Stretching

[remnant]

Stretching exercises are some of the most ignored in bodybuilding. The
muscles are surrounded by tough connective tissue. For muscle
hypertrophy to occur, these tissues should be stretched to give room
for the muscles to grow. I find stretching quite relaxing and can be a
good pre- workout exercise.

 

[BigTex]

Stretching exercises are some of the most ignored in bodybuilding. The
muscles are surrounded by tough connective tissue. For muscle
hypertrophy to occur, these tissues should be stretched to give room
for the muscles to grow. I find stretching quite relaxing and can be a
good pre- workout exercise.

Make sure it is not static stretching you are doing and instead doing dynamic stretching.




Gergley JC. Acute effect of passive static stretching on lower-body strength in moderately trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2013 Apr;27(4):973-7.


Abstract


The purpose of this investigation was conducted to determine the acute effect of passive static stretching (PSS) of the lower-body musculature on lower-body strength in a 1 repetition maximum (1RM) squat exercise in young (18-24 years.) moderately trained men (n = 17). Two supervised warm-up treatments were applied before each performance testing session using a counterbalanced design on nonconsecutive days. The first treatment consisted of an active dynamic warm-up (AD) with resistance machines (i.e., leg extension/leg flexion) and free weights (i.e., barbell squat), whereas the second treatment added PSS of the lower body plus the AD treatment. One repetition maximum was determined using the maximum barbell squat following a progressive loading protocol. Subjects were also asked to subjectively evaluate their lower-body stability during 1RM testing sessions for both the AD and PSS treatments. A significant decrease in 1RM (8.36%) and lower-body stability (22.68%) was observed after the PSS treatment. Plausible explanations for this observation may be related to a more compliant muscle tendon unit and/or altered or impaired neurologic function in the active musculature. It is also possible that strength was impaired by the PSS because of joint instability. The findings of this study suggest that intensive stretching such as lower-body PSS should be avoided before training the lower body or performing the 1RM in the squat exercise in favor of an AD dynamic warm-up using resistance training equipment in the lower-body musculature.




Simic L, Sarabon N, Markovic G. Does pre-exercise static stretching inhibit maximal muscular performance? A meta-analytical review. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2013 Mar;23(2):131-48.


Abstract
We applied a meta-analytical approach to derive a robust estimate of the acute effects of pre-exercise static stretching (SS) on strength, power, and explosive muscular performance. A computerized search of articles published between 1966 and December 2010 was performed using PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases. A total of 104 studies yielding 61 data points for strength, 12 data points for power, and 57 data points for explosive performance met our inclusion criteria. The pooled estimate of the acute effects of SS on strength, power, and explosive performance, expressed in standardized units as well as in percentages, were -0.10 [95% confidence interval (CI): -0.15 to -0.04], -0.04 (95% CI: -0.16 to 0.08), and -0.03 (95% CI: -0.07 to 0.01), or -5.4% (95% CI: -6.6% to -4.2%), -1.9% (95% CI: -4.0% to 0.2%), and -2.0% (95% CI: -2.8% to -1.3%). These effects were not related to subject's age, gender, or fitness level; however, they were more pronounced in isometric vs dynamic tests, and were related to the total duration of stretch, with the smallest negative acute effects being observed with stretch duration of ≤ 45 s. We conclude that the usage of SS as the sole activity during warm-up routine should generally be avoided.

 

[Pharmacom]

Stretching is very important. They say that with the help of stretching you can even pump up muscles

 

[to7update]

Stretching is very important because if we don't do it we can easily get injured. We should never neglect warming up and stretching if we want to avoid injuries.

 

[Alexandoy]

Bending and stretching are the intro to my morning exercise. Stretching is a way of waking up the blood, so to speak but it's actually the muscles and the joints that we are warming up with stretching. I have a friend who suffered a torn quadricep for not doing stretching before a workout. He was sidelined for a month and until now, after 2 months, is still undergoing therapy. It was really a big blow to him considering that it was due to lack of warm up. Tsk, tsk, a foolish mistake of omission.

 

[Heatman]

I used to be very active in playing football - soccer, and my coach back then I will always subject us to some stretching drills before we can head into playing. At first, I didn't know the full benefit of the stretching until a player got injured in less than 5 minutes he was introduced into a match. The player didn't participate in the exercise of stretching before the match kicked off, and the coach made us understand that his body wasn't in the right frame to play and it's why he got injured in the process of playing.

 

[NoviceNinja]

Well, I believe that stretching is necessary before any work-out as it serves as a warning that you're about to lift weights and it helps in warming up the muscles and make them ready. I must warm-up (even if it's only stretching) before I engaged in any physical activity. As far as I know, our muscles cannot immediately start working on 100% power.

 

[Heatman]

Well, I believe that stretching is necessary before any work-out as it serves as a warning that you're about to lift weights and it helps in warming up the muscles and make them ready. I must warm-up (even if it's only stretching) before I engaged in any physical activity. As far as I know, our muscles cannot immediately start working on 100% power.

Exactly. Before getting into any kind of workout especially when your are the type that engages into high intensity drills, it's very important to prepare your body to be ready for the impending workout drills so that an unnecessary injury would be avoided. If you fail to get your body and muscles in shape to be fully ready for the intense workout, it's only going to affect you negatively.

 

[Folk Artist]

A lot of times people forget to stretch, but stretching can be very good for your posture, help you with fewer aches and pains, and overall stretching can really be a good way to wake up your muscles before you workout. Its important to stretch because it keeps your muscles and joints moving, and it gives your body a full range of motion as well.

 

[Heatman]

A lot of times people forget to stretch, but stretching can be very good for your posture, help you with fewer aches and pains, and overall stretching can really be a good way to wake up your muscles before you workout. Its important to stretch because it keeps your muscles and joints moving, and it gives your body a full range of motion as well.

Exactly. You have a very good point on how good stretching is to anyone who is into active exercise and workouts. It gets your body, muscles and joints all in shape to take on the extensive training of the exercise. But some people would just look down on stretching because it looks simple but its effectiveness is far more off simplicity. I wouldn't go a day without stretching in the morning before working out.