BEFORE AND AFTER
Proper placement for warm-ups and stretching.
Most athletes, professional or novice, are under the impression that stretching is, in fact, a warm-up. The two are actually quite different in their purpose and effectiveness when performed prior to, and following, exercise.
At its core, a warm-up is used to prepare your body for the demands placed on your muscles, joints, ligaments, heart and lungs during a workout. Jumping into exercise without preparing these systems can encourage injury. Warm-ups should increase the heart rate, circulation, breathing and core temperature. In addition, warming-up for a specific activity may require adjustments, such as throwing before pitching. It should progress gradually in demand (intensity or speed) and last for at least 3-5 minutes, allowing the heart to reach a steady state of rhythm.
When exercise is initiated suddenly, the heart and lungs kick start with an abundance of effort. For example, running across the street can make your rate of breath higher than if you ran the same speed for 5 minutes. The warm-up gives your body time to figure out where blood needs to go (working muscles) and from where that blood can be drawn (digestive system, etc).
Muscles, joints, ligaments and cartilage need to be prepared for exercise, since they are most likely not under these same stresses during the rest of the day. Sitting at your desk puts the body in different positions than jogging, swimming or weight training. Muscles need to regain some elasticity (different than being stretched) and their temperature needs to rise for optimal performance. Gradually increasing intensity and duration of movements produces a natural lubricant (synovial fluid) within your joints.
To warm-up, simply begin your activity (jogging, biking, swimming, golfing, etc.) with a slower, easier version of that action. If you go for a jog, start with some walking. Intensity can increase from there. Other good warm-up activities include using light weights for more repetitions, jumping rope, push-ups, stair climbing or any action that raises the heart rate.
A light sweat can gauge whether you are sufficiently warmed-up. You can also wear a heart rate monitor. You will achieve a steady heart rate for 1-2 minutes when the warm-up is complete. Initially, it will fluctuate up and down.
The primary purpose of stretching is to make the muscles longer to provide a greater range of motion at the joint, or joints, over which the muscle crosses. Stretching can, in fact, have the opposite effect of warming-up, by promoting relaxation instead of increased activity. Research has shown that, not only is stretching not effective for improving performance, but it’s also ineffective for reducing the risk of injury. Used before high speed or power activities, such as jumping, it has also been found to have a negative effect, actually decreasing the athlete’s average jumping height.
When an added range of motion is needed, stretching can be quite effective. For instance, pitchers who need excessive range in their shoulder include stretching as part of a warm-up that also includes activities to increase the heart rate, as described above. Stretching is not necessarily bad as a component of a warm-up, as long as the rest of the goals of warming-up are met (increase of heart rate, core temperature and joint movement). After exercise, muscle relaxation is desired, and stretching is appropriate. This also prevents the muscles that were just exercised from getting stiff and shortened as they recover. Proper stretching should be performed on isolated muscles and held for 30 seconds to allow the muscle to relax and stretch.
How does yoga work? Isn’t it primarily stretching?
Yes. However, it requires a significant element of strength to properly perform yoga movements and positions. Additionally, one of the primary goals of this practice is to promote peace and relaxation. Mental exercises and meditation are often performed in correlation with the physical routine. With this in mind, yoga is a great activity for after exercise, if it’s not your primary regimen.
Can stretching be effective in treating tension-related conditions, like headaches?
If conditions, like headaches, are due to muscular tension, stretching can certainly be helpful. The small muscles at the base of the head are the most typical culprits for headaches. When stretched, they tend to foster less tension and pain. That being said, knowing which muscles to stretch is extremely important.
For some of the larger muscles that attach the shoulder blades to the neck, tension is commonly caused by the muscle being overstretched as a result of posture and activities. In this case, additional stretching is not the best treatment.
Other Trusted Sources:
Mayo Clinic
Fitness
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