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Stretching...
Can anyone tell I am new to EN? I have set up like 5 new topics in the last week...at least I am eager to learn, right?!
Is there anything about stretching here in the Haus? Maybe a routine, or a program, or even EN's philosophy on stretching? I know when I am stretching regularly, I generally feel better, but, I find that if I stretch too much I feel like I am dragging because I am straining my muscles too much. At the moment, what I do is stretch about 5 days a week in the evenings when I am winding down the day...
Is that a good idea? Should I stick to doing after workouts? Thanks for the help!
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Stephen-
We are all different based on needs. I do the same as you. I stretch in the evenings, after work, watching the news. I work out first thing in the morning. If anything is sore at work (usually hamstring after a run), then I have a tennis ball to massage the area. Many of us are dependent upon some type of trigger point, foam roller to maintain our mobility. I might stretch my calf and soleus before a run, loosen up my ankles- not consistently, but I do nothing before getting on the bike. When I am swimming, I stretch my shoulders before and after. There is no one established EN philosophy for stretching.
When the runs are 1.5 hrs or more, I find an ice bath immediately afterwards is essential. Otherwise, I rarely leave myself enough time before work to cool down, bathe, stretch, eat.
Just my N=1. Will try not to jinx myself, but except for the occasional rolled ankle, I have been very lucky and not injury prone. More like I am stiff in upper body after long bike or run and work out those kinks. Most chronic issue after ankles is shoulders when swimming and that is technique driven.
welcome Steve!
Well, I stretch lightly before I run for sure and then get a good one in after I run. I also use the trigger point roller on my quads and ITB. Light stretch before and after bike as well. Nothing crazy but enough to keep the cobwebs out. I usually figure an extra 20 minutes per workout for "aux" stuff.
JC
Flexibility is definitely not a strong suit of mine. I was curious about any good data on stretching approaches so I used pubmed to sort out what is what. Most studies have compared static stretching vs dynamic. Static stretching is using force to try to gradually elongate a muscle while dynamic stretching is trying to move a joint through its maximal range of motion. For example for the quads, holding your ankle pressed back to the butt cheeks and holding for 15 seconds would be a static stretch while jogging while trying to kick your heels up to your butt would be a dynamic stretch.
It turns out in every study that static stretches improve flexibility both over the long and short term while dynamic stretches actually worsen it. The flip side to this though is that actual athletic performance is impaired by preceding the exercise with static stretching, but is improved by dynamic stretching. The take home message from this in my mind is to focus on static stretching, particularly at the end of workouts or at times of day when a workout isn't imminent (early AM or late PM). I don't do static stretching prior to a hard work out or race, instead I incorporate dynamic stretching as part of pre-race and pre-testing warmups.
Stephen,
I am a convert to stretching, primarily as a result of developing sometimes debilitating lower back pain, but also following having to walk the last 7 miles of CDA last summer from what I believe were way tight IT bands. As such I will engage in 5 minutes of dynamic stretching before running, followed by 10+ mins or so of static stretching after a run or bike. My favorite component, although not always the most pleasant, is foam rolling - IT bands, gluts, sometimes calves at least three times a week. In addition to staying on top of the OS plan and building power/speed, this is my core plan for huge improvement in my PR in Placid next July. Happy stretching!!
Gus
Stretching, especially lower back, glutes, hip flexors and hamstrings, and core strength, will help you acheive and be comfortable in a more aggressive riding position.
@Coach Rich
Do you have some suggested stretches to hit those areas? Maybe a resource you could point me to?
Otherwise, I can try looking up some things.
I am NOT the stretching guy, believe me. I'm a board and historically have been extremely bad with sticking with a program to improve. When I do stretch I just drop on the floor while watching TV and do the usual stuff. I imagine that Leigh would be the go-to-gal with the resources.
Okie, here are some older threads that we have going.
First link is for the low back/hip area
http://www.endurancenation.us/en_fo...php?t=6281
Second link is lower body- calf, hamstring etc
http://www.endurancenation.us/en_fo...php?t=5853