The need for stretching is one topic (among many) that my younger brother
and I frequently disagree about. He believes it’s absolutely necessary and something that all runners / athletes should do. I’m not so convinced and may even believe that stretching is a waste of time. I’ve run thousands of miles over the last 15 years, rarely stretch and have had minimal injuries.
My anecdotal evidence doesn’t convince him. And his evidence that all the coaches he’s worked with have told him stretching is essential doesn’t convince me.
But at my core, I’m a scientist and perfectly willing to believe whatever the best science has to say about the subject.
This article from the New York Times suggests that science indicates that the truth about stretching is closer to my opinion than my brother’s.
Less flexible more efficient
In the first bit of research, scientists found that runners who were less flexible were more efficient runners and actually had the fastest 10K times. Now, the stretching study only looked at 8 runners so I’m not so sure how much faith you can put in the results, but it does give some evidence that stretching to make yourself more flexible might make you slower.
Does stretching increase flexibility?
According to researchers, stretching does not significantly increase your flexibility except after hours of stretching done over many months. What it does do is make you more tolerant to the pain of stretching your muscle beyond its normal range of motion. The muscles and tendons don’t change much.
How flexible?
The article gives one way to judge your own flexibility. Sit with your legs stretched out in front of you and try to touch your toes without bending your legs. If you can touch a little beyond your toes, you are as flexible as you need to be.
So, scientific research backs my opinion that stretching is of little value for runners. Since the studies have been small, I’m certain that my brother won’t find the evidence compelling, but I do.
How about you? Do you stretch before or after a run? Do you think it helps? Leave a comment below.
PS. Incidentally, it is my younger brother’s birthday today. Happy Birthday Paul!
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I do not stretch, although the author of Chi Running recommends loosening up the tendons, rather than the muscles before running. If anything, I think light stretching before running kind of warms up the muscles to the task at hand.
This topic is debated a lot, and it really is hard to prove one way or the other. There are no exact measurements to prove the theory one way or another.
Stretching and vitamins are two things recommended by doctors with very little scientific information to back it up. Studies of professional athletes who stretch showed no reduction in injuries.
I usually try to stretch a little after running, especially after long runs. I’m pretty sure it causes me to feel less sore the next day. But maybe it’s all in my head…
@Wes – It seems like this topic could yield to scientific inquiry as long as you phrase the question properly.
To ask, “is stretching beneficial?” is too vague a question. Of course, a solid case could be made that it has benefit. This isn’t a scientific question unless you define what is meant by “beneficial”.
So, questions like ‘Will stretching reduce injuries’ or ‘Does stretching improve your performance’ can be scientifically tested. And at the moment, the scientific evidence seems to say
1. No, stretching will not reduce injuries
2. No, stretching does not improve performance
I’m too lazy and impatient to stretch. And I’m low on injuries.
When I started running long distance about 10 years ago, I read up a lot about it and recall reading that stretching before running is actually more likely to pull a mussle than help. The idea is that you only stretch after running a bit, but I never got into the habit of interrupting my run to stretch.
I don’t stretch before or after running these days. When I was in high school and sporadically afterwards I did. I never noticed a difference one way or another (except that stretching before running mostly seemed like a timekiller to wait for the team members that were late for the start of the workout). I do warmup before speed sessions though which I do find valuable, but don’t stretch.
I have been running regularly for the last 15 years. I rarely stretch before or after a run. Luckily, I have not had any running related injuries.
I do try to stretch daily in the evening, but it’s not related to running. I realized a few years ago how completely unflexible I was, so I started stretching. I don’t actually think it’s helping or hurting my running, but I felt like an old man because I couldn’t touch my toes, so I started stretching.
The idea behind the benefits of stretching is that when you stretch over an extended period of time, with increased flexibility acton and myosin will be further apart at rest, therefore meaning they should contract more forcefully when they do contract (ie. running) giving you a bit more power. However how much more power, if any, is hard to determine. Also, if you do have any scar tissue in your muscles stretching is thought to help break it up and realign acton and myosin. Who really knows though; I stretch briefly after I don’t know if it helps, but I don’t think it hurts.