Great video from a pure genius, Kelly Starrett



As you all know by now, I am not a fan of stretching. Not because I am not flexible or lazy. But the old school stretching many of you are familiar with is NOT productive. Without realizing, you all stretch everytime we workout. We move your joints through large ranges of motion. This increasing the length of your muscles throughout these ranges of motion. Below are a few wiki definitions of different type of stretching:

Static Stretching: used to stretch muscles while the body is at rest. It is composed of various techniques that gradually lengthen a muscle to an elongated position (to the point of discomfort) and hold that position for 30 seconds to two minutes. 30 seconds is the minimum duration to get the benefits of stretching, whereas two minutes is the maximum (if a position can be held for more than two minutes, a farther stretch should be performed). During this holding period or directly afterwards, participants may feel a mild discomfort or warm sensation in the muscles. Static stretching exercises involve specialized tension receptors in our muscles. When done properly, static stretching slightly lessens the sensitivity of tension receptors, which allows the muscle to relax and to be stretched to greater length. There is doubt over the effectiveness of static stretching, with some circles of sport strongly recommending against it.


Ballistic Stretching: a form of passive stretching or dynamic stretching in a bouncing motion. Ballistic stretches force the limb into an extended range of motion when the muscle has not relaxed enough to enter it. It involves fast "jerky" movements where a double bounce is performed at the end range of movement. Ballistic stretching should only be used by elite athletes with supervision by their trainer.

Ballistic stretching has been found to be hazardous towards the body. It can injure vital muscles and nerves with the sharp jerking movements. It is even possible for tissue to be ripped off the bone.
I will punch any of you who do this! It's not effective and can set you up for an injury.

Dynamic Stretching: a form of stretching beneficial in sports utilizing momentum from form, static-active stretching strength and the momentum from static-active stretching strength, in an effort to propel the muscle into an extended range of motion not exceeding one's static-passive stretching ability. Anything beyond this range of motion becomes ballistic stretching. It is a type of stretching whilst moving, appossed to static stretching where you stand still. We do this every workout. Exercises such as scorpion kicks, leg swings, pvc pass throughs.

PNF Stretching: It is often a combination of passive stretching and isometrics contractions. In the 1980s, components of PNF began to be used by sport therapists on healthy athletes. The most common PNF leg or arm positions encourage flexibility and coordination throughout the limb's entire range of motion. PNF is used to supplement daily stretching and is employed to make quick gains in range of motion to help athletes improve performance. Good range of motion makes better biomechanics, reduces fatigue and helps prevent overuse injuries. PNF is practiced by physical therapists, massage therapists, athletic trainers and others.


Great article:

To Stretch or Not To Stretch?
BJ Maack, ATC, CSCS
Certified Athletic Trainer
Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist
Arkansas Sports Performance Center

For those involved in any sort of physical activity, you know that it is important to get your body warmed up. Without proper activities designed to prepare your body for the activity, such as a light jog, gentle stretching, or movement drills, you run the risk of injury. An injury could be something as simple as "tweaking" a muscle, or could be the onset of a chronic, overuse injury (for example, tendonitis). No matter what sport you are participating in, you are doing your body a disservice by skipping warm-up drills. But if you consider a few seconds of stretching at the onset of your workout a “warm-up,” you could surprisingly be doing very little to prepare your body for its upcoming challenge.


When many people think of stretching, "static stretching is what comes to mind. A static stretch lets the muscle stretch with no real movement. This is usually just a simple exercise designed to elongate the muscle fibers a bit to make movement more efficient. In other words, stretching helps you "get loose." Examples of this include placing your toes on the curb with your heel on the ground to stretch your calf muscle, leaning over to get the back of your legs (hamstrings), or standing on one leg and grabbing the other foot to stretch your thighs/quads. People usually just hold these stretches for a few quick seconds, or just enough to feel it. While these are better than nothing, there is a better way.


The best stretch does not "burn" or invoke any sort of pain. In fact, this type of stretching can actually be counterproductive. Too forceful or too sudden of a stretch can cause slight injury and cause the muscle to tense up instead of relax. In reality, the best stretch in the world is a gentle, easy stretch that is held for 20-30 seconds, and repeated four to five times.


When to stretch? A warm muscle is easier to stretch than a cold muscle. So a great routine to follow is this: jog/ride/walk for a few minutes just to get your heart rate up *& increase circulation---break a slight sweat, and then do your stretching routine. Once you spend a few minutes stretching while warm, you can then begin your activity. You will find that your body responds much better to this type of warm-up routine, as opposed to stretching while the body is cold or not stretching at all.


How to stretch? A dynamic or movement-based warm-up is much more effective than the static stretching described above. What does this look like? Also called movement drills, these are things like jogging in place, high knees, butt-kicks, and jumping jacks. We utilize these drills heavily here at Arkansas Sports Performance Center as we prepare our athletes for training, and while movement drills are associated high-level athletes, the everyday recreational athlete can reap tremendous benefits from warming up in this way.


Once you have completed your activity, post-workout stretching is also very important. If you just finish a run or ride & then immediately sit in the car, your body does not get the proper benefit of cooling down. This can drastically affect your next workout. If you take a few minutes and do a cool-down stretch, you are really preparing your body for the next day’s workout by allowing the muscles to return back to a proper “at-rest” state.


Another thing to consider is utilizing the services of a professional stretching program, such as Stretch To Win. This program is done one-on-one by a trained professional and is designed to gain optimal flexibility with passive stretching. It is much more detailed than a self-stretch or even a massage therapy appointment, as it facilitates movement by reaching the muscles & the fascia, which goes beyond short-term benefits. This program actually shows permanent gains in flexibility. Stretch To Win is offered at Arkansas Sports Performance Center.


In conclusion, if you aren’t stretching at the onset of your workout, build in a couple extra minutes to prepare your muscles, and you will notice that your muscles respond better and possibly prevent injury. If you’ve been stretching and not seen enough benefit to warrant your time spent, try waiting until your muscles are warm, and add in a dynamic, movement-based, pain-free warm-up routine. You’ll probably find yourself reaching your goals faster and easier than before.