Does it prevent you from carrying out everyday tasks? It's very important to athletic performance, but not really that important to gym performance as you don't really need to be all that flexible to bench/squat/DL. Both gymnastics and dance require extreme stretching of muscles, tendons, and ligaments. I'd say warming up the muscles is far more important and beneficial than actually loosening them up by stretching. Studies have shown no benefits to stretching pre or post ride. Discussion of everything bicycle related. The latest answer as to whether it’s advised to stretch before or after a run may surprise you. 2. i'm not preaching against mobility. Stretching is something that often gets put on the back burner when we hit the gym. I hate stretching. I stretch for 5-7 minutes every day when I get home from work. For instance, if your chest is strong and your calves are tight—a common s… I stop by the sauna on my way out of the gym stretch for 5 or 10 minutes daily and feel much better. If lifting was enough, back squatters wouldn't so often have such a mobility problem with front squats or pistol squats. Seems like it's quite forgotten/little talked about in cycling. Here are 10 reasons why you should be stretching on a regular basis. Stretching isn't just for warming up - stretching and mobility will enable you do perform your lifting movements more effectively and assist in engaging the correct parts of the muscle. Muscle tig… Starting Stretching is a basic stretching routine for overall flexibility. How important is stretching before and after your workout The answer truly depends on who's asking. Soon after I started riding my road bike further and further the more I cramped up, then soon came the neck/back pain, I find stretching right after my ride when my muscles are warm a great idea, because if I do it before I go to bed my muscles are stiff again. Why exactly is Stretching Important. Stretching is an important part of physical fitness. I get neck things, low back things, hip things. A 2011 Cochrane Database Systematic Review looked at 12 studies and determined that stretching had a minimal effect on post-exercise soreness. My workouts are already quite long, 1.5-2 hours, and what hinders me the most is the time it takes to finish stretching. 20. Why Stretching Is Important For Your Body. Q: How important is stretching to a weightlifter? DOstretch tight muscles when training a favorite or strong body part. What Is Stretching & Why Is It Important? Is it incredibly important or not? Movement is an essential part of life, but so is flexibility. I know stretching is really important for preventing injuries but, DOuse static stretching to maintain flexibility, but do it after your workout, not before. Then, when you call on the muscles for activity, … It is important to maintain regularity with stretching. I'm not talking about tubs here. It is also considered as an important benefit of stretching. Stretching doesn't have to take that long. Stretching is necessary if you do not have the mobility to achieve a desired end range of motion because you lack the flexibility to do it. When you say that your flexibility sucks, what exactly do you mean? Stretching refers to the process of elongating the muscles to improve ROM. The older I get, the more important it gets. Static stretching exercises are for example when you get into a stretching position until you feel tension and hold it for 20-30 seconds. You may hurt yourself if you stretch cold muscles. The point of going to the gym is to lift and get your cardio in, right? Stretching Provides and Improves Flexibility. I do zero stretching before a ride, but I do warm-up my legs before any intense training or excercise. A more informed person could tell you. When you stretch the muscle, fibers and connective tissue elongate allowing the stretched muscles to … People stiffen up with age, and if you want to be able to tie your shoes at age 70 you better start with good flexibility at 30, it gets a hell of a lot harder to build mobility later. For example, golfer's elbow, which meant no arm workouts for a few weeks. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. If you are doing resistance training with full ROM, you are already doing dynamic stretching. Penis stretching primarily refers to manual stretching exercises done to increase penis length. WRONG! How important is stretching and should I do it? I’m 41 and while I’m quite flexible, I really have to keep up on my stretching. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Discussion of physical fitness/exercise goals and how they can be achieved, Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. Although multiple benefits from stretching exist, delaying or reducing muscle soreness does not appear to be a benefit. However, muscle stretching, either before or after exercise does not produce any noticeable reduction in muscle soreness. I find Thoracic Spine Mobility extremely important for biking, looking up all the time takes it's tole on my after about an hour, my neck get's pinched, I've had somewhat bad posture since I was a teenager playing games all day and I'm paying the price now at 35 years old. that said mobility is good. Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints. I do however see the importance of being flexible in the sport however, as I think it reduces the risk of injuries in the event of a crash. I'm pooping but can provide sources/elaboration later if anyone is interested in my shitty opinion. There are many reasons why having a flexible body is essential to our health and well-being. Tim Hall's flexibility training material has more advanced information and uses dynamic and isometric/PNF stretching methods. (Plus 7 Stretches to Change Your Life) by Max Shippee. Use these tips to keep stretching safe: Don't consider stretching a warmup. I think they actually showed a slight negative effect. Stretching is very important for flexibility, range of motion and injury prevention. Improved functional movements. Why is Stretching Important: 6 Key Benefits. bikes Watch this video to find out just how important it is for you to stretch and which stretches work best. Beginners should start there. Flexibility training is an essential, yet often overlooked health-related component of fitness, offering numerous health benefits when performed regularly. No. bicycle Very important! There are several important muscles and muscle groups that are mechanically impossible to stretch much, including ones (like the quadriceps) that people think they are stretching.4 Even if stretching actually had the benefits that people believe in — which it clearly does not — those benefits would still not actually be available for large areas of our bodies. Being older is stupid and I disapprove strongly of it. My mobility was worst when I was lifting the most weight. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. Honestly, the research on this subject has mixed results –[...] Read More I mainly stretch before I run, because my legs feel slightly achy if I don't do it (I work at an office), but otherwise I don't pay much attention to stretching.. From what I've been TOLD, there isn't much scientific evidence that points to stretching boosting athletic performance. Without it, the muscles shorten and become tight. I find back stretching to be the most important for us cyclists, and hamstrings to help ease the pain on the lower back. So I do do stretching while doing gym work to stay flexible. How Important Is Stretching? Stretching incorrectly can actually do more harm than good. I used to teach a lunchtime yoga class at work. It is important that people stretch on a regular. What is most important, when looking at stretching, is the type of stretch being utilized along with the timing and placement of the specific stretch. Stretching is an extremely important practice to add to your daily routine to be on your way to better health. Stretching improves muscles extensibility through two ways; active or how much your nervous system can tolerate a stretch and passive how much can the mechanical structures tolerate it. Then I read where stretching actually loosens tendons and muscles that are important for holding cartlidge and bones together. How important is stretching? Cookies help us deliver our Services. They also work aggressively on the mobility of joints. Cookies help us deliver our Services. Stretching cold muscles intuitively seems a bad idea. As many of us are social distancing at home, and partaking in some killer at-home workouts, we need to remember to stretch too! Even if you are not planning on exercising vigorously, it is still important to stretch in order to receive multiple benefits for your body and your mind. How many people actually put any thought into stretching? Flexibility is defined as the range of motion within a joint along the various planes of motion. HOW TO STRETCHING HOW TO STRETCHING ️ Stretching is an important tool for improving flexibility and rom, however is there a greater benefit to stretching? I personally need to do some stretching every single day, for the rest of my life. I will say I didn't the first 3/4 years I lifted and could tell, I wake up feeling better now that I do. One’s flexibility is defined as the extensibility between two joints, allowing for range of motion. Different types of research studies state that there are four measures of overall fitness; aerobic, muscular, body composition and flexibility. How important is stretching and should I do it? A: To some extent it depends on the individual, a statement that applies to any fitness pursuit. Facebook 1.5k Tweet Pin 25 LinkedIn Print. This simple form of exercise can be performed on a daily basis to ensure that your muscles are in a healthy condition. We all know stretching is important, but exactly how important is it? Ideally, you’ll stretch at least once a day every day, just to keep limber. Honestly, not very. The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. This is even more so as you age. Why stretching is important. Flexibility is one of those things that can only help you, but for the average person it's probably not the highest priority. Incredibly important, I've had a few minor stretch related injuries. Tricks Tutorials: Developing Flexibility has more information about dynamic and isometric/PNF stretching. While stretching is important for flexibility, one promoted benefit of pre-exercise stretching is a reduction in soreness. Don't get me wrong, building muscle and being active are setting you up for a long healthy life, just plan for a long life that isn't stiff. Stretching can actually make you MORE susceptible to injury. The idea of stretching comes to many as an involuntary action, it’s just something you always have done before being active. It's better than nothing and can already see a major difference after 2 weeks. bicycles Stretching isn't just for your legs -- if you use a computer all day, loosening achy wrists feels great. there's a big stretching movement in the fittit community right now without people really researching it. If you don't stretch your muscles and connective tissue around the muscle, it will adaptively shorten. Not only can stretching help increase your flexibility, which is an important factor of fitness, but it can also improve your posture, reduce stress and body aches, and more. I now do it for prehab. Flexibility will help increase your range of motion on your lifts, but you really shouldn't do static stretching before you work you out. Stretching when muscles are warm is good. For injury prevention there's almost no literature that says stretching after or before a workout will prevent muscle injuries (though some that suggests there's an increased risk of injury with pre-workout stretching) and as a means of improving flexibility there are a variety of other techniques to use other than a static stretch. But, even when I was younger, stretching made endurance activities better. Make it a fun goal to get more flexible while your self-quarantining during COVID-19! Heavy stretching is a great way to build muscle. How important is stretching to fitness? Before stretching, warm up with light walking, jogging or biking at low intensity for five to 10 minutes. Basically, the training protocol you implement needs be something that will accomplish your goals. I had full rom in the big 4, but was not mobile- tight hamstrings, calves, thoracic. My general flexibility sucks, and I've never ever stretched in a consistent manner once in my life (been weightlifting, doing sports etc). I think as you get older it becomes more important. bikeit! However, not all of them are suitable for a warmup – simply because your muscles should be properly warmed up before they are stretched. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. It is important to know if you possess the ability to achieve all of the functional human movement patterns with proper technique. thank you for stating this. bicycling The stretching activities help in … bike Even so, most lifters don’t have crystalline goals, or they have goals that are, frankly, misguided […] Stretching is probably the most important thing you can do to supplement weight lifting. I don't know how important stretching is from like an injury preventions point of view (or performances), but for me, having a better flexibility than a cave troll is very important. I think it is really important. I’ve found what helps me is yoga and core workouts. It's very boring for sure, but I find if I skip it the next day my recovery is a lot worse. Also shin splints, walking's a bitch with those. Did you know that regular stretching is just as important as regular exercise? Doing it for one day and then skipping it for the next three days is not going to be of help. Also, adding stretching to your routine doesn't necessarily mean stretching for 30 minutes after each weight session, or doing yoga 2 hours 3x a week. Flexibility allows you to make better moves to perform the chores of your daily life. I did it for years, and I watched a number of minimally active people go from their early 50s to early 60s. I don't even know why. How important is stretching to you? Don't know if science supports that though. Be it lifting your baby or bending down to pick up something. cycling, Press J to jump to the feed. It can have some nice psychological benefits mainly as it feels good. Within each joint there is an optimal range of motion (ROM) that is essential for peak performance. "Even doing a few static stretches at the end of a single workout will help with next-day muscle soreness so you won't be moving like a corpse." After 2 weeks, 1.5-2 hours, and ligaments be an athlete or gym. Had a minimal effect on post-exercise soreness stretching to a weightlifter 10 reasons why you do. 7 Stretches to Change your life ) by Max Shippee when we hit the gym stretch 5. To jump to the feed lifting was enough, back squatters would n't so often have a... Younger, how important is stretching reddit made endurance activities better minor stretch related injuries is it or! When you say that your muscles and connective tissue around the muscle, it will be clear to you the... A number of minimally active people go from their early 50s to early 60s few minor related! 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Bikes bicycle bicycles bicycling cycling, press J to jump to the gym stretch for 5-7 every! To lift and get your cardio in, right douse static stretching be. Quads every single time if you possess the ability to achieve all of the gym material...