Stretching has been getting a lot of attention in sports literature recently, so I thought it would be a good time to talk about its role in sports conditioning. First off, it is important to understand the purpose of stretching: to increase range of motion (ROM) about a specific joint by stretching the muscles around the joint. This increased ROM is also referred to as flexibility. The question then becomes, how does an increased ROM benefit the athlete in a given sport?
It has long been thought that increased flexibility helped in injury prevention, but recent reviews of the literature indicate that this is not the case the majority of the time. In fact, it is possible that increased flexibility can be a contributing factor to certain injuries. Bear in mind that not all athletic populations have been studied, so this is an area that still needs a lot of research.
It has also long been assumed by coaches and athletes alike that greater ROM is positive for their sport. This does tend to be true for sports that require large ROM such as gymnastics. However, it has also been demonstrated that lower ranges of motion actually improve running economy. This phenomenon is most likely attributable to the fact that certain joints require increased stability during specific activities. I was unable to find any research conducted specifically on cycling performance and stretching, but I would offer the following for your consideration: when you cycle, you are effectively putting your joints through a functional range of motion, which, at least anecdotally, tends to improve over time.
Many athletes and coaches have reported that stretching “feels good” after a hard bout of exercise. Despite this, it has not been successfully demonstrated to reduce the effects of a hard bout of exercise, or to stop or lessen the effects of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Finally, stretching has been repeatedly shown to reduce strength (and therefore power) when conducted prior to a workout. This is not the case with what is called “dynamic stretching” which is warming up through a functional range of motion. Think of a runner kicking their rear-end at a slow jog, or running in an exaggerated slow-motion. That is dynamic stretching. Again, if you are a cyclist, the act of pedaling is, to some extent, a dynamic stretch. Many cyclists will tell you that they “loosen up” during their warm up.
All of this said, here are a few things to keep in mind with regard to stretching:
1. If you have a specific reason for increasing your flexibility, it is best to stretch for a duration of 15-30 seconds, 5 days per week. Shorter durations are not effective, and longer durations are not more effective. Increased flexibility can only be achieved with several stretching bouts per week.
2. Avoid stretching a cold muscle unless under the advice of a physical therapist or doctor; this increases the chances of a strain or microtears in the muscle itself.
3. Pre-event stretching. Only do pre-event static stretching if this has been recommended to you by a physical therapist or doctor for a specific injury or condition. Otherwise, engage in dynamic stretches as part of your pre-race routine in order to avoid the power losses associated with static stretching.
4. Avoid stretching acutely inflamed muscles (again, unless you are doing so on the advice of a medical professional). If you have just completed a hard exercise bout and feel very fatigued, be very careful about stretching during this time. The contractile units of the muscle will have undergone some trauma which needs repair and stretching could potentially add unnecessary additional stress during this time.
Sara Krause, M.Ed., is an exercise physiologist and owner of Krause Sports Performance.
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