thnx
Ricky both, you should stretch before running to limber up the muscles, running will naturally tighten the muscles so after running you should stretch again. I would wait an hour or so after running to allow the muscles time to relax and recover and then give them a good stretch Hope things are well in London - Tom
both, the way i do it (i run in treadmill) is i warm up for 5 min then i stretch, run for whatever time, cool down 10 min and stretch.
Can't recall where i just heard this but...Latest news is that lot of people get injured streching! So they run at a slow rate for say 5 minutes, then strech. Agreed should strech at the end too.
i ran XC for a few years, always stretched before...after you pretty much drink fluids and relax, i never stretched after running unless something hurt
ideally: 1. slow jog for about 5 minutes 2. stop and stretch 3. run 4. cool down a few minutes then do real stretching you want to stretch more after you run b/c your muscles, tendons and ligaments are warmed up and that is when you increase flexibility. not when your muscles are cold, how can they really get a good stretch when cold??? also, proper stretching technique is important, not only to prevent injury, but too increase flexibility, which is the goal...
Stretching before limbers and warms the muscles. Stretching afterwards forces out the acid and helps the recovery. You should do both. Art
I stretch while i let the 355 warm up, starting with my neck,shoulders and fingers.Then i take the baby out for a very hard RUN, stretching its long legs to the max. Then after the violance of the run i allow it to tick over to cool down, while this is happening i warm my self down starting with my shakeing hands working up back to the neck. After about two mins of warming down, i turn of and stand back and think to my self " how can something so quite be so F**ing violent........any way i hope this helps.
If you don't stretch after you run, there is a chance of getting shin splints. This occurs when the strong calf muscles attach to the shin bone and can literally bow the leg towards your calf. Stretch those hamstrings or you could be in for some pain.
Latest research is mixed as to whether stretching does a darn thing for you. I used to stretch. Now I never do. I'm down for a few weeks with a severe sprained ankle from running (still biking though), but my runs are usually 5-14 miles, 3 times a week. I also cycle 5-6 times a week. Haven't stretched in years, either before or after. Running volume (when not sidelined with a sprain) is around 25-30 miles/week and cycling volume is 150-250 miles/week. I just lightly jog (say 9-9:30 pace) for around 10 minutes and then hit the go button.
I ran track for six years. I ran 110m high hurdles, 400m hurdles, but my event was the 400m and the 4x400m relay. I wasn't the fastest guy out there, but I was a bit faster than the average Joe. I really know how to run that event. I took three guys that were faster than me and made them even faster. I was able to shave five seconds off of one of my teamates 400m times by the end of the season. As a sophmore in high school I ran a :55 sec 400m. I was able to get my team mate down to a low :50 sec. keep in mind this was as sophmores in high school. By the end of the year our JV 400m relay team was faster than the varsity team. So they took our two fastest guys and put them on the varsity team. Okay enough about me. Lets just say track was my sport. Anyway, you want to stretch before you run. Especially if you are sprinting. The reason is that it loosens the muscle. When the muscle is loose you run more relaxxed. The more relaxxed you are the faster you can run. If your muscle isn't properly stretched you don't get the full rang of motion of the muscle fiber. If the muscle isn't streched it can't function to it's full potential. Also when the muscle is stretched properly it allows more blood into the tissue. The greatly helps with fatigue. The more blood you can get in and out of the muscle, the better the supply of oxygen and the better able the blood can get rid of lactic acid. Thus you don't gas out at the finish line. Also this is why you want to warm up. It gets the blood moving faster. I have seen guys shave two tenths of a second off of their 100m times just by being stretched out and warmed up properly. I'm not a doctor, but I do know what I have seen work on the track in competion. So stretch out and warm up before you take off.
don't run, it's bad for your joints in the long run. cycling or swimming is a much better form of exercise as you are not subjecting joints to great impacts running is ok every now and then, but i wouldn't advise it as a daily exersise