WRT Streching
There seems to be some confusion about what it means to stretch before exercising, and as to what cold muscles are.
Warming up:
There are a few ways that you can do this. Warming up just means getting your joints lubricated, and blood delivered to your muscles/tendons/ligaments, priming them for a good work-out.
You don't stretch cold muscles, but stretching before a work-out does not mean you are stretching cold muscles. I have noticed that most people advocating stretching before working out, have been talking about 5-10 minutes of running before the stretch. After 5-10 minutes of running, your muscles are no longer "cold" and static stretching is quite alright.
However, without that run or bike or whatever, your muscles are cold. This why there are dynamic (aka, moving) stretches such as high knees, running backwards, squat jumps, lunges, arm circles, etc etc etc. A lot of people seem to think they don't stretch during warm-up / before an exercise because they are doing these types of stretches. What they don't realize is they are stretching during their warm-up, as opposed to warming up and then stretching.
As for cooling down and stretching AFTER a workout, this serves a completely different purpose than warming up/streching before a workout. It enhances/maintains flexibility, and reduces muscle soreness. I actually slowly run and then walk for about 10 minutes after interval training and then stretch, since the slow run and walk also serve the purpose of reducing soreness.
EDIT to add:
Eye In The Sky said:
IMO, this debate over stretching/not stretching is soon going to be :deadhorse:
Not if the "experts" are any indication... The status quo for stretching has changed back and forth and in between now for years.
Alea said:
Thank you
Then I will really have a talk with my trainer tomorrow
as I was never told to stretch before any type of exercise. Everyone always said that stretching cold muscles is not really doing anything.
Alea
Stretching cold muscles is not the same as stretching muscles that have been running/jogging/etc for 5-10 minutes.
Ask your trainer whatever you like, keep in mind that not all trainers follow the same theory, not all trainers have the same certs, not all trainers are good or bad, and some of them are awful, not all trainers are experienced or inexperienced, and that not all theory stays the same, current, or relevant.
In other words, your trainer may do one thing, and the trainer at the gym across the street may do another. Neither one may be wrong, although one may be a hell of a lot more right...
