Most of us have heard or been told at one time or another that there are three components of exercise.: aerobic training, strength training, and stretching ,and that there is no greater value assigned to one over the others. I am going to devote my next two posts to stretching. Today I will talk about stretches during warm-ups and tomorrow I will address the importance of stretching after exercise.

If you are one of those people who does deep stretches before going for a run or a brisk walk on the treadmill, are you really improving your flexibility or are you setting yourself up for injury? Studies have shown that stretching before exercise does not improve flexibility or contribute to injury prevention. In fact, stretching on cold muscles can do just the opposite especially if the stretches are ballistic. So does that mean that all stretching should be saved for the end of the workout? No! It means that pre-exercise stretches should be dynamic and rhythmic. An example would be alternately lifting your heels then toes in a rocking motion before a long walk to warm up the calves, ankles, and shins. Knee lifts, rhythmic hamstring curls, shallow squats and lunges and standing trunk rotation are examples of dynamic stretching. By moving your joints through their range of motion slowly and deliberately, you will increase the blood flow to the muscles and joints. Gentle stretching can follow but the stretches should only be held for a few seconds. This is not the time to try to increase your flexibility. Your warm-up stretches are more of a dress rehearsal for your work-out and should mimic the movements performed in the activity. So, get rockin’ and rollin’ and have a good workout!