The case for more stretching
- Thread starter alfie13
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bogiemunster
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@alfie13 Small contribution from a doctor of physical therapy here that I didn't see (but could have missed I skimmed)
The primary current theory for why long duration static stretching affects performance is that it interferes with the stretch relax contraction cycle. When a muscle is put on quick stretch there is a very brief period of time when activating it will lead to increased power. This can be seen when performing plyometric training. Jumping off of a box and leading it into a high jump can produce greater power than the high jump from rest. This is the Stretch relax contract cycle (sometimes has difference label, same idea). When you have performed a long duration but low intensity stretch it changes the dynamics of the interpreted length and tension of the muscles measured by both muscle spindles (measure changing length) and golgi tendon organs (measures changing tension). The amortization period (time when the muscle can produce increased force) gets thrown for a loop and it messes up your brain's calculations for generating force.
This basically throws elite athletes off of their game because they expect a certain amount of power, but get a different response. If the stretching was consistent in all parameters before any session it might not be an issue but static stretching that most people perform is highly variable in force, angle, persistence, and other factors which all affect your internal sensors.
Every now and then I get to whip out my bachelor's in exercise science that I got before becoming a DPT and I find the science behind fitness fascinating and underdiscussd.
The primary current theory for why long duration static stretching affects performance is that it interferes with the stretch relax contraction cycle. When a muscle is put on quick stretch there is a very brief period of time when activating it will lead to increased power. This can be seen when performing plyometric training. Jumping off of a box and leading it into a high jump can produce greater power than the high jump from rest. This is the Stretch relax contract cycle (sometimes has difference label, same idea). When you have performed a long duration but low intensity stretch it changes the dynamics of the interpreted length and tension of the muscles measured by both muscle spindles (measure changing length) and golgi tendon organs (measures changing tension). The amortization period (time when the muscle can produce increased force) gets thrown for a loop and it messes up your brain's calculations for generating force.
This basically throws elite athletes off of their game because they expect a certain amount of power, but get a different response. If the stretching was consistent in all parameters before any session it might not be an issue but static stretching that most people perform is highly variable in force, angle, persistence, and other factors which all affect your internal sensors.
Every now and then I get to whip out my bachelor's in exercise science that I got before becoming a DPT and I find the science behind fitness fascinating and underdiscussd.
godisveryreal
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teampancho
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@teampancho Any topic in particular you would be interested in?
teampancho
New member
@alfie13 I've done some research and writing on this topic already but not to this extent but- Training (weight lifting) according to your Menstrual Cycle. How heavy your loads? When to deload?
Stephanie Buttermore has 2 videos on this which she shares the studies she used I her videos (honestly, I wish more "Fitness influencers" did this).
Here is part 1/2 on the series if you want to check them out.
And then the same thing but for running. (Works about the same way. Need to do more research on it though).
This video talks about weight training and how it balances your hormones.
How having strong glutes is important to overall health and reduce risk of injury. The link above talks about this some too. Is having a strong core the most important thing to overall health and fitness or is it the glutes (and then combination of glute/core).
How does one recover from tendinitis (or any kind of tendon issue)? What are the steps and which way is best over others that may be said "you can do this do X problem?"
When working out is is best to hit your max everyday or only a few times a week (when lifting)? How do these 2 approaches help/not help the body and how does it affect the muscles trained?
I'm interested in all of these but if I had to just pick 1, it would be the Menstrual cycle and how it affects how you should approach weight lifting/running to reach results/gains faster/easier.
But take your pick if they are interest!
Stephanie Buttermore has 2 videos on this which she shares the studies she used I her videos (honestly, I wish more "Fitness influencers" did this).
Here is part 1/2 on the series if you want to check them out.
And then the same thing but for running. (Works about the same way. Need to do more research on it though).
This video talks about weight training and how it balances your hormones.
How having strong glutes is important to overall health and reduce risk of injury. The link above talks about this some too. Is having a strong core the most important thing to overall health and fitness or is it the glutes (and then combination of glute/core).
How does one recover from tendinitis (or any kind of tendon issue)? What are the steps and which way is best over others that may be said "you can do this do X problem?"
When working out is is best to hit your max everyday or only a few times a week (when lifting)? How do these 2 approaches help/not help the body and how does it affect the muscles trained?
I'm interested in all of these but if I had to just pick 1, it would be the Menstrual cycle and how it affects how you should approach weight lifting/running to reach results/gains faster/easier.
But take your pick if they are interest!
@teampancho They are all very interesting! I saved your comment for later and will probably cover all of these topics eventually So thanks for the input!
I will have to prioritise, though, since my work schedule only allows me to research and write on the weekends, but I’ll PM you when the next post is ready!
So thanks for the input!I will have to prioritise, though, since my work schedule only allows me to research and write on the weekends, but I’ll PM you when the next post is ready!
teampancho
New member
@teampancho Thank you!
venusfreedom777
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@venusfreedom777 Thank you!
teatimebabe28
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@dawn16 I can understand your scepticism. It’s always good to know the limitations of a study, and here they only looked at how a regular person can get more flexible in general. They don’t claim that you’ll reach a certain flexibility level that way.
So maybe these results are only valid for “normally flexible” people, but things change once you reach a certain extent of flexibility? Maybe you’ll reach a plateau at some point, where you have to change your stretching routine to get even more flexible?
I don’t know for sure (and neither does the study say), but if something like this were the case, both you and the study could be correct.
And also, these 5-10min/week are per muscle, so even if you stretch your major leg muscle groups (quads, hams, glutes, hip flexor & calfs) for 1 min each on both sides, that’s still a total time of 10min per day. It might seem little at first, but it’ll add up quickly.
I hope this answer helps!
So maybe these results are only valid for “normally flexible” people, but things change once you reach a certain extent of flexibility? Maybe you’ll reach a plateau at some point, where you have to change your stretching routine to get even more flexible?
I don’t know for sure (and neither does the study say), but if something like this were the case, both you and the study could be correct.
And also, these 5-10min/week are per muscle, so even if you stretch your major leg muscle groups (quads, hams, glutes, hip flexor & calfs) for 1 min each on both sides, that’s still a total time of 10min per day. It might seem little at first, but it’ll add up quickly.
I hope this answer helps!
danielfromcanada
New member
@alfie13 I'm super glad you wrote this up! I have been watching videos from a cycling coach (Dylan Johnson) on youtube and he came to most of the same conclusions when he started researching it(much to his and my surprise). You definitely went a lot more in depth and provided more nuance though which I really really like!
@danielfromcanada Thank you! I really appreciate your feedback, so I’ll try to keep it nuanced!