Stretching for improved athletic performance has long been a topic of heated debate. On the one side you have those who are vehemently opposed to the practice whilst others preach the benefits of increased flexibility.
Whilst I've always leaned towards the promotion of stretching, particularly as a form of injury prevention, it is perhaps noteworthy how my attitude towards the practice has evolved over the years. Personally, I have performed some kind stretching routine every single day for over twenty years. Even when I was bedridden with a bad cold, my daily/nightly devotion to muscle flexibility was and still is what could be best described as habitual. I've stretched in public toilets, on trains, on top of a mountain, in a tent, in a cinema. Hell - I even stretched in my bosses office once!
The point here is that for me, stretching is a part of my daily life that I actually enjoy. It is a period of relaxation where I often think up ideas on blog posts, solutions to challenges at work, watch TV, chat with family etc. My actual stretching is therefore much more to me than just going through the motions of improved flexibility. And in all honesty, I don't think that I am any more supple than I was five, ten or even twenty years ago. It has more of a placebo effect; similar to that of the person who practices yoga or Pilates on a regular basis, two disciplines that are of great interest to me and have unsurprisingly influenced my approach to my own stretching over the years.
Whilst I had always practiced the various basic stretches throughout my school days, the real turning point was my reading an article by Scott Molina in 1994 detailing his comeback to professional racing after a long layoff due to a back injury. In his piece, he wrote that he stretched his legs for at least thirty minutes per day, either whilst talking on the phone, watching TV etc. Sure enough, thirty minutes of daily stretching became my mantra; if it was good enough for a legend like Scott, then it was surely good enough for me. Where I went wrong was attaching a quantitative approach to flexibility, sometimes holding a quadriceps stretch for five minutes on each leg to help get to the magical thirty minute mark! Needless to say that there is probably no benefit in a five minute static stretch on any muscle, as I was soon to learn.
The above two examples illustrate the dangers of applying a goal-oriented/quantitative approach to flexibility; the same one-dimensional exercises day in day out can actually lead to an overuse injury. Whilst its proponents punt the benefits and preventative attributes of regular stretching, many people try to perform near impossible acts of twisting and turning that should be reserved for contortionists or trapeze artists. Many stretching exercises are too complicated and difficult to perform without professional supervision thus putting people at risk of doing some serious damage. So what is the point of doing them, I ask.
I can certainly relate to the scores of yogis that I've encountered over the years. Similar in mindset to the devoted surfer or waterman/woman, yoga is an extension of their regular existence, the absence of which no doubt would leave a huge void. My boss - the same boss whose office I once stretched in - has been practicing yoga for over two decades now. I can still vividly remember his performing a full Urdhva Dhanurasana in the kitchen of our old office premises; impressive for somebody in their early fifties as opposed to my own pathetic effort of the same pose.
The first experience was when I was dealing with what I thought was a chronic running injury. As it turned out, rather obvious muscle and life imbalances were the true cause contributing to simple case of overuse. The actual problem - bursitis on behind my left heel - was actually being exacerbated by my constant calf raises/stretches, which I thought would be the best thing for injury recovery. A classic case of "pissing in the wind" so to speak, where prior well intended advice was taken overboard as a cue to paper over future cracks. It was only once I ceased stretching my calf muscles all together - coupled with a few other minor adjustments - that the problem gradually dissipated. That was six years ago and I have yet to extend my gastrocnemius/soleus muscles in any form of stretch since.
More recently, my fledgling side career in sports massage has been another telling influence in my attitude-shift towards the more traditional static stretching exercises. On the two separate occasions where I swapped treatments with another therapist, I was amazed at how much pain I experienced whilst having my legs kneaded and petrissaged; surely my muscles were flexible enough given my years of dedicated stretching? Not so. So I ceased my beloved hamstring and ITB stretches in disgust. I could certainly touch my toes but how come I was in so much pain during a massage that I broke off the treatment tables headrest?
This is not too say that I have given up on my stretching routine; far from it in fact. It has been more a case of evolving this routine over the years; getting rid of stuff that is dangerous/useless, sticking with the simple stuff that does and adding in exercises learned from other disciplines such a yoga, pilates etc.
A fun exercise (no pun intended) would be to compare my daily stretching regimen of 2003 with that of 2013:
Daily Flexi-calisthenics-2003:
Minimum 15 minutes per day of:
- 50-100 situps every morning
- Evening: Traditional quadriceps stretch (x2)
- My beloved ITB stretch, like touching your toes but with one leg folded over the other (x2)
- Traditional groin stretch, holding feet together with hands whilst sitting on the floor (x2)
- Traditional hamstring stretch, straight leg on wall/chair, standing on other leg whilst moving forward (x2)
- 100+ calf raises followed by five minutes of stretching with body weight on step.
Daily Flex-Balance-Strength-2013:
- Random planking everyday, including at least one plank upon rising every morning
- Evening: quadriceps stretch, kneeling on the floor in front of the fireplace/TV, exact time dependent on adding firewood/length of news channels check and followed immediately by:
- Cobra Pose, leading into:
- Kneeling/praying position for a bout thirty seconds.
- Static squat, sometimes holding something heavy to avoid falling over, sometimes not. I try to hold this position for at least a minute, sometimes longer if I'm feeling good.
- Psoas stretch
- Prone gluteals stretch
- Sitting groin stretch
- Supine hip-flexors stretch
- My own form/attempt of the Warrior Pose
- A series of Locust Poses whilst lying prone
- And the culmination of all this twisting and turning, an attempt at the difficult Bow Pose or Dhanurasana.
Whilst my stretching routine has evolved somewhat over the years, it is still something that I really enjoy and is certainly not a chore. That is probably one of the main reasons why I deem it beneficial. If something like flexibility or strength work feels like a burden and is not enjoyable, it is probably of no benefit to you at all.
In the meantime, I am going to consult the Google Images Chart of Yoga Asanas and decide which poses I am trying to master.
Some suggested reading on the subject:
Dr. Phil Maffetone:
http://www.philmaffetone.com/stretching.cfm
http://thenaturegym.blogspot.com/2012/10/dr-phil-maffetone-interview.html
Sock Dock:
http://sock-doc.com/2012/09/move_naturally-dont_stretch/?show=slide
http://sock-doc.com/2011/04/stop-stretching/
