
A recent study challenged my old ideas of how to stretch before exercise. Stretching is a natural and instinctive activity, We do it without thinking, just like our pet dogs and cats. Stretching happens when a specific skeletal muscle (or muscle group) is deliberately pulled, often by abduction from the torso, in order to improve the muscle's felt elasticity. Stretching can be counterproductive when performed incorrectly. There are many techniques for stretching in general, some techniques may be ineffective or detrimental, even to the point of causing damage to the tendons, ligaments and muscle fiber. It seems like guidelines are changing daily on who needs to do what kind of stretching, and when it should be individualized, depending on your exercise or sport, according to current research on the subject. Increasing flexibility through stretching has been one of the basic tenets of physical fitness, and it's common for athletes to be seen stretching before and after exercise in order to reduce injury.
Now yoga, involves the stretching of major muscle groups, some of which require a high level of flexibility. Be aware though, some research indicates stretching may also cause ischemia in muscles, that reduces oxygen levels and the ability to remove metabolic waste. When we have higher levels of metabolic waste, our bodies create a catalyst that contracts muscles. This may cause muscle injury during our events. In some cases stretching predisposes individuals to fatigue quicker than individuals who did not stretch. A recent study performed at UNLV examined how two kinds of stretching affect muscles used in different physical activities. Twenty-four healthy college students first warmed up with five minutes of treadmill walking, followed by one of three options. Three 30-second periods of static (the "stretch-and-hold" style) stretching. Then the same three 30-second periods of ballistic stretching (where you bounce back and forth between a starting and end point). Then no stretching before engaging in a variety of performance-related activities examining quad and hamstring strength, lower body power and vertical jump, which are important to different degrees in a variety of sports. There was 48 hours between testing days and the order of the stretching alternatives was carefully rotated. As it turned out, for sports that involve vertical jumping (for instance, basketball and volleyball) and quadriceps or hamstring strength (soccer, tennis, running and biking), it won't really matter what kind of stretching is done.

"So it is simple, Avoid static stretching prior to performance if speed is going to be a factor," whereas "dynamic", also called "ballistic stretching, should be a part of your warm-up for any athletic activities that require range of motion." For athletes who enjoy both kinds of stretching (that's me), he recommends dynamic stretching and a warm-up beforehand, plus a cool-down that includes static stretching afterward.
I couldn't agree more. Also, in a recent paper that was published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, reviewed the many research studies published on the topic and selected only the papers that used rigorous scientific . Researchers found that only 106 of the 4,559 total studies published on the topic met appropriate scientific criteria set forth for inclusion in their study. Once they selected the best studies for review, researchers compared the studies to determine if there were any differences between them that may have contributed to the different conclusions about static stretching and performance. These factors included stretch duration, muscle groups tested, and the specific strength/power test used to evaluate performance (e.g., vertical jump vs. strength test).

ALL ABOUT THE WARM-UP :

- Warm up your muscles activly before any kind of stretching or workout.
- Dynamic stretching helps prepare muscles for all types of activity.
- Don't do static stretching before your sport if your you need power and speed.
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