I'll get you young guys one day.
I'll get you young guys one day.
thanks for responses so far. and agreed there's certainly a bunch of limitations to this research but it helps to get a gauge. feel free to add PRs and whether you stretch before and after runs.
Me: stretch only after, and 5k - 15:56 (road) and do about 40-50miles/week (when not injured).
Results so far:
A - never stretch - 7 responses, avg # injuries in two years = 1.93
B - about 5-10mins stretch - 10 responses, avg = 0.7
C - 10+ - 1 response (common stretchers where you at!?!?), avg = 0 injuries
looks like doing some stretching is the way to go so far. keep em comin!
Depends on the event
Sprinters should stretch very little, because range of motion and free-ness of joints means very little. For sprinters its about explosiveness and power.
Marathoners need to be very free in motion to be most efficent. They should streach more.
i never stretched in high school and first year of college xc i injured my low back so bad i could barely walk, just from the increase in intensity and mileage, my muscles were so tight. I started stretching 10 plus minutes a day and havent been close to being injured in 4+ years
I'd beg to go in exactly the opposite way Awful BO - the range of motion the sprinter goes through is so much bigger than a marathon runner so they'd need to be hugely flexible and loose in the joints (particularly hips).
thats my opinion
Even if stretching were to correlate with more injuries, this kind of data is worthless. Presumably people who are injury-prone could also be more likely to put the time and effort into stretching. A better question might be: List specific injuries you've had, specific stretches you've adopted in response, and whether or not the injury returned. Hard to get enough data to compare specific injuries but anything less is a waste of time.
It depends if by stretching you mean conventional static stretching then the answer is A (never);
however, if you consider static stretching injury prevention drills etc then I would say C (10+ mins more like 1+ hours).
As for injuries A (0)
My first three years of college I stretched for 10+ mins everyday. I was often injuried. Finally I stopped stretching altogether and have been injury free for 3 years. Also I am a 10k to marathon type.
1) c, full stretch routine after every run, sometimes legs swings and a stretch or two before a workout.
2) a
c,b
I used to not stretch and then I started having troubles with my IT Band. Then I periodically did static stretching beforehand. Then after a while I moved to afterward. Now I do Active Isolated Stretching and perform some stretches before and after I run. I also do strength training so my muscles have strength throughout the whole range of motion. My times have also improved since switching to AIS.
C, about 10-15 minutes each day.
A, one injury (ham pull). Then I started stretching, and I haven't been injured since!
hey i can run statistical tests on this data if enough ppl answer. I mean, it's all bs but I can do it anyway.
b)
a)
b, a
I never stretch, and I was 5x All American in my collegiate running days
1) C, just barely over 10 minutes a day.
2) A, technically, because it was a non-running related injury (broke a toe playing soccer), but it kept me from running. I don't really count that as a running injury though.
I did not stretch for three years in college. Got hurt every 3-4 months.
Started stretching B) active isolated stretches) before and after runs almost daily, and C) static stretches but ONLY before BED.
I have not been hurt in four years, knock on wood.
Pre-stretch routine PRs
3:53 1500
14:53 5000
Post-stretch routine PRs
3:48 1500
14:22 5000
I'll keep stretching.
thanks for the offer, i can help.
definitely! totally understand that this whole thread has no scientific validity whatsoever - but when do runners listen to science anyway as opposed to gut feeling?!
feel free to get ya'll statistician on!
interested in hearing more about these AI stretches... any vids on online? (i can never work out stretches from written explanations!)
Awful BO wrote:
Depends on the event
Sprinters should stretch very little, because range of motion and free-ness of joints means very little. For sprinters its about explosiveness and power.
Marathoners need to be very free in motion to be most efficent. They should streach more.
You can't be serious? Dumbest idea ever...
Why don't you ask how many do some type of strength training...and how often they have been injured?