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2005/05/01, 05:09 PM
what does stretching do for you before a workout and when is the best time to eat?
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2005/05/01, 06:01 PM
you dont need to stretch before a workout.. a simple warmup set or warmup on a bike, treadmill, etc. will suffice. in terms of eating, take in some type of slow burning carb maybe an hour to an hour and a half before your workout.. this will provide a sustainable source of energy for your workout. alot of people like oatmeal for their preworkout, personally, i usually end up just makin a quick pb & j sandwich, and i find that is plenty.
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2005/05/01, 08:35 PM
I disagree with bropie, you need to stretch before you workout, always. Stretching reduces the chance of you injuring yourself while working out dirastically. I have seen 4 major injuries while I have been training people. 1) Guy doing squats, tore the lining of his abdomin, couldn't work out for 12 weeks. 2) Guy was doing high weight dead lifts, completely tore out his lower back, probably will never be able to do dead lifts again. 3) Lady was doing stair master which tightened up her hamstrings, she then went to do leg extensions and she tore a hamstring. And 4) (the worse one) Football player was exercising his neck on a machine, tore the tendons in his neck. Never will do football or weight lifting again. The reason why these injuries occured, not stretching or warming up. I didn't even mention all the times I have seen people tear their shoulders out on bench press. I have only been training for 2 years now, and I have seen a lot of injuries from people not stretching.
If you want to know the advice of a professional in order to believe you should stretch, read Arnold's Encyclopedia, the body building bible. I agree with Arnold when he states that stretching and warming up are the most important parts of your work out. Why stretching you prepare your muscles for what they are about to do, and they don't cramp up, and your endurance will be much better through out your work out. By warming up on the tread mill or bike, you get your heart ready for the workout. You have to get your muscles and your heart ready, not just one. So stretch, it is very important. It may be annoying, but if it keeps you from permanently damaging yourself it's worth it.
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2005/05/02, 02:31 AM
I'm not sure whether the stretching is vital, but a warmup definately is.
After your workout you need to stretch out though.
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2005/05/02, 09:55 AM
Saw this same question some place else...I'll post the same response.
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Gets the blood pumping to your muscles and increases blood flow throughout the entire body.
What happens if you take a dry sponge and pull on both ends as hard as you can? Now pick up the pieces that fell on the floor from that sponge and throw them away. Get you another one and soak it with water and pull again. Obviously with enough pulling they will both tear in half, but the wet one will hold up better to the tension.
Or...
Hop in your car on a cold day and drive it as fast and as hard as you can without letting it warm up for a short time?
Pick your analogy!
Stretching a long with proper 5-7 minute cardio warm up plays a big role in preventing damage, as well as building muscles.
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I would never do strenious activity without some type of stretching...maybe that's because I was a gymnast in my earlier teenage years so I was just conditioned to do some type of stretching.
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2005/05/02, 10:28 AM
Stretching doesn't need to be done BEFORE working out....it actually reduces the force the muscle can generate in the workout. HOWEVER, one does need to warm up.
Injuries come from lack of the range of motion in the muscle/ joints cause injury. But i'd say most injuries come from people lifting with their ego, doing too much weight or improper form.
I never stretch before working out, or before practices, how many strains, sprains or pulls have I had.....zero.
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" The only true eye, is your minds eye"- plato
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2005/05/02, 10:32 AM
Static stretching before exercise increases the distance between actin and myosin filaments. Less contact results in less force production. Here is some research from Dr. Jeff McBride while he was at the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse from 1994-1997:
Stretching (three minutes static) reduces peak force production up to 5%,
reduces RFD up to 8%, and increases EMG Latencies by up to 16%. In contrast,
dynamic warm-up exercises for 10 minutes has no significant effect on peak
force production but increases RFD by 8% while decreasing EMG Latencies by 2%.
Stretching (passive held) may interrupt the efferent-afferent loop
leading to athletic injury during subsequent performance.
Stretching (passive held) may induce unfolding of tandem -immunoglobular
domains and thereby reduce force production ability.
Stretching (passive held) may decrease motorneuron excitation,
attenuating the stretch reflex for up to 30 minutes following application
Bottom line: Passive, static stretching will reduce your ability to produce force, decrease your rate of force development, and decrease the amount of recruitment. A dynamic warm-up has no significant effect on peak force production, will increase your rate of force development and will increase recruitment, which are all very good things.
One last thought: If you train for specificity, why not warm-up for specificity too
***this is quoted from gatormade.....one of the stregth cordnators of university of flordia....he is a member....go into powerlifting forum look at some of his posts.
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" The only true eye, is your minds eye"- plato
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2005/05/02, 11:24 AM
Thanks andrew...I stand corrected. Darn gymnastics coach...I'm gonna sue him for that sprained ankle and broken thumb I got 17 years ago. :laugh:
Did a little research on my own as well and while most of what I'm seeing is that depending on the activity you're doing a light stretch isn't going to hurt you...but a long hard stretch could actually do damage and a light warmup of the activity is recommended instead.
andrew...Do you do any stretching at all? I would presume with being a cheerleader you would do some...or are you just the one that lifts the girls and tosses them around (as the picture indicates)?
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2005/05/02, 01:07 PM
for the most part no........cause I just mainly lift, so I warm up, by doing easier stunts( toss libs, extensions etc)....then go to hard stuff( one arm stuff).
However, I don't stretch like I should, but I do always use full range, if not extra range of motion.
Example, when I warm up with squats i do a set or 2 of bellow parellal of squats. And do do alot of stiff dls stuff like that.
However on flexability tests, i'm either average, or a lil below.
However a warm up is a MUST. I ahte seeing guys come in and slap 225 or 315 on a bar and start to rep....makes my knees shoulder whatever hurt just to watch.
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" The only true eye, is your minds eye"- plato
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2005/05/02, 08:35 PM
thanks guys
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2005/05/03, 05:14 AM
reason stretching does nothing for preventing injuries(not to mention reducing strength)...is because most injuries occur in the normal range of motion of the joint/muscle...stretching...goes beyond the normal ROM...
Those 4 incidents erebus mentioned do nothing to prove his point....those are just personal experiences....which are overly exaggerated because they are so vivid...in his mind(forgot the psychology term for it)......show me any credible study that supports your view...no recent study ever showed a link...
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2007/05/23, 01:01 AM
i know tat b4 stretching one needs to do warmup but how shud i do stretching after warmup and is it necessary to do stretching after the normal routine workout if yes then wat shud be done first cooldown or stretching
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2007/05/23, 02:00 AM
Would stretching as your cool down not be suffecient?
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