Stretching Before Exercising Weakens Muscles
\”Back in grade school you were probably taught the importance of warm-up exercises, and it\’s likely you\’ve continued with pretty much the same routine ever since. Science, however, has moved on. Researchers now believe that some of the more entrenched elements of many athletes\’ warm-up regimens are not only a waste of time but are actually bad for you. The old presumption that holding a stretch for 20 to 30 seconds — known as static stretching — primes muscles for a workout is dead wrong. It actually weakens them. In a recent study conducted at the University of Nevada, athletes generated less force from their leg muscles after static stretching than they did after not stretching at all. Other studies have found that this stretching decreases muscle strength by as much as 30 percent. Also, stretching one leg\’s muscles can reduce strength in the other leg as well, probably because the central nervous system rebels against the movements.\”
OK, it makes them weaker in terms of force generated. How about in terms of \”owowowowow my hamstring just tore and rolled up the back of my thigh?\”Because honestly, if I was worried about force generated, I\’d spend more time in the gym. But since I\’m more worried about the second, I\’ll keep stretching, thank you.
Wait…this is current news? Always warm-up and stretch after to prevent super-tight muscles the next day.
You two are both wrong. It\’s coke before, beer after. It worked for LT, it works for me.