Saturday, August 21, 2010

Should You Stretch Before You Run?

A study from USATF definitively says ... maybe

"To stretch or not to stretch? That's a question millions of runners ask themselves daily, but results from a USA Track & Field-sponsored clinical trial involving close to 3,000 runners confirm there is no difference in the risk of injury for those who stretched before running and those who did not. "

Me? I've done 30-minute stretches ... and 30-second stretches. I find if I ease into the run, and feel something a bit tighter, stretching it out after 5 minutes or so works fine (and I always (cough, cough), stretch *after* a run, which is very beneficial).

So ... as with many things in running - do what works best for you! Plenty of articles out there in cyberspace on stretching and preventative workouts that will target certain areas.

1 comment:

brooks addiction said...

Yes definitely you need to stretch before you run. It is important to make the muscle prepared for the long run.