmm hell yes jealous of the bandanna 😉

    A full stretching program ALWAYS gets neglected over at my end… but I DO stretch for about 30 seconds every morning (does that count?)

    Ok. I’ve got 20 minutes before the plane leaves to take me to POM in California. I’ll do a quick little stretch before I had out!

  5. I now stretch at night before bed so that I can relax but Im thinking I should warm up a little first after watching your video.

    Is 3 minutes of jumproping enough?

  6. I’m confused……stretching bad……yoga good…….hmmmmm.

    My personal choice for stretching = walking. (it naturally “unwinds” your back.
    And after work outs I “hang”. Find a pull up bar and just “hang” 3-5 times for about 30-45 seconds or longer if you can.

    Marc

  7. I warm up with dynamic stretches using bands typically. I’m not so good at stretching between sets (especially now when my prescribed rest periods are 15 seconds).

    My other favorite form of stretching? Foam rolling. One of my favorite feel good and do good for me things.

  8. LOOOOOVE your natural look.

    I am like you are and I stretch between training sets and that’s pretty much it.

    I need more yoga.

  10. I completely agree – I feel so much more flexible and get so much more out of stretching when I’m warmed up and have done some sort of cardio.

    Thanks for the reminder that I need to switch up some cardio with more weight training this week.

    Your bandana = hawt!

  12. I am rushing to the office yet had to make time for this video because of the bandanna & your ‘pose’ in the freezefame.

    The fists 🙂

  13. I would always “forget” to stretch, especially after long hard workouts. I had hamstring pain in my left leg for close to a year.

    But can you believe it, after my recent dedication to awesome stretching for only 2 weeks. That pain is GONE!

    My method was to warm up my muscles sufficiently, then engage in the stretching positions that I held for close to a minute. That’s what worked to get the pain out.

    Ahhh…..stretching is vital for sure.

  14. Hey Miz, Stretching is ALWAYS the first thing that gets cut from my exercise routine….hmmm that’s not right because that implies that stretching was a part of my routine. Which is wasn’t/hasn’t/isn’t! 🙂 Thanks for the tip on stretching between sets and why. Also the examples!

    Love the bandanna and pigtails! I sport the bandanna with pony tails! 🙂

    XO
    Natalia

  15. When I don’t get too lazy, I stretch after workouts or sometimes before bed.

    But WAY TOO OFTEN I get too lazy. Sometimes I wait until things start hurting to get back in the habit. Bad Crab.

    And I am definitely jealous of your bandana head, as that’s a cute look I’ve never been able to pull off myself.

  16. I’m really good about stretching after weights, but not so much when I come home from a run. I’ll go for a really good run and come home and jump in the shower and realize hours later I never stretched at all. I am trying to be better about this…

  20. Geez. I never realized that I was doing stretching all wrong! Really had no idea. I’ve stretched cold. I never stretched between sets. Thanks!

  22. I am a personal trainer and frequently emply PNF with my clients.

    It is a fantastic was to acheive a deep stretch but always practice caution if you or your partner do not know 100% what you’re doing.

    See a professional for some tips.

    Great vid, Miz.

  23. busy bandanna’ed morning here.
    slap happy I think?
    I just giggled as I approved a few “pending” comments and thought:

    MY NAME IS MIZFIT AND I APPROVE THIS COMMENT.

    like Im a politician

    with a paid advertisement

    not funny?

    see? I knew I was happywiththeslaps!

    off and running, errr, stretching.

  24. I always want to leave stretching out because there are so many other things to do BUT I DON’T. Especially as I age, the importance of it is even clearer as the body is not as flexible & things really don’t work right without that stretching & flexibility time. The hammie tightens up which goes to the back & more.

    There are time I really want to just not but because of how much I need it as I age, I try not to miss it.

    PS: I used to be able to do my splits without ever warming up. Now I have to warm up for 10-25 minutes before I do them to be sure I don’t pull something! 🙂

  27. Stretching is my fave part of any workout! In fact, I’ll stretch even if I do nothing else (yeah, yeah, don’t stretch cold muscles…). LOVE stretching.

  28. I’m bad about getting my stretching in. Hence the reason I’m nursing a pulled calf muscle this morning. Like you it is the first thing to get cut when I’m pressed for time. I need to get better about this.

  29. I always enjoy a good stretch session after a run, but I tend to neglect stretching between weight sets. I will remember to do them while I’m at it today!

  30. Another new reader here from Twitter.

    Had to check out the blog of the owner of those skates.

    😉

  31. I used to stretch religiously before working out until I heard that you could injure yourself that way. Now I find it’s more important to do a proper warm-up instead stretching before exercise. However, I don’t do it in-between sets. I’ve got to try that, it may help me climb the stairs better the day after weight lifting 😛

  32. Once you wipe out a hamstring because you didn’t stretch properly before hitting the track in the rain and realize on the freezing limp back that you live in a house with 21 stairs, you learn to be more appreciative of the entire stretching process and its benefits. Just sayin’ …

  35. I am a Personal Trainer. My one biggest tip from reading your comments:

    WALKING IS NOT STRETCHING. In fact walking tightens the calves and hamstrings, two of the most important muscles to stretch to prevent back pain.

    I regularly foam roll before I workout -but only stretch those muscles that are “underactive” (like calves). And only rarely stretch during a workout, too. I try to remember to that, but it was never a point with any of my trainers.

    After a workout I stretch and foam roll. And I foam roll at night before I go to bed. (can you tell I am in love with foam rolling?)

    I had PNF stretching done by trainer Guido -and adored it. It loosened up my hips a lot. It’s a technique I still need to find a class on.

  36. Nice head-gear! Some people can pull anything off – you go girl!!
    I stretch…mostly in the mornings or after a walk or bike ride. I do yoga once a week but I’m thinking of bumping it up to twice. So many rules! I have to keep it simple or I freeze in fear and seize up – stiff!!
    I’m going with “something is better than nothing!”

  37. YES YES YES what DEB SAID.

    Walking is yer workout not your stretching time.
    your muscles, as she so better described :), are CONTRACTING then not lengthening.

    I need me a Guido, Deb.

    Fo’ shizzle.

  38. Ugh yes, I always cut the stretching when I’m in a rush.

    And I always pay for it later.

    I just recently discovered that my super, uber tight hamstrings were contributing to my back pain, so I have been paying special stretching attention to them twice a day. Its actually helping. Who knew?

    I’m a PNF stretcher; that bouncing stuff is weird. And I, too, heard horror stories about it.

    My next investment is a foam roller, like Deb talked about. I hear they are AMAZING!!

  39. The bad thing with stretching is that one can find enough studies to support the fact it isn’t that helpful to have a built in excuse not to do it 🙂

    I tend to find studies which support what I want to do anyway…

  42. Oh man, I LOVE to stretch! I have a little stretching routine I do every morning and every night. Feels so good.

    And yes, PNF stretching rocks!

    And yes again – so jealous of your messy head & bandana wearing. 😉

  43. Stretching is very important for me so that I can maintain the precious flexibility and range of motion I still have left. I’ve lost so much because of the fusing that’s gone on in my spine, neck and some joints because of AS (ankylosing spondylitis–an autoimmune condition). I didn’t realize that we should warm up before stretching, so this was especially important and helpful for me, Carla. Thank you! 🙂

  44. SO jealous of the messy hair bandana! LOL.

    I really need to stretch, especially my legs, after a run particularly other wise I have problems with my shins. However, I am very BAD at remembering to stretch until shin problems pop up!

  45. I just learned during this past year that static stretching before warming up was a no-no. (Good timing, because I really hadn’t been doing anything exercise-like before last year.) But I hadn’t thought of stretching as being the *reverse* motion of the exercise.

    I think that’s one of the reason I like exercising in classes; the instructors I have always make time for stretching. (Our BodyPump instructor is especially good about getting the stretches in between sets and at the end.) I love the feeling of stretching, but like others, it tends to get cut or dropped from my solo workouts.

    Question for the experts: In yoga, there seems to be a lot of static stretching, but not much in the way of cardio warm-up. Should one do a few jumping jacks or similar before a yoga session?

  46. I forget more frequently than I should. But, when I do remember to stretch, I enjoy it. It really helps me. Oddly, I never forget when I’ve done a pool workout, maybe because it is easier for me to stretch in water.

    Thanks for a needed reminder!

  47. Confession: I stretch when I’m with my trainer bc he’s watching me. And I stretch at Nia because they have groovy music and it feels good. It does not usually occur to me to stretch when I am alone, however. Oops.

  48. Oo! Oo! I love this topic! I will now attempt to leave a COMMENT, not a POST, as this is a subject near and dear to my heart. 😉

    First, I admit to being one of those who skips stretching during/immediately after a workout. I know, I know. I try and make up for it by stretching at night while I watch TV. (And no, I don’t warm up, but I start SLOWLY and progress for a half hour to an hour.) Neither one of those things are optimal, but if I added stretching to my workout, I’d quit working out. It would take too long. So that’s my compromise.

    That said, I generally think ballistic stretching is a badbadbad idea that begs for injury. The exceptions might be A) if you were/are super-flexible already, because if you’re THAT flexible, it can frankly be hard to over-stretch, even ballistically, and B) if you have GREAT muscle control and are doing LITTLE ballistics. In other words, if you can sit with your legs out in front of you and lay your head on your legs, you can SLOWLY use a ballistic-type movement to rotate your pelvis back and forth in order to deepen the stretch. But it would be BAD to sit there when you AREN’T flexible and can’t put your head on your legs and then try to bounce into your stretch. That is asking for trouble, because body weight and momentum are easily underestimated.

    I love PNF stretching, though. (LOL, we used to do that when I danced, but didn’t have a term for it!) You can get a pretty deep stretch that way, although (ironically) I wouldn’t personally recommend doing that when you’re REALLY warmed up. It’s too easy to overstretch and strain/pull/tear something before you realize you’ve gone too far. (Don’t ask me how I know this, but I do. I know it three separate times, ok?)

    I also think the type of stretching and how much of it you’re doing depends a lot on what you want. Are you just un-crimping a muscle ball? Are you going for greater range of motion? Are you lengthening chronically tight areas? Do you want to pull your leg up so high that you can kiss your knee while standing up? Those are VERY different goals, and the amount and type of stretching you want to do varies with each one.

    Um. I think this is turning into a post, anyway. *sigh* I’ll stop now. 😉

    No, wait! One more thing! Miz, I had NO IDEA what to do to stretch my upper body! I’m good with the lower, but not so much with the upper. So thanks for the info!

  50. I’m better than I used to be but not perfect. I find that after a run, it is VITAL that I stretch or I will be so tense the next day the run will be much harder. Sometimes though if I know I am going to be yoga’ing within 24 hours/before the next run I will not stretch then and I’ll wait. But yeah, if I have 30 mins exercise time in the morning, I won’t cut my run short, I’ll cut my stretching short.

  51. Okay, I was so proud of myself for finally making time to stretch AFTER lifting weights. But I don’t really consciously stretch in between sets (maybe a few stretches here and there). Makes SO much sense! Thanks! This post will change my weight lifting workouts! 🙂

  53. I need me a Guido too now. (although we occasionally connect by social media now, he is resisting the face-to-face still).

    Even better, I need me a class on doing this.

  54. Stretching is one of the first things to go for me. My PT reminded me that stretching is huge because of my running injury. I will be sure to do it more often.

    And my trainer makes me do stretches between each set but I usually forget when doing it on my own because I don’t know which one to do sometimes.

  58. I’ve been lifting for years and It’s funny how I’ve just gotten in the habit of only stretching biceps probably because they seem to shorten and tighten the most. Thanks for this. I’ll be back for more lifting andf workout tips.

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