Is Stretching A Bad Thing?

Stretching can be a confusing thing. Most of us who started running 10-15 years ago were told to stretch. There wasn't much distinction between what type of stretch (though it was usually a static stretch). The 'when to stretch' had some variation. Some believed it was better to do it before a warm-up. Some believed you only needed to do it after your run. Also, there were those who believe stretching before or after your workout isn't needed. 

Fast-forward to today. There still are many people who still have the same thoughts about stretching as runners 10-15 years ago. This begs the question - is stretching a bad thing?

*Side-note: What I'm going to say is my opinion. It may not agree with your thoughts on stretching. This is what I've learned over the years and I know it works for me.*

Stretching isn't all that bad. It all depends on what type of stretching and when you should do it.

There are two main types of stretching - dynamic and static. Dynamic stretching is stretching with movement. This doesn't mean touch your toes and bounce. Leg kicks, hip circles, walking lunges and leg swings are all types of dynamic stretches. Static stretches are almost the opposite. These are the more traditional type of stretches that were drilled into everybody's minds years ago. These are the touch your toes and hold for a specific amount of time stretches.

Dynamic stretching is great to do before you start your warm-up. The goal is to help get things loosened up a bit and ready for your warm-up. Usually a couple minutes is all you need. A good way to incorporate this into your regular routine - start dynamic stretches from your car to the starting point of your run, or start them from the locker room on the way to the treadmill.

Static stretches are great for when the run is over and after your cool down. This will help keep things loosened up and not tighten up later on for you. Some good stretches to hit are ones to focus on the hamstrings, abductors, IT band, and quads. There are many ways to stretch those areas. I like to change the type of stretch up every few days. It helps keep things from getting boring.

Stretching does take time to get used to doing. Just like anything else, it will get easier to do and easier to remember to do the more you do it. You have to keep reminding yourself that a few minutes of stretching can help avoid injuries and help keep things loose around those injured areas.

Punching The Clock And Going To Work

I'm starting to figure my body out. I notice I walk slower than most people. I don't try to walk slow either. My body just goes at a comfortable pace. Today, my legs felt a bit sluggish when walking around at work today. I was wondering how my workout would go today at the gym.

WARM-UP

I took the long route to the treadmill today. Because my legs were a bit sluggish, I made sure to do a few more dynamic stretches in an attempt to wake my muscles up a bit. I got things going at the 1.0 incline and found a comfortable speed and went with it.

After I was done with the warm-up, I had to shake my head. I was able to kick out a warm-up mile within the usual time. Yep. My body seems to know when to it should kick in to gear.

MAIN WORKOUT

For the meat-n-potatoes of my workout, I was still targeting 3 miles. I wasn't sure at what pace I'd be able to do (especially since I wasn't expecting the warm-up to go the way it did). I got the incline back to 1.0 and went at it. I kept a consistent pace for most of the run. I think the last mile is where I kicked it up a bit. Nothing too crazy. I figured if my body wants to eat these miles up, I'm going to let it.

Not too shabby for a 3 mile run! I'm starting to see the benefits of running consistently for as many weeks as I have been. I'm on week 12 now of this training cycle. Seeing the benefits like this definitely help keep me going.

COOL DOWN

After getting some water to help cool things down, I got back on the treadmill for my cool down. The start of the cool down felt more sluggish than the end of it. Go figure. I'm not complaining. My body was able to get things back under control with my breathing and I was still able to keep good form throughout the cool down.

Consistent cool down time! Heh. I love consistent times when I'm not focusing on time and speed. The body knows.

STRETCHING

I took my time with each stretch today. Because my legs were feeling sluggish earlier in the day, I threw a few more stretches in to help keep things loose. My balance from the transition to and from each stretch was really good. I only had a few stretches where I had to catch myself and start the stretch over again.

WEIGHTS

I'm glad today was arms and upper body day for weights. Gives my legs some rest. Because the free weight area was a bit packed, I stuck with using the machines today. That's not a bad thing. It's good to switch things up. I hit one machine for the major muscle groups. I'm glad I stick to that too. Helps get me in and out of the gym quicker.

LAST MILE POWER SONG

Today's LMPS was Back In The Saddle by Aerosmith. Aerosmith has a bunch of good workout songs. This one I thought was good for the last mile; 'back in the saddle again'. It sums up how I'm feeling about where I'm at with running right now. I'm having fun with it and able to see improvements from the hard work too.