Does anyone not stretch at all before workouts/races?

There is credance to the idea of mental preparedness caused by stretching, but there are other things that will do this. If you statically stretch bend over, touch your toes and go. Don't sit there and hang

so wrong wrote:

Karl Hungus wrote:

Never. Hobby joggers don't stretch.

Yes they do.

I sure don't. You know how hard it is to do squats with a cigarette in your mouth and a venti latte in your hands?

Gene Dykes, who just ran 2:57 age 70, does "zero stretching". Most Kenyan runners can't come close to touching their toes. They are like steel springs, unable to go far outside of the required range of motion for their events.

Recent studies have shown static stretch is ACTUALLY HARMFUL before running and weightlifting and as they DECREASE POWER OUTPUT for up to an hour after being performed. There is also SURPRISINGLY LITTLE EVIDENCE that static stretching helps prevent injuries and can actually make recovering from injuries worse! Static stretching is good for when sport-specific (think: hurdling) and for mindfulness.

"Dynamic stretching" (ie, drills, strides) and foam rolling are far better for warming up and recovery.

I almost never stretch before or after. I sometimes do a 1 minute jog before a race, but thats as much of a warm up that I do.

I don’t believe in static stretching- but I have noticed my dogs really do stretch front and back legs after a nap. But when they see a squirrel, they just get up and go.

I had a coach who also coached Olympians once tell me Cheetah's don't stretch.

I gave up stretching awhile back. I close my front door and start running. Nagging, small injuries have mostly disappeared. Static stretching is a complete fraud.

TheRunningTroll wrote:

Stretch Armstrong wrote:

Never before but always after.

+1

+2

Attendee wrote:

Subway Surfers Addiction wrote:

Possibly John Walker

Subway, I was in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the final day of Olympic Track & Field competition for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games. I saw Walker stretching, at least briefly on the track, just before he raced in the 5000m final. He crossed one leg over the other while standing and reached down to the ground. Then he switched legs and did the otherwise same stretch.

Interesting, ITB stretch. I only do light static stretching but that is one of them. Why I made this claim is that an old guy who lives nearby used to be a masseuse on the circuit in the 1970s-1980s and he claimed Walker and somebody else like Bedford or Foster didn’t stretch. Perhaps he was misleading.

HRE wrote:

Stretching has always been a disaster for me. Every few years I'd read something that made me think I should do some and I always ended up with something getting hurt. Recently I tried working with a physical therapist to improve my lower back and knee arthritis. Everything was about increasing flexibility, range of motion, etc. The bad knee got no better, the "good" one got much worse and my shoulders have hurt ever since.

I gave up doing standard hamstring stretches (placing your foot on a hurdle/steeple/fence) about two years ago. I went from pulling a hamstring every 4 months to not all.

Me too, never stretch at all, get up, go out the front door and run, get home shower and eat and watch TV. No injuries in over 4 years. Never been able to touch my toes and have no need too.