Many fitness instructors still advocate the use of static stretching prior to exercise, this involves reaching forward to a point of tension and holding the stretch. Sometimes this is done to end of range of the muscle which can be detrimental to performance and doesn’t necessarily decrease the incidence of injury.
Studies suggest there are no differences in the occurrence of injury between those who statically stretched and those who did not.
New research has also shown that static stretching decreases muscle strength by up to 9%.
An increased static range of motion may not be translated into functional movement flexibility to which a majority of us are accustomed to benefit from.
When do we hold a static stretch through movement based exercises for any period of time?……………..WE DON’T!
But if we shouldn’t static stretch before exercise then how can we stretch to optimize performance and reduce injury risk?
The answer is Dynamic Stretching.
DYNAMIC STRETCHING
Many of the best functional movement and strength coaches support the use of dynamic stretching.
Dynamic stretching consists of functional based exercises that work to increase the reach of a muscle and the speed of movement to prepare for a sport or movement activity. For example; controlled leg and arm swings that take you (gently) to the limits of your range of motion.
Static stretching improves static flexibility and dynamic stretching improves dynamic flexibility which is why it doesn’t make sense to static stretch prior to dynamic activity.
As functional coaches at Bodyfit Solutions we wish for all our clients to lower their incidence of injury and increase performance through dynamic movement warm-ups alongside myofascial releasing techniques ie; foam rolling the fascial tissue (that lays like a sheath over muscle groups) prior to dynamic stretching.
Train smart and move better.