Sets & Reps
Mario Mavrides
BSc.
No stranger to controversy, Mario is devoted to finding the most efficient and practical ways to peak performance even if that means dismantling current training dogma.
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When To Stretch?
QUESTION: I know stretching is important for flexibility, but when should I stretch? Pre-workout? Post-workout? Morning? Before bed?
ANSWER: Oh, boy, I’m going to get a lot of hate mail for this! You ask when should you stretch? I ask WHY should you stretch? Most fitness people will tell you stretching is necessary to maintain or increase flexibility. I’m not convinced. I think flexibility is overrated and often misunderstood. What’s the point of tremendous flexibility if you can’t show strength and stability in extreme positions? We’ve been conditioned to perceive “tightness” as a bad thing, but unless you know specifically why the tension exists and what purpose it’s serving, then getting rid of it by stretching and, therefore, weakening the affected muscle might not be a good idea! Maybe the muscle is tight to generate tension in order to help maintain joint congruency when a muscle on the other side of the joint axis has stopped pulling its share.
(Scott Welch's Note: In other words, a muscle group, such as the triceps, may be tight to compensate for a problem with the muscle on the opposite side of the joint – the biceps.)
Yes, that’s right: Stretching a muscle actually weakens it by interfering with the efferent gamma motor neuron response. (Scott Welch's Note: This is part of a larger process that interferes with the muscle’s potential to contract.)
Do you really want to weaken a muscle just before attempting a squat record? Didn’t think so! All right, so what to do? Well, try doing some dynamic warm up drills (i.e., actively moving your joints through their full range of motion) before activity. Examples of drills include rotating your arm in a windmill fashion or swinging your legs from front to back. Also, you might want to try some isomet- ric contractions (i.e., holding the muscle in a shorten/flexed position for 5-6 seconds). These isometrics should prepare the nervous system to fire properly and help you generate forceful contractions thereafter. If you feel you must stretch, save it for just before bed. This pre-sleep stretch should turn off your muscles and help you relax a bit for a restful night.
For more information on some of the techniques described above visit www.muscleactivation.com.
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