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 AUGUST 27, 2008 Stretching Does Not Weaken Muscles If you stretch for a few minutes before jogging to loosen up or to prevent soreness, you can improve the range of motion of your joints without altering your muscle strength. Stretch before you exercise or do any activity and you will increase your flexibility. Better flexibility has traditionally been thought to improve performance and reduce the risk of injury. However, some recent studies suggest that stretching may compromise a muscle's ability to contract to its full capacity, stirring controversy about whether muscles should be limber prior to activity. A new study suggests that lower-leg and ankle stretching, the sort of routine done by runners who stretch, does improve range of motion in the ankle joint and does not impair lower leg muscle strength. That's what researchers at the University of Oklahoma found when they tested 13 moderately active, non-athletes before and immediately after stretching for 2-8 minutes, and also 10, 20, and 30 minutes after stretching. The researchers, led by Eric Ryan, reported their results in the August 2008 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). The ACSM recommends that you stretch the major muscle groups a minimum of 2-3 days a week to improve your range of motion. Before you stretch, it's important to warm-up. Take a brisk walk, jog lightly, or do any easy exercise gradually until you get your heart pumping and increase blood flow to your muscles. You'll know when you're warmed up when you break into a sweat. Then it's time to stretch. |
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