Many coaches advocate the use of static stretching prior to exercise. Static stretching involves reaching forward to a point of tension and holding the stretch. Static stretching has been used through out the years for two main reasons: injury prevention and performance enhancement.
Does static stretching prior to activity achieve the goals of injury prevention and performance enhancement? Research has shown that static stretching can be detrimental to performance and doesn’t necessarily lead to decreases in injury.
New research has shown that static stretching decreases eccentric strength for up to an hour after the stretch. Static stretching has been shown to decrease muscle strength by up to 9% for 60 minutes following the stretch and decrease eccentric strength by 7% followed by a specific hamstring stretch.
Many of the problems with flexibility begin with its placement within the structure of the workout. Too many coaches equate stretching with warming up. However, stretching is not warming up. You must warm up in order to effectively stretch and gain flexibility.
Out of habit, many athletes perform static stretching during their warmup. But static stretches before warmup or competition can actually cause tiredness and decrease coordination. In addition, static stretching improves static flexibility, while dynamic stretching improves dynamic flexibility; therefore, it is not logical to use static stretches to warm up for dynamic action.
The optimum time to develop flexibility is post-workout. Muscles are already warmed up; consequently the greatest gains can be made at this time. Post-workout flexibility training also has a regenerative effect, calming the athlete, restoring the muscles to their resting length, stimulating blood flow, and reducing muscle spasm.
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