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Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism University of Southern California
Sports Features

Unsafe Stretching

Stretching before a workout can sometimes be unhealthy to your body.

A new study finds that stretching before a workout may not only be counter-productive, but potentially harmful.

Although stretching and working out have always gone hand in hand, they might not always be good together.  A study at the University of Limerick in Ireland shows that stretching before a workout is not recommended.  Fitness expert Kellie Cowles believes in active warming up before a workout, rather than static stretching.

“Static stretching before a workout doesn’t do any good.  It doesn’t do anything.  At best it’ll do nothing, at worst it’s going to hurt you,” said Cowles.

Stretching is important to keep your muscles flexible, but it should take place after a workout or when muscles are warm.  If you stretch before working out, your body might think you are at risk of overstretching.  In order to compensate, your muscles contract, making it more likely that you will pull a muscle.

Even yoga teachers understand the importance of having warm muscles before pushing the body.

“There’s a saying – Mr. Bikram – in yoga.  He says, you can’t bend metal; you have to warm it up first.  So it’s similar, warming yourself up like a piece of metal,” said yoga instructor Susan Foxley.

Some athletes will stretch before a work out in order to loosen a particular muscle that they know is tense.

“If I have a tight spot, I’ll stretch it out, but I usually don’t go through like a 10 minute stretch routine like I used to,” said Boot Camp member Amanda Biggerstaff.

The Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine claims that active stretching makes a person more flexible than static stretching like touching toes.  So instead of warming up with stretching, fitness experts suggest warming up with a light jog.  That type of movement increases the heart rate and blood flow to the muscles, warming up the body temperature.

“If you’re working out in the morning, your body hasn’t had a chance to walk and move all day long,” said Boot Camp member Tim Finnegan.

Stretching is vital for good health.  But it has to be done correctly and at the right time for the best results.

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