Most of us folks over the age of 40 grew up in an environment where nearly everyone “worked out” in some form or fashion.
Remember the movie, Forrest Gump?
The film portrays the fictional Forrest Gump as the originator of “running.” I always wondered who actually started that fad. It began about the time I was finishing high school.
Before that, only competitive athletes spent time actually running for exercise. Average folks didn’t just go put on a pair of running shoes and trek down the road for miles with no other goal except to run.
In fact, running shoes didn’t exist before that. We all had “tennis shoes” even if we had never held a tennis racket in our hands. Or maybe if we played basketball we had a pair of Converse shoes.
The industry of athletic shoes took off after people all across the country took up “jogging” or running. First there were special shoes for running, much different from the tennis or basketball shoes. This eventually led to special models made for “cross-training” then eventually more specific designs for those that mainly worked out with weights.
Back in the early days of running, nearly everyone copied someone else by doing pre-run stretches. It was popular in those days to do bouncy stretches. Eventually some experts determined that these bounce-type stretches may increase the likelihood of strain injuries, so they began to recommend what are called static stretches.
Static stretches are the kind that you hold for 20 seconds to 30 seconds. Another generation grew up learning that static stretches are essential before doing any kind of workout. They were taught to slowly maneuver until the targeted muscle group was in a taut position, then simply sustain the position for about half a minute.
Well now it is the 21st century and researchers have been busy finding ways to prove us all wrong again.
Much of the latest exercise science suggests that warming up prior to exercise is a good idea, but stretching may actually be counterproductive.
The National Strength and Conditioning Association has published papers that recommend avoiding stretching prior to weight lifting, sprinting and other activities that require an explosive contraction. Their research shows a direct correlation between increased flexibility and decreased strength.
That would seem to indicate that if two identically qualified athletes were to compete in a dead lift or a sprint, the one that stretched would be at a distinct disadvantage to the one that simply spent time warming up.
Warming up, as opposed to stretching, is highly recommended still. By warming up, I mean taking some time before heavily exerting to go through some reps of the kinds of exercises you will be doing.
Doing several rounds of low intensity slow exercises creates heat in the muscles and connective tissue. This process does appear to prevent injuries and increase the ability to do the workout.
Stretching after a workout is still appropriate, according to many exercise science authorities. This offsets the hyper-contracted state of the muscles and connective tissue.
Note that these recommendations are not agreed upon by all experts. Like every other topic, there are those with differing opinions based upon their own experience and interpretation of research.
If you are not sure that you are doing an exercise or workout properly, or need direction on how to get started, seek advice from a certified personal trainer, a certified athletic trainer, strength coach or health care professional trained in exercise science such as a physical therapist or chiropractor.
Next week: Exercises that help your back. |
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