Stretching

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Permalink Reply by JBF Mentor Tom Mortensen on August 14, 2011 at 8:18am

You should stretch the bodyparts involved in your training. Its difficult to set a time limit, but as for myself I usually spend 8-10 minutes doing various stretches. The training program I use at the moment includes a stretching routine, but many generic stretching programmes can be found on the web. Your aim should be to stretch the body parts trained, from different angles, holding your stretch for up to 30 seconds per stretch.

 

Stretching is yet another topic that gives rise to endless discussions. Usually arguments either support that we need stretching to maintain mobility and flexibility, whilst others claim the effects of stretching to be negligible.

 

As usual I base my recommendation on a practical approach. Do I feel any benefits from stretching? The answer is YES. For me it takes away some of the soreness after training, and stretching keeps muscles, tissue and ligaments more mobile and flexible. That is good enough for me, to keep stretching.

 

For guidance check out for instance: exrx.net/stretches

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Permalink Reply by JBF Coach Sarah on August 14, 2011 at 8:22am

I am so not the right person to answer this =D stretching is the one point I "sin" on. There are a couple of reasons for this, one being that I've always felt it a "waste of time" and then my fitness instructor when I got my Canadian Certification as a Personal Trainer Specialist saying that stretching is not something she advises ... she's an MAT (Muscle Activation Technique) specialist and pretty much knows every single muscle, bone and tendon in your body backwards! She'll detect an imbalance you don't even know or notice just by looking at you! Scary :)

 

Her idea was that if you stretch a rubber band, it will stretch so far, then snap back. Keep doing that repeatedly, and it'll either snap off, or not go back as tightly as before. Her view is that the muscles and tendons react in much the same way.

 

Of course, there are advocates of the opposite, as always. At Curves, no member is allowed out the door after a workout, without having done the stretches on the poster! It's mandatory (except for one member who goes straight to a yoga class ... the logic escapes me, because if they believe in stretching, you'd think they'd want her not to stiffen up between the one workout and the other).

 

If you're a stretching partisan, stretch the muscles you worked on that day's 7MM program. No need to stretch the chest if you trained legs really. Personally, I only stretch the calves when I work them, because that is one group of muscles which tightens up really fast and hard (the first time I did a serious calf workout, I walked on tip-toes the next day, thank goodness I could wear high heels or it would have looked funny!). I also stretch if I feel a muscle being tighter than usual after a workout. But I don't have a routine that I necessarily use.

 

There are sites with lots of stretches, you could look into that if you like. Usually though, a 15-second hold on each stretch seems to be the "rule" and no bouncing.

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Permalink Reply by Ess Three on August 17, 2011 at 12:22pm

The only time I stretch is after a leg workout. Especially if I've been doing squats. . .

 

The day after a heavy leg work out, I'm always walking a bit gingerly. And the steps at work. . .

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