Rise and Exercise

This is our first guest post on Rise and Exercise. Thank you to Emma Green. We hope to see more guest posts in the future! Enjoy!

If you’re like me, you don’t want to take the time to stretch before working out. While I love stretching, because it feels good, I always feel that it cuts into my actual exercise time. If I only have a half hour to work out, and I spend 10 minutes stretching, then my run will only last 20 minutes, and part of that will be the warm up and cool down.

It has been proven that many most normal stretches won’t decrease the risk of injury during exercise, so if you choose to do regular stretch routines, you aren’t helping yourself a whole lot. In fact it could be a detriment to your body.

Use Dynamic Stretches Rather than Static Ones

Overstretching to the point of pain isn’t doing your body any good.  If you overstretch, you may have higher levels of metabolic waste, which will create a catalyst that contracts muscles. The result of this catalyst is that you may be more prone to injury. Some people believe that active static stretching increases the inflow of Ca²⁺ from your cells into the muscles being stretched. The increase of Ca²⁺ reduces the muscle twitch tension (as much as 60%). Increased levels of Ca²⁺ in resting muscles predisposes individuals to fatigue quicker than individuals who did not stretch.

However, if you research to see what types of stretching will benefit the specific type of exercise activity that you are going to participate in, you will see that doing specialized stretching exercises will decrease the risk for injury. Look up PNF stretching (aka proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) as a source for deciding which types of stretching you want to incorporate into your workout. Another benefit of stretching to keep in mind, especially for runners, is the increased range of motion during your workout.

So if you are going to stretch, make sure that you do not overdo it, and focus on stretches that are specifically tailored for your workout. As a runner, I really enjoy this dynamic routine. The instructions are easy to follow, and it was formulated specifically for runners.

Bio: Emma Green has enjoyed running since high school, when she did cross country. She enjoys staying fit, especially when it involves running or swimming. She is also passionate about Nutrition, Emergency Preparedness, and Food Storage. Feel free to visit her blog, or you may contact her with any questions about Fitness or Food Storage at emmagreenie@live.com