Nutrition and Excercise

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Many people swear that stretching has done wonders for them and judging by the competing philosophies and Zone diet-like controversies, you’d think it must do something. But so far, there’s very little scientific research to prove it. Still, don’t let that prevent you from seeking extra flexibility. The fact that science hasn’t caught up with athletic experience isn’t all that significant.

Trainers and coaches have told athletes for decades that weight training would make them slow and inflexibly muscle-bound, and now almost all

So, despite the lack of conclusive research supporting performance enhancement, everyone seems to agree that some form of stretching is good, especially because we lose flexibility as we grow older. In fact, one thing that stretching has been proven to do is improve your range of motion, the ability of a joint to move freely. Here are some points to keep in mind before you begin stretching:

Stretching is not a good way to warm up. Some proponents of active stretching may disagree, but the conventional wisdom still holds. “It’s best done after you warm up the body slightly,” says Joy Prouty of the American College of Sports Medicine. The best way to warm up is to perform your activity-cycling, walking, running, swimming-at a reduced speed and intensity for five to 10 minutes at the beginning of your workout.

Stretch when you can, but stretch consistently. Another ongoing concern is not only whether to do it and what type to do, but when to do it. Some say before you work out, other say after. “To be honest the important fact is that you just do it at some point,” says Alan Mikesky, PhD, director of the human-performance lab at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis. When in doubt, stretch slowly and gradually. The recommendation among most fitness professionals is that static stretching-the slow, gradual kind you hold for 15 to 30 seconds-is the way to go for the average exerciser.

Any which way you can

The hottest forms of flexibility training are active-isolated, dynamic and static:

Active-isolated (AI) The AI technique involves contracting one muscle, the agonist, to isolate and stretch its opposite muscle, the antagonist. To stretch your hamstring, for example, contract your quadriceps, holding the stretch briefly and then repeating it.

Dynamic Flexibility consultant Adrian Crook has developed a technique, called “inflex,” comprised of movement-based stretches that involve the ankles. “That’s crucial, because it’s pretty hard to imagine an athletic movement that doesn’t involve the foot or ankle,” he says. Crook has practiced what he preaches for 20 years, and today he can hold his leg over his head and touch his toe to his nose without bending his knee.

Static Bob Anderson (who wrote the 1974 book Stretching, Shelter Publications, $14) defines a good stretch as one that’s held for 30 seconds-and never beyond the point of pain. It’s the kind of stretching most fitness professionals still recommend. “If, 10 or 20 years from now, we still have all these athletes doing these different kinds of stretches, then I’d say it’s valid,” says Doug Lentz, a Pennsylvania-based strength coach. “But I’d be leery about jumping on any bandwagon that says, ‘This is the only way to do things.’”

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