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Fitness trainers the world over have different opinions on stretching. Some, often those with a yoga background, suggest that it is one of the most important aspects of fitness while others, often with a bodybuilding background, view stretching as nothing more than a colossal waste of time. The truth is, because there are so many different types of stretching, the question is not so much should you stretch at all but more what type of stretches should you do and when? Firstly, it’s important to understand why people stretch. In the main, most people stretch to improve their flexibility; flexibility being the range of movement at a joint or group of joints. Flexibility is important for your fitness and also your health. For example, if your biceps muscles were so short and tight you were unable to fully straighten your arms it would probably be a problem. Likewise, if your hamstrings are so tight that whenever you lean forward you have to round your back, this too is not ideal. In both scenarios, overly tight muscles prevent your body from being to move as it should – through a large range of motion and with minimal encumbrance from tight muscles. Of course, as is often the case, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing and this is also true of flexibility. If your muscles are so elastic that you can extend your joints further than is necessary, often called hyper-mobility, this too can lead to injury. Hyper-mobile shoulders, for example, would allow you to comfortably perform exercises like lat pull downs and shoulder presses behind your neck. Even if you can perform these exercises in comfort it doesn’t mean you should! Behind the neck exercises are a great way to damage your shoulder joints – possibly permanently. When it comes to flexibility and therefore stretching, it’s important to find a balance between doing enough to ensure you can move freely and through a wide range of movement and doing so much that you end up with hyper-mobile joints that are prone to injury. So how flexible do you need to be? As flexible as your activities of daily living require. The flexibility requirements for a gymnast are significantly different to those of a long distance runner however even the runner needs to be able to move freely and comfortably if he is to be an efficient and, hopefully an injury free runner. Bottom line: like all things fitness, flexibility is a personal matter and you need to establish what is enough for you. If you are unsure whether you are flexible enough ask your fitness trainer to assess you. A few simple stretching exercises will soon reveal whether you need more of less flexibility training. Types of stretching Much of the confusion around stretching is due to the fact that there are so many different ways to do it. In this section, I want to tell you about the three main stretching methods used by fitness trainers and when they are most useful... Static stretching – when most people think about stretching, its static stretching that they imagine. A static stretch, as the name suggests, involves little or no movement. Static stretches can be held for as little as ten seconds to maintain your current level of flexibility or for sixty seconds or more to improve it. Static stretches result in a certain amount of muscle relaxation and, subsequently, are best limited to your cool down or specific stretching sessions. As a rule, static stretches are not a good fit for warm ups unless you are specifically trying to calm down a hypertonic (over tight) muscle. Dynamic stretching – this type of stretching almost doesn’t really look like stretching as no single position is held for any length of time but, instead, involves working through a large but controlled range of movement. Good examples of dynamic stretches include alternating leg swings (looking like a soccer kick at quarter-speed) slow-time squats and lunges and the “sun salutation” sequence from yoga. Dynamic stretches are great for warming up and often replicate the exercises you are about to perform in your workout. In addition, they do not cause the same relaxation effect commonly associated with static stretches and they also ensure your muscles remain warm and your heart rate stays elevated – a direct contrast to static stretches. PNF stretching – short for Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (!!!) PNF stretches are a kind of static stretch but instead of being very passive, they are actually quite active. It’s hard to explain PNF without actually taking you through it (you usually need a partner for this kind of stretch) but I’ll do my best... Imagine lying on your back with one leg flat on the floor and your opposite leg perpendicular pointing straight up to the ceiling. Now, imagine your fitness trainer pushing your leg into a slightly deeper stretch. On his command, you then contract your hamstrings and try to push your leg back down to the floor against his unyielding hands. After ten seconds or so you relax and your fitness trainer pushes your leg back and into a slightly deeper stretch. This sequence is then repeated two or three more times. PNF works because, after a powerful contraction, your muscle is better able to relax and be stretched. It’s just a simple bit of muscle mechanics but results in relatively rapid improvements in flexibility. PNF is best used as part of a cool down but, because of the contraction aspect of this type of stretching stops your muscles from “nodding off”, you could use it as a warm up as well. So – who needs stretching? Everyone! However, the type of stretch you select depends on where you are in your workout and what you are trying to achieve. Stretch as much as you need to ensure your body functions as it should but don’t be one of those people who have amazing flexibility but also spend (seemingly) hours doing even more stretching. Stretching burns very few calories and doesn’t do that much for your strength so do the minimum amount necessary to get the results you need and then spend the rest of your valuable workout time on your cardio, core and strength training. Author Bio: Mark Darco is a professional personal trainer with 15 years experience and has worked with hundreds of clients. He has successfully completed multiple certifications and continues to provide fitness training to clients of all ages in the NYC area.
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