Stretching before running

What are best stretches before running? Does stretching before running help? How do you stretch before a run? Why is it good to stretch your legs before running?

Just take the stretch to the point where you feel resistance, not pain or discomfort.

Stretching before runs has been hotly debated. The latest answer as to whether it’s advised to stretch before or after a run may surprise you. Paige Jones, fitness instructor with the Piedmont Hospital Health and Fitness Club, has some pre-run stretching tips to help you prevent injury. Learn about the most crucial muscle areas for runners, along with stretches to keep them healthy. If your physio, or injury specialist has told you to pre-run stretches before you head out the door, then that’s fine, but for most runs, we’d recommend you to walk and build up to your normal running pace.

In any case, a dynamic warm up will increase the power of your muscles and. Static stretching at the end of your run can bring your heart down, cut your risk of injury and lessen muscle soreness.

To prevent injury and hasten recovery, perform dynamic stretches before you pound the pavement, and do static stretches after your run, when your muscles are pliable. Hell, you probably stretched before you ever went running ! But it’s time to confront the conventional wisdom that runners need static stretching , especially before a run. We should ask ourselves the hard questions: If. Having this hip and hamstring flexibility is a huge factor in preventing running injuries. It can also increase your performance.

For instance, a Wichita University study showed that participants who completed a series of dynamic stretches before vertical jumping showed significant increases in performance compared to static stretching , or no stretching at all (). Also, it is one of the best ways to prevent foot injuries from running. And if you are not sure what stretches to do before your runs, here are easy but very useful ideas. For a model stretching program, try out the stretches recommended below. Believe it or not, you could actually strain your muscles with static stretching , and it might even slow you down.

Instea focus on getting oxygen to your muscles and warm them up-literally, Olson. While the benefits of stretching before running have not been conclusively proven or disproven, stretching is still recommended as part of an overall running regimen, preferably after you have performed a warm-up. Do dynamic stretching before running : REI Outdoor School instructor Julia Zuniga recommends doing dynamic stretching to ready your muscles for running. After all, running with warm muscles sounds like a good preventative strategy – but is it?

If you feel you need to stretch passively before a workout or race, be sure to do some dynamic stretching afterward.

Whether static stretching is ultimately determined to negatively affect or neutrally affect subsequent running performance, dynamic mobility drills actually enhance it. Once upon a time, stretching was to exercise what proposing is to marriage: an essential ritual that had to be done before the main event. Athletes of a certain age were warned to stretch their muscles before exerting themselves to avoid a debilitating pull or injury. You should spend a few minutes doing lighter intensity activity that mimics your upcoming workout—walking before running , slow cycling before biking, light aerobics before a fitness class.

While no one enjoys running with stiff muscles, static stretching before running isn’t the answer. In addition to this, studies have shown static stretching also has a negative effect on performance. There are many benefits to stretching before running : it prepares your body for the workout to come and increases joint flexibility. Regular stretching alone cannot prevent injuries, make you run faster, or correct poor posture. But it prepares your body for running and helps relax tired muscles afterwards,” says running expert Sascha.

It wasn’t all that long ago that stretching was recommended before and after any sort of physical activity, and running certainly fell into this category. Then studies came out that stated stretching before a workout would diminish performance due to decreased levels of force production. Bring the same discipline from your workouts to your running routine. Many health professionals recommend stretching to reduce the risk of injury. So, if you’re looking for quality, injury-free long runs, tempo runs and speed workouts, you need to learn how to stretch before running the proper way.

Here’s a look at several stretches that will help get your muscles warm and your body prepared before you start pounding out the miles. Research suggests that stretching before exercise makes your muscles weaker and slower (PDF, 516kb), even though you might feel looser. For most performances, this would be detrimental, says Dr Ian Shrier, a sports medicine clinician and researcher and Associate Professor at the Department. At the end of the day, think of it this way. There has been a great debate in the running world for decades about whether you should stretch either before , after, or both when going for a run.

Many runners have accepted the notion that you shouldn’t run with “cold” muscles and that stretching is the best way to get your body ready to hit the pavement. It “neither prevented nor induced injury when compared with not stretching before running ,” the study’s authors conclude raising the obvious corollary, so why in the world do so many of us still stretch?