The Bull stops here

Stretching has it’s place in exercise, workouts and sport but most often than not it’s place is usually positioned at the warm up stage as the very first thing you do in preparation for what ever physical exercise you are about to perform.

Muscles are like elastic bands in that they stretch and contract and here lies the problem with stretching pre-workout, look at it this way, try stretching an elastic band after it’s been in the fridge for 30 minutes; it’ll either be very difficult to pull apart or because of its cold nature it snaps instead of stretching. Can you see my point; you could be doing more damage or even injury to a cold muscle by stretching it.

Warming up a muscle should be done in such a way that you induce more blood and oxygen into the targeted muscle and therefore increase heat around that area, for example if you are a bench pressing then the best way to warm up is by performing a lighter weight of the same exercise.

Research shows that pre-workout stretching actually weakens the muscles although the very same research shows that post workout stretching is actually very beneficial as it helps rid the muscles of toxins like lactic acid and, if you’re a bodybuilder, post workout stretching helps the facia to stretch.

Muscle fascia is a very tough material that surrounds individual muscles and muscle groups. It hugs the muscles very tightly so by stretching it could result in bigger muscles.

We all have our own routines we follow when it comes to exercise, but make sure you are doing it right, otherwise in the long run you could be setting yourself up for an injury.

Article Updated: 9^th November 2010