Stretching not that useful: Time Magazine.

[ChessGuy]

http://healthland.time.com/2013/04/0...ise/?hpt=hp_t5

To me, a good warmup is much more important.

[extremenergy3]

Good to see what we've known for years finally make it mainstream. Now our clients will believe us lol

[Purpose456]

To me, a good warmup is much more important.

I heard exp bodybuilders tell me this so it is reassuring that an article was written about it. Thanks.

[Footballa_19]

"static" stretching has its uses post workout. People who bash stretching in general though are idiots. Usually the guy who swings around a 5 lb dumbell(s) for 30 secs and then proceeds to max out on bench. Dynamic and active stretches before lifting to get muscles warm and more elastic are a must. Problem is no one ever talks about those.

[DanFitnessMan]

Chessguy, thank you for bringing this article.

This article they wrote is a bit misleading though . There are several types of stretching, Dynamic, Static, Balistic and PNF stretching. Static stretching is the one the author was talking about. I currently get new journals by the Strength and Conditioning as im a professional member and they'll say it may or may not decrease injury,but every sport has an ideal ROM,so actually Pre stretch may be alright for some! But for the majority of cases I would say refrain from doing static stretching until after your work out. It also depends, if your just a general gym goer this could be good advice,but what if your an athlete or an performer who needed increased stretch? See this is the part thats misleading. If your a dancer, or ballet, it could be a different issue. It depends on the activity and the sport. This is called SPECIFICITY. Something she conveniently left out!

"A good warm up" actually is called Dynamic flexibility, where you are moving through the active ROM so you can actually call a lunge a stretch if your preparing for lunge squats. a good warm up includes 8-12 minutes of general warm up following by 5-10 minutes of a specific warm up (doing exercises that will enhance bloodflow to the exercised muscles. I wouldnt recommend doing a warm up of just treadmill if you are going to lift weights is the take home message.

Good post! And Footballa I agree with your point! I think the person who wrote the article "alexandra sifferlin" was just trying to catch attention from individuals and left it pretty general. I love NSCA and they have some great stuff but if we looked at other organizations stance on it,the view could be a bit different. Taking one associations viewpoint sounds actually like a very weak arguement, and not a well written article.

NSCA-CSCS
CSEP- Exercise Physiologist

[SFT]

We have to understand why they write these articles. Simply put, these types articles are controversial. I didn't read it, but I can imagine it says that stretching might not be the best way to warm-up and that the changes in ROM might only be transient.

In any case, I like the saying: "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." A lot of these studies make apparent conclusions based on what they can quantify. Any potential benefits that cannot be quantified are ignored. Furthermore, most people will ignore clear trends in research because it is not "statistically significant". At the end of the day, research is valuable, but it is just a tool. My real world experience tells me that static stretching has its benefits. In particular, I like using stretching to reduce the tone of overactive muscles. If it makes my clients and I feel better, then it works in my book. My static stretching might be 1-3 minutes preworkout and 1-3 minutes postworkout if I find a reason to use it. I could find extreme examples where longer stretches might be indicated.

[etherHATESether]

I've kind of corrected the joint mechanics of a lot of people by having them stretch properly, so I'm going to continue implementing stretching.

[BrentEvo]

I never stretch. I warm up with light weights and progressively overload. No rush. I figure when I really start to sweat I am 'warmed up'. Never pulled a muscle and at 170 am near elite in every lift. Not a powerlifter either. Just a physique competitor.

[pcproffy]

This isn't really news. ACSM has officially been against pre workout stretching for years. However, the OP "stretching not that useful" totally misses the point of stretching after, or in between workouts.

[germaine07]

Mobility work and dynamic stretching still have their place at the beginning of most routines. Static stretching still has a place after a workout too.

[JeepCreeper]

OP's title is misleading, but the article is written by someone who "might" have read a medical study and wrote about something they really know nothing about.

[JimmyRosser]

Cba stretching, This is bodybuilding not yoga.