Sports medicine has advanced significantly over the last decade. Specialists in the field today have access to resources and tools that where not readily available twenty years ago. This has enabled exercise professionals to conduct clinical studies to help distinguish pseudoscience from facts.
A popular concept that has been under the microscope recently is the impact that stretching has on athletes if done before exercise. Some coaches and trainers swear by this and include it in their warm sessions while others skip it. Cell Sauce decided to research this question and this is what we’ve learned.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHmC2W9cs6ITypes of Stretching
Here are a few of the stretching techniques widely used in sports and exercise.
Static stretching is stretching in which a position stretching a muscle is assumed, and then held in position for specific time [2]. This is the most common type of stretching; it is also considered the safest [1].
Dynamic Stretching is movement based stretching. This is typically used as a warm up before activity. The movements are done similar to what you would do in your sport. The movements are taken to the end of your ROM but don’t exceed ROM like Ballistic stretching. An example of dynamic stretching would be slow, controlled leg swings, arm swings, or torso twists.
Ballistic stretching is stretching using the momentum of a ballistic movement to enhance the effects [2]. An example is when an athlete stands on a step and bounces on their toes so that the heal goes below stepping height and then above it. Ballistic stretching can cause injury if not done correctly, it is only recommended for skilled athletes.
Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) is a stretching technique in which the muscle to be stretched is first contracted maximally, then the muscle is then relaxed, and is either actively
stretched by contraction of the opposing muscle or is passively stretched [1]. Simply explained, this is when you extend a joints range of motion (ROM) through assistance. Typically this type of stretching is done with a partner or tools.
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Click HereWhat happens to muscles when you stretch?
Increased ROM is the primary reason why stretching is important in sports and exercise. In this regard, broader understanding into stretching is useful. For the next few seconds, imagine zooming out from a muscle fiber in slow motion.
Stretching begins deep in the muscle fiber with the sarcomere, the basic unit of contraction in the muscle fiber. As the sarcomere contracts, the area of overlap between the thick and thin myofilaments increases [3]. As it stretches, this area of overlap decreases, allowing the muscle fiber to elongate [3].
Once the muscle fiber is at its maximum resting length, when all the sarcomeres are fully stretched, additional stretching places force on the surrounding connective tissue [3].
As the tension increases, the collagen fibers in the connective tissue align themselves along the same line of force as the tension. Hence, when you stretch, the muscle fiber is pulled out to its full length, sarcomere by sarcomere, and then the connective tissue takes up the remaining slack [3]. When this occurs, it helps to realign any disorganized fibers in the direction of the tension.
Once the muscle is fully stretched, you may start to notice twitching or spasm. This is known as myoclonus, it means the muscle group has stretched to its maximum ability [1].
When this process happens repeatedly, musculotendinous tissues adapt to a new position! It is through this process that flexibility and ROM is improved. This has several benefits including good health, good posture, reduced risk of injury and improved performance.
So Stretching is Good For Your Body, But Should You Stretch Before Exercise?
It has been a common practice over the past few decades to stretch before exercise. But does it actually prevent injury, improve performance, or prevent delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). If you are suffering from post workout soreness you can use our recovery products to help speed up recovery and reduce soreness.
The rationale for stretching before exercise activity is that stretching increases the compliance, by decreasing the stiffness of the tendon unit and thus, theoretically, makes it less prone to injury before exercise activity [1]. Sounds logical, right.
Unfortunately, these recommendations, are not based on research [1].
According to this study The basic science literature supports the epidemiologic evidence that stretching before exercise does not reduce the risk of injury.
Here’s what they found - first, stretching before exercise should have no effect for activities in which excessive muscle length is not an issue (e.g., jogging). Second, stretching won't affect muscle compliance during eccentric activity, when most strains are believed to occur. Third,
stretching can produce damage at the cytoskeleton level. Fourth, stretching appears to mask muscle pain in humans.
Many studies have found that stretching prior to or after exercise does little to prevent either injury or muscle soreness [1] [4] [5]. This means stretching before exercise might just be a waste of time. Some clinical studies even found that stretching immediately before exercise may
cause performance decrements [1].
What Should You Do?
The best advice based is to using dynamic stretching and sport specific movements before your exercise to warm up.
And then on non training days focus on stretching to improve flexibility and range of motion.
References
[1] D. L. S. Sharon A. Plowman, Exercise Physiology For health, fitness, and performance, Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011.
[2] K. M. H. S. Heather Bateman, Dictionary of Sport and Exercise Science, London: A & C Black Publishers Ltd, 2006.
[3] B. Appleton, "Stretching and flexibility, everything you never wanted to know," Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 6 January 1996. [Online]. Available: https://web.mit.edu/tkd/stretch/ stretching_2.html. [Accessed 15 April 2022].
[4] Shrier Ian, "Stretching Before Exercise Does Not Reduce the Risk of Local Muscle Injury: A Critical Review of the Clinical and Basic Science," Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 221 - 227, 1999.
[5] S. S. M. T. A. Konrad, "Effects of acute static, ballistic, and PNF stretching exercise on the muscle and tendon tissue properties,"
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science In Sports, vol. I, no. 27, p. 1070–1080, 2017.
