Subject: RE: Morning Regimen Particularly if you are prone to injury, I would stretch only when you are well warmed up. Stretching muscles before activity hasn't really been shown to increase performance, and might lead to injury. Normally I stretch at two times--during the run and after. I just start running (or riding, or swimming--depends on the workout ) very slowly and don't get to normal pace or start any speed work until 15-20 minutes into the workout. Some people prefer a pre-run warmup that includes dynamic movements like jumping, stride drills, jogging in place, etc. You can google "dynamic warmup" to get ideas.
Sometime before starting the more intense part of the workout, I'll make 1-2 short stops and stretch anything that feels tight (quick standing stretches ). The static stretches that most people consider "stretching" I save for after I've finished the run and cooled down with a few minutes of walking, before showering, eating, or doing anything else.
Can't say I am a paragon of being injury-free, but they haven't generally been muscle pulls/tears and in most cases weren't even running-related, so this routine appears to work, at least for me, over 30+ years of running. |