There is an old rule of thumb around endurance sports
that states 10 per cent of your total training time should be spent
stretching. But is this a rule or an old wives’ tale?
After all, there has been no definitive research produced to show that
athletes who stretch are better performed or have a lower incidence of
injury than athletes who don’t. In short, around sports science and
coaching realms, stretching is one of the most controversial subjects
imaginable.
My personal experiences as a coach/athlete suggest that regular
stretching is a must, and when done properly can actually help in the
prevention of, and rehabilitation from, certain sorts of injuries.
Unfortunately there is no answer as to the scientifically measured
benefits (or not) of stretching, and none of the major issues
surrounding the topic have been resolved. Nevertheless, based on
observational research (in other words watching athletes over more than
two decades) and personal experience, I’m confident in saying that every
triathlete should stretch regularly. A couple of things are certain, if
you stretch correctly it will never injure you and it may help prevent
and rehabilitate you from certain maladies. The four forms of stretching
that I will touch on here are; (i) static; (ii) active-isolated; (iii)
proprioceptive-neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching and (iv)yoga.
You can decide which form best suits your needs and requirements.
(i) Static is probably the most easily recognisable
style of stretching for athletes. Touching your toes is an example of
this form of stretching. Static style stretching generally means that
the specific targeted muscles aren’t stretching themselves. If we use
the toe-touch example just mentioned, the hamstrings aren’t stretching
themselves, nor are the quads on the opposite side of the leg producing
the stretch. The stretch is brought about by the tilting of the pelvic
girdle, which in turn places tension on the origin of the hamstring
muscle group leading to the stretching sensation through them. Most of
the time, such a stretch is held for a short period (10-to-30 seconds
ideally) and repeated executions of this style of stretching tend to
work better than one.
(ii) Active-isolated stretching was originally
developed to overcome various shortcomings inherent in static
stretching. In this style of stretching you place yourself in a position
that allows you to stretch a specific muscle group (e.g. hamstrings)
while contracting the muscles opposite (quads). Each stretch is held for
a few seconds and repeated a number of times. This sort of stretching
generally requires something like a rope to pull the region to be
stretched into position. The main drawback of this style is that it
tends to be awkward and often times the athlete doesn’t feel like it is
doing much.
(iii) PNF stretching isn’t unlike active-isolated
stretching. Using the hamstring example, with a PNF stretch you’d be
lying on your back with both legs fully extended along the floor, then
one leg is either picked up by a training partner or placed by yourself
against an immoveable objective at slightly less than a right angle to
the ground. You then do an isometric contraction of the targeted muscle
group (in our example, the hamstrings), hold it briefly and then relax.
This contraction/relaxation process helps trigger a reflex that allows
the muscle to be moved through a greater range of motion. Many studies
have shown this form of stretching to be an effective means of improving
the range of motion around certain joint capsules and it is most
effectively completed with a training partner.
(iv) Yoga involves a combination of active and
static stretching, it is in fact a combination of the different forms of
stretching described above. With yoga style stretching you assume a
static stretching position. Like PNF stretching you contract (and then
differently to PNF stretching) relax the targeted muscle in a
coordinated sequence. With yoga you hold one set of muscles in an
isometric contraction, while relaxing and stretching the antagonist
(opposite side) muscles with a view to eventually reversing the whole
process. As illustrated by the popularity of yoga over the last 10-to-15
years, many see this activity as a complete exercise regimen. It
increases both passive and dynamic flexibility – crucial in most sports –
as well as balance and coordination. Current research also indicates
that yoga may have other benefits in that it lowers anxiety and stress.
Just the sort of thing you need after four hours in the saddle when
riding home through city streets! Certain forms of yoga have also been
shown to improve muscle strength, because of the repeated isometric
contractions done through a range of motion, however this largely
depends on the style of yoga practiced. The downside for triathletes is
that yoga requires repeated isometric contractions, so it is far more
taxing and tiring than the other more passive forms of stretching. That
said, yoga may prove beneficial for general conditioning, balance and
coordination early in a preparatory training phase and can probably be
used to replace swim, bike and run sessions early in the season.
However, as competition looms closer you’d be better served switching to
a more passive form of stretching and spending more time on the
specific triathlon disciplines.
So while the scientific jury may be still out arguing the pros and
cons of stretching, practical experience and observation by numerous
people at the coal-face would suggest stretching is a no-brainer.
article courtesy of Rod Cadero
