So there's no proof that stretching helps runners - but do any elites not stretch?
So there's no proof that stretching helps runners - but do any elites not stretch?
Terrance Mahon uses a fully dynamic wamup, as do the Ethiopians according to a video posted here, as do we (D1), as do the Jamaican sprinters for that matter.
Stretching is for old farts who don't know any better.
Posted WHERE?
The dynamic warmup is the last slide I think.
I'm elite, and I don't bother to stretch.
i stretch right after runs and right before bed. if i dont get it before bed, the next morning's run always seems to go poorly
stretching is overrated
GEEZER! Aw lovey you're really elite?? WHO are YOU?
coach d wrote:
http://www.usatf.org/groups/Coaches/library/2007/EnduranceTraining/PEPStrengthAndFlexibility-TerranceMahon.pptThe dynamic warmup is the last slide I think.
wow, did he really break-up with ryan hall during that powerpoint?
de Castella didn't stretch.
David Moorcroft did not stretch. It was in the article posted on the front page of this site a few months ago that recounted his 13:00.4 5K (5000 for you track tight wads).
Ethiopians and Kenyans stretch a ridiculous amount. Most is done as dynamic, but still a lot of of regular stretching. I wold say on average 2+ hours/day!
people think the East Africans run a lot, but I would argue their stretching routines are far more extreme (time wise) in relation to the westerners than the miles they run.
The argument that stretching isn't beneficial to performance relates to power output of the muscle. The last time I checked, distance runners are less concerned with power output, but more concerned with blood flow, and injury prevention.
Source?
Deion Sanders never stretched, he was pretty fast.
dr gadget wrote:
Ethiopians and Kenyans stretch a ridiculous amount. Most is done as dynamic, but still a lot of of regular stretching. I wold say on average 2+ hours/day!
I would say you're wrong!
Loud noises! wrote:
I would say you're wrong!
Well, yes and no. Kenyans are known so stretch AFTER a workout, not before. Many Kenyans will just start a run slowly. Jamaican sprinters also have their stretching (with a PT) after workout, but do not do any static stretching of any kind before a workout.
I know one elite who NEVER stretched when he was in his prime. Tom Fleming
After the Adidas GP in NYC one year, I saw B Lagat stretch for what had to be half an hour. He seemed all tranquil like, on the grass, just stretching. This was after his race.
But he was just about the only one - everyone else was just moving, doing what I suppose are called dynamic stretches.
This is the deal:
Dynamic stretching BEFORE workouts and races.
Static (long hold, yoga-like) stretching AFTER workouts, at night on easy days a day, or two prior to hard races or workouts.
The elites who do/did not stretch can afford to and DO get 1-2 massages a week, essentially letting the masseuse/eur do the stretching and flushing for them. You probably can't afford this. Stretching is mostly "massaging from within." (Also if you refuse to stretch you may achieve an equivalent peak, but I've found your career will be shorter and end much sooner).
As for the bogus argument on here "animals don't stretch" well, they don't get deep tissue massages but I've gotta tell yous fellers they would if they could! Also they do get a quicks tretch or two in when they wake up or before they put in an effort. Also all of the excited jumping around a dog does when you reach for your running shoes is ... in a sense ... dynamic motion in anticipation of a running effort.
Why wouldn't power be important for distance running? We still want to maximize our power output, just over longer time periods than sprinters.