Stop Stretching!

Sounds a little crazy, I know, but let me explain.

Ever since the days of playing junior sports, we’ve all been told how important it is to stretch out before we run out on the field, court, course, etc.  Fearful of the ever looming hamstring pull or other sports related injury, I can remember all of my coaches preaching the same message.

Well, times have changed.  The days of the pregame stretch are dead, at least to some degree.  If you watch the elite athletes of today, you will notice a big change in their routine before game/match when compared to even 5 years ago.  No longer will you see them performing the long drawn out static stretching that we have all been taught.

Why? Because recent research has shown that this type of stretching can actually be a bit of a hindrance to overall athletic performance. This type of stretching is known as “Static Strecthing,” and has become the topic of many debates as of lately.

Current research has shown that when an athlete, or any individual for that matter, uses static stretching prior to sports related or maximal effort activity, their performance can be negatively affected.  Initially this can concept can be a bit confusing, but when you look at what really happens to the muscle during this type of stretch it makes sense.

The purpose of static stretching is to decrease the stiffness of the muscle, and increase its length due to a breakdown of chemical bonds in the muscle fibers. If there is decreased stiffness in the muscle, then there is likely to be more of a delayed reaction and obviously less tension when that muscle is called upon to perform.

This is a problem in virtually any sport; and especially in the game of golf, this is not a good thing.  In a game where timing, tension, and coil are so important, the last thing a golfer wants to do is cause a delay in reaction time and muscle strength.

Of course this doesn’t mean that you should jump out of the car after an hour long ride to the golf course and tee it up. It also doesn’t mean that static stretching does not have its place in a wellness and fitness program.  It is just a matter of knowing when to do the right stretches.

There is another type of stretching that has become much more popular and has shown a significant correlation in improved athletic performance.  This is known as “Dynamic stretching.”

Dynamic stretching utilizes the active movement of body parts in a virtually continuous motion, taking the joints and limbs into further ranges of motion without the long drawn out holding as in the static stretch.  Dynamic stretches are also more synergistic, meaning that they incorporate more body parts, as compared to the isolated nature of the static stretch.

Examples of dynamic stretching would be walking lunges, body weight squats, seated trunk rotations, or other similar movements.  All of these will promote increasing the flexibility of the athlete without draining the muscles of their potential strength and speed.

Dynamic exercises should be used in conjunction with a short warmup (like walking, jogging, etc) prior to athletic activities and static stretches should be used after as a “cooldown” in order to restore the muscles to their normal functional length.

Static and Dynamic stretching can also be extremely effective when used together on recovery days in order to correct any possible muscle imbalances and/or injuries.  If the body is not balanced properly, the athlete runs a significant risk of developing new or chronic injuries.

The bottom line is that, yes, stretching is a major component in any quality fitness and wellness plan, but the type of stretching is absolutely critical.  In general, think of the Dynamic stretches as movements that help warm-up the body, where as static stretches are much slower and therefore help cool the body down after a workout to restore the muscles to their proper lengths.

Jeff Pelizzaro, MPT

Physical Therapist/ Personal Trainer

Performance United Fitness

www.PerformanceUnited.com