A good coach knows that every training or workout starts with a standard
warm-up routine, usually consisting of a stretching session. I still vividly
remember as a kid playing tennis and basketball, wherein the team captain would
lead stretching and the rest of the team would form a big circle with the
captain/leader stretching an arm or an out-stretched leg and counting
“1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8” with the chorus of “8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1” coming from the rest of
the team. If you share the same memory as me, then you had been doing Static
Stretching in your childhood. If you get to watch live sports in arenas or
stadiums, and get to see the athletes usually in some corner of the arena doing
a sort of rhythmic slow dance, twisting, lunging, swinging their legs, then you
are witnessing the more modern Dynamic Stretching routine.
Which one is better? Are they
different? Or does it even matter if you stretch or not? We try to compare the
advantages and disadvantages of using Static and Dynamic Stretching during
Warm Up.
Static Stretching
Coaches through the years have
advocated static stretching for warm-up for 1) Prevention of Injuries and
2) Enhancement of Performance. It is composed of various techniques
that gradually lengthen a muscle to an elongated position (to the point of
discomfort) and hold that position for 30 seconds to two minutes. But recent
studies have shown that not only is it non-beneficial for warm-up[1],
it is even detrimental to performance as there is no evidence that static
stretching prevents injuries. Studies have also shown a decrease in muscle
stretch, eccentric strength, peak force and explosive movements.[2]
Dynamic Stretching
Coaches who are updated on the modern studies of sports performance know
the importance of dynamic stretching. It consists of functional based or sport
specific movements, increasing in range of motion, reach, speed and movement to
prepare your body for the forthcoming physical exertion or sports performance.
One objective of Dynamic Stretching is to reduce tension across the joint or
around it.
Static vs Dynamic Stretching: What’s
the big deal?
Let’s compare your body to a car that will run in the morning. We
usually let the engine run a few minutes before moving and running slowly
before going 100kph, right?! You’d be heading to the mechanic regularly if you
turn on the engine and go immediately from 0-100 in less than 30 seconds!
That’s the basic idea of the warm up in sports. So for you to take your muscle
from a resting position, to more than 100% of its capacity during your warm-up
(static stretch) is pretty much asking for trouble.
The goal is to activate the muscles
that you will be using for your workout GRADUALLY, rather than ABRUPTLY.
According to Todd Ellenbecker, Director
for Sports Medicine for the ATP World Tour (Tennis)
“Research studies have shown that static stretching has been found to
produce a short-lived decrease in muscle performance,” says Ellenbecker. For
example, if someone does static stretching with their legs, he may not have
explosive jumping ability for up to an hour after he does that stretching. With
dynamic flexibility, you don’t have that loss in muscle strength.”
By elongating (stretching your muscles and holding it in that position
for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, you are taking it to its limits and beyond. It is
similar to taking a rubber band to its stretchable limit and holding it for a
prolonged period. After you let it go (if it doesn't break), it usually doesn't
go back to its normal state, but rather seems loose, limp and weak for a short
while. Same goes for your muscles.
Tips and Suggestions
Keep it short
Dynamic stretches are meant to be done over a short period of time. The
idea is to warm up, not to get fatigued doing it. The entire routine should not
last more than 10 minutes according to Ellenbecker.
It varies on what sport/activity you will do.
There are a lot of variations on doing dynamic stretching exercises.
Keep in mind the sport or activity you are about to partake in. If it’s tennis,
then there will be a lot of activation on the spine, and hip area. A lot of
lunging and twisting on the torso as this is the demand of the sport. This may
be the same in softball and baseball. If let’s say you will be running, then
the exercises will be mostly targeting the hamstrings, quadriceps and calf
muscles.
Don’t eliminate static stretching!
While dynamic stretching/warm-up is the recommended pre-workout routine,
static stretching still has a place in your workout. After training or a
vigorous workout, you may feel fatigued and tight in some areas of your body.
This is a good time to relieve that tightness/soreness on the particular area
with a good static stretch.
[1] GLEIM &
McHugh (1997) Flexibility and its effects on sports injury and performance, Sports
Medicine
[2] KNUDSON, D. et
al. (2000) Acute Effects of Stretching Are Not Evident in the Kinematics of the
Vertical Jump
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