A Better You: Stretching benefits everyone

Don't think it's just for the athletic types...

There has been a long debate over the years about how to stretch properly in weighing up old school static stretching against new school dynamics.

Or is it more complex than that?

Stretching may be seen as something only athletes or competitive sportsmen do in order to prepare for a competition or when they are done competing.

However, stretching can benefit everyone.

It is important for longevity, flexibility, mobility and range of motion.

Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, healthy and everybody needs that flexibility to maintain a good range of motion in the joints.

When we neglect stretching, the muscles become shorter and tighter, making it hard for them to perform when called on a specific action or movement.

That puts you at risk of muscle strains and tears increasing your risk of injury.

Static stretching vs dynamic stretching

What is dynamic stretching and why would I do it?

Dynamic stretching is done before exercise as it sends messages to the brain telling it that the body is preparing for exercise and movement. We therefore need to send blood and oxygen to the sites to properly prepare the muscles for activity.
We want to bring blood flow to the core muscles, as the extremities of the attachments are cold. This also helps stimulate reflexes in your tendons and muscles and can also help your body recognise, through movement, its position in space rather than relying on purely visual cues.
A dynamic stretch also increases the heart rate which then pumps and supplies freshly oxygenated blood more readily to the areas
that need it most. Dynamic is critical for pre-warm up routine and post-training static stretching.

What is static stretching and why would I do it?

Static stretching is done after exercise as it assists the body and muscles with the cool down process, reintegrating into a state of
rest rather than activity. This usually feels better after exercise as the muscles are warm and is the perfect time for you to stretch out these muscles. This will also assist in the process of removal of lactic acid and toxins in the blood which occurs as a bi-product of exercise.
However, be conscious of how long you stretch as over-stretching can cause an inflammatory process in the muscles which will cause discomfort and sometimes pain in the area.
You can also use products like the Flow Pro, Trigger Point foam rollers & therabands to get into the muscles and target certain areas that require more direct attention making sure, from a holistic point of view, you are prepared fully for your session as well as looking after your body after exercise.
The important message with stretching is, even if you are doing a park run or social soccer game, make sure you get there early before your mates do and then start your routine so by the time they come down you can join in on their stretches provided they are beneficial, and then you are more than ready to go.
For the ageing athlete or weekend warrior, this is an absolute must if you would like to walk two days after your exercise or prolong your career in competitive or social competition.

Pre-game stretching and warm up

Start by taking a light jog at 40% MHR to get the blood flowing to the muscles and to wake the system up by telling it that its time for exercise/movement.
Set up a 10m x 2m area for you to then complete your dynamic stretches.
Start off by jogging from one side of the area to the other side and run backwards when returning to starting side.
Then go from one side to the other driving your knee up to 90º and opening your hips as far as possible then bringing the knee down. On the way back to the start, drive the knee up to 90º but on the left and right side, to the middle/medial line and drop knee to the ground. (Open gates & close gates).
Start by grabbing the knee under the kneecap, and gently pulling the knee up as far as you can to stretch out the gluteus maximus in the bum area. When returning to start, place one hand on top and one hand at the bottom of the shin, and pull the shin up to the stomach to stretch out the glute med on the side of the bum area.
Next, complete walking lunges to the end of the warm up area, taking the knee to almost touch the ground, and stopping before doing so, to upright into your normal starting position. When returning to the start, complete squats to increase the range of motion in the hips.
The muscles are now warm, and prepared for the session ahead. Finish off the warm up with 3 x 10m sprints.

Sean van Staden is a sport scientist. Follow him on Twitter at @SeanVStaden or visit advancedsp.co.za.

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