Hi guys, i have heard from different sources that you should strtch everyday to improve kicking height and flexibility and also that everyday will hinder our progress so stretch every other day. Which one is correct iyo?

Hi snowmonkey,

I stretch daily but I seperate the focus between upper and lower body.
I also incorporate yoga moves like upward dog, downward dog and warrior poses.
I also recommend sun salutations for warm up before stretching.

Cheers,
Butze

Hey snowmonkey,

Stretching is vital. I assume you're training in martial arts, like many of us, and that you either go to the gym, do cardio or go to MA class on most days. If this is the case, you should do a stretching routine on the days you train. There's a lot of debate on WHEN to stretch, before or after training, and the consensus seems to lean toward the latter. I agree. When you stretch a muscle just before training it, it becomes a bit weaker temporarily, which can hinder you in the gym or during sparring, etc. You should, however, warm up before you work and do a full stretch routine afterwards.

Prior to working out or training, you don't really need to "stretch" the muscles per se. You just need to warm them up with a brief bit of cardio (10 minutes or so) then take your limbs, trunk and neck through their full range of motion. For example, you could do shoulder rotations to warm up your shoulder region and upper back, trunk twists to loosen your waist, knee twists, swing your arms forward and backward, horizontally, to warm up your chest, swing your legs forward and back, and inside and out (like traditional crescent kicks), etc. You get the idea. You just need to prep the muscles for motion and warm them, focusing on your major muscle groups regardless if you're weight lifting, running, rolling, sparring, etc.

After you work, however, you should go through a complete, traditional stretching routine, focusing on the muscles you used mostly that session. So if you kickboxed, you'd want to really stretch your quads, hamstrings, inner/outer thigh, claves, glutes and hip flexors, along with your core and arms. If you grapple, you'd want to hit your legs, but also stretch your back and neck well, too. As for how long to hold the stretch, 30 seconds is really all you need. Holding for longer doesn't really add to it and it wastes time. You can go to Google and look up all kinds of stretching routines and find one you like. Royce Gracie's routine in the beginning of "Superfit" is pretty good, too. It even includes an abbreviated version if you're pressed for time. If you really want to throw your legs for a loop, check out Eddie Bravo's stretches in his Rubber Guard book.

As for regular, everyday stretching, you should try to do some upon waking just to get your body ready for the day. You'll also feel more awake afterwards. Nothing intense. Just stand and touch your toes for a bit, twist at the waist, stretch out your arms and neck, etc. Like butzebocker said, adding a couple of yoga moves such as the sun salutation, downward dog, etc. can be helpful too. Again, you can Google basic yoga moves and incorporate the ones you like. When you wake up, you'll feel where your body is tight, so when it comes to daily stretching, let instinct guide you. It's also good to repeat this kind of stretching when you get home for the night. If you sit at a desk all day or have some other sedentary job, your muscles will feel tight again. Light stretching thoughout the day, whenever you have five minutes here and there, will prevent this tightening.

Other than that, just focus on intense stretching after workouts, warm up before workouts and do some light stretching whenever your body calls for it.

Best,

I do my yoga twice a day when I wake up and before bed.

Hey thanks very much for the replys. Blueavallase, thanks for the depth of your comment, that's given me a lot more clarity on the subject.

As others have said, definitely stretch often. If you can open up your hips and shoulders a bit, and lengthen your hamstrings, you'll feel a world of difference in your training. Moreover, posture will tend to improve, and you'll generally feel better.

For best results, you want to stretch warm muscles (which is one reason why its good to stretch after a workout). So get the blood flowing, ride a bike for 5 minutes, do jumping jacks for a couple minutes - whatever.

The only thing I would add is that stretching right away, first thing in the morning isn't as effective as other times. You're generally more stiff - I think it has something to do with a build-up of spinal fluid after you've been lying down all night. After you've been up for a little while and it drains/returns to normal, you'll feel an increased range of motion in your body.

Besides traditional stretching, one thing that also helps is to make sure you move through a complete range of motion as often as possible during exercise. Think of a bicep curl vs. a full-overhead squat, and you'll get the point. There are a lot of ways to incorporate increased range of motion into training. If you've ever done the Olympic lifts, you'll know that they take a great deal of flexibility to preform properly. As you practice these types of movement patterns, you should see gradual improvements in flexibility also.

great point

Stretching is very important to develop the range of motion needed to most effectively complete whatever set of movement comprise your sport or activity. Having good mobility is the foundation for being able to fully utilize strength gains and the skills/techniques that you are training.

There is an excellent book entitled: 'athletic body in balance' (you can find at any big online bookstore). It shows you ways to measure and improve mobility. It also talks about strength training, training movement for your sport, and how these different aspects all fit together. I highly recommend it.

I stretch often...

20-30 mins a day

every day

4x5 mins
3x10 mins
2x10 mins


take your pick just get it done

it never really hurts

only helps

everyday

when you wake up and before you go to bed

H As for how long to hold the stretch, 30 seconds is really all you need. Holding for longer doesn't really add to it and it wastes time.


Why would you state a statement like that? Ever heard of plastic and elastic flexibility? well in other words: you're wrong..

stretching is such a pain in the ass

dont stretch cold....

Bas Rutten doesn't train anymore because he ripped his biceps, and he admittedly said it was because he was too lazy to stretch. So do it. Stop being lazy and a whiny little brat. Stretch.

I had a football coach that was adament about stretch after a workout. I never had injuries playing football for what it's worth.