Tag Archives: stretching

Tips for a Safe Start to Summer Activites: Golfing

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Playing 9 or 18 holes of golf requires a great deal of concentration, skill and physical ability—what? Physical ability to play golf? That’s right, in order to keep playing for many years, one should follow an exercise routine throughout the year.

The golf swing is very demanding on the muscles in the trunk and legs, as well as a high demand on the spine and associated ligaments. Proper warm up to prepare these structures for the rotation and movement is essential.

  • Maintain good flexibility of all the muscles involved, including the hamstrings, calf, low back, mid back, and shoulders. This program should be followed all year long.

 

Nice self stretch for the hamstrings. Note the position of the left leg, back flat on the ground. The slight bend in the (R) knee is totally acceptable.

 

 

  • Flexibility of the hip muscles in the front is critical to a good follow through and keeping the workload distributed evenly, saving your lower back muscles.

Hip flexor stretch - flexibility in this muscle group plays an important role in the swing follow through and helping to absorb the forces through the low back during play. Note the upright position of the trunk and chest wall.

 

Low back stretch - breathe and relax!

 

  • Perform slow gentle movements that are similar to those in the golf swing including low velocity trunk rotation, shoulder movements, and partial squats. These can be done holding a club by the grip or at both ends.

 

  • Ideally, a 10 minute warm up should immediately precede the first tee off of the day. This warm up could be brisk walking, stationary biking or light jogging. Break a sweat and you know you are warmed up enough!

 

  • Lastly, if you develop pain in the body during a round of golf, give it a rest and apply the R.I.C.E. principle for the first 24-48 hours (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation of the injured part) and see your doctor if pain or swelling continue past 24-48 hours.

Tips for a Safe Start to #SummerActivities – #Running

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Soon enough there will be plenty of people outdoors getting more exercise. There are a few reminders to keep you on the road and feeling good. If you haven’t been physically active on a regular basis or returning to a fitness routine after a lengthy absence, check with your physician to be sure it is safe for you to begin an exercise program.

  • An active warm-up works best! Think of the old-school calesthentics – the goal is to increase your heart rate a bit, break a sweat and prepare your muscles and tendons for the exercise session.
  • Maintain good flexibility of all the lower body muscle groups, especially the calves, hamstrings and muscles in the front of the hip. We feel a stretching program should be completed after your training run.
  • Wear shoes designed for running. Check at a reputable running shoe store for proper fit, type of shoe etc.
  • Start slow and easy! Don’t try to do too much in the first days of your program.
  • If you run in the evening or at night, wear reflective clothing so others can see you.

Victor Plata is an established elite triathlete and 2004 Olympian who divides his life into thirds.

FOR THE ADVANCED RUNNER:

  • Respect the 10% rule per week in progressing your training.
  • Use R.I.C.E. to manage post-workout soreness, but if the pain or swelling lasts until the next scheduled run, better think twice and see your physician.
  • A proper warm up should get your body ready for the day’s workout—10-15 minutes of easy calesthentics or biking should do it
  • Replace your shoes after 300-450 miles if you are running more than 35 miles per week. The cushioning of a shoe breaks down quickly, especially with consistent training.

S T R E T C H I N G

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S – t – r – e – t – c – h – i – n – g 

Stretching often falls by the wayside when you are gearing up for your favorite activity. Sure, you might tug on your ankle a few times or shake your legs out before taking the road for a run, but is that doing you any good?

Stretching will improve your flexibility and improving your flexibility may have a positive impact on your overall performance and quality of life, especially when that increased flexibility allows your joints to move more freely throughout their entire range of motion. You can also decrease the risk of activity-related injuries by improved flexibility (through stretching).  When muscles or tendons are less flexible and we place a demand on them exceeding their capability, the tissue can be injured.

Numerous studies have attempted to provide a clear cut answer on the benefits of stretching – few have been able to do so definitively.

You Better Stretch So You Don’t Hurt Yourself!

Athlete:    Ouch! (Athlete seen walking away from the track, limping)

Coach:      What happened?

Athlete:   I pulled my muscle while running. It really hurts!

Coach:     Did you stretch before you went running?

Athlete:  :(

We have all heard or been a part of a conversation just like this and often  uncertain if we did or are doing the right things to prepare ourselves for a workout. In today’s post, we will attempt to provide some of the latest information available and share our thoughts on what to do and when to do it.

The benefits of stretching may include improved flexibility, circulation, balance & coordination, and performance of daily activities. (Photo courtesy of T. Simler/Oakwood Healthcare Inc)

Which One Should I Use?

Stretching, particularly of a single variety, is a common practice before sports participation and likely based on the concepts drilled into coaches and athletes  heads: stretch or get hurt. Watch any high school game – the choreographed, highly precise stretching activities that take place once the team takes the floor or field.

There are three  types of stretching:  static, ballistic and PNF.

Static stretching requires you place the extremity and muscle into a position of lengthening or stretch and hold for a short period of time before releasing the stretch. When performed properly, static stretching is one of the safest methods of increasing muscle length. Although, an acute session of stretching has been shown to impair muscular strength but did not have an effect on overuse injuries. Timing of a stretching session may then be important. To improve overall flexibility, perform the stretching routine after an exercise session, while the muscle tissues are still warm. A good 15  minutes of focused attention on specific muscle groups will help improve your flexibility.

Ballistic stretching  is performed by repetitive bouncing motions into and out of a stretched position (very old method and not recommended); or by activating the agonist muscle group (say the quadriceps – see the photo) by swinging the leg forward and up higher than the torso, which will actively stretch the antagonist muscle group (in this example, the hamstrings). One study concluded that ballistic stretching did not impair jumping performance, likely due to the total volume of stretching performed in the study. A ballistic program can be implemented prior to an exercise bout and when combined with an active warm-up, it can yield beneficial results.

By engaging the quadriceps (agonist), the antagonists (hamstrings) are placed on stretch.

 

Proprioceptive neuromuscular facillitation (PNF) is a method of stretching using a partner or device to facillitate a variety of stretching techniques. For today’s post, we will leave this topic for those  trained and educated in its proper use.

Helpful Tips On Stretching

Don’t consider stretching a warm-up  – to improve a muscle’s flexibility, stretch after a workout, practice or activity. This way you are not stretch cold muscle tissue and the will gain the improvements in flexibility you desire.

Perform stretching for large muscle groups – The large muscle groups do most of the work. Focus on them! Calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, lower back, neck,  shoulders and chest. Always perform the stretching routine for both sides of the body.

Pain is not your friend when stretching! – You can expect to feel a moderate amount of tension within the muscled being stretched, not pain. Stretch just to the edge of pain, then back off to a point where the pain lessens.

Use sports or activity specific stretches – If you play soccer where hip flexor muscle injuries are common, add in the appropriate flexor stretch. For baseball pitchers, specific shoulder and forearm stretches are essential.

Maintain the routine – We struggle to even carve time out for a workout, let alone the extra time for a stretching routine. Do your absolute best to not skip out on the stretching so you gain the most benefit in terms of flexibility.

We have stayed away from in-depth writing about a proper warm-up. For this you will have to check back with us very shortly.

If you aren’t moving already, get moving and include a general program of stretching to your routine. If you are moving, move more;  and focus on the appropriate stretching methods at the appropriate time. Stay loose, stay flexible, move better and move more!

Special thanks to Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC (Edsel Ford HS) for his prep work on this post!

Current Concepts In Stretching and Warm-Up

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The evolution of sport science continues to improve upon old theory and the explosion of applied science has changed how athletes and people approach their exercise regimen. Let’s get into some of the current thoughts around stretching and its role in a program.

Stretching prior to exercise was once thought to prevent injury. Inordinate time was committed to a warm-up period or stretching routine. Recent research indicates there is no proof of injury prevention based solely on a stretching routine. In fact, a warm-up period followed by a specific muscle stretch may actually increase the range of motion of that muscle group.

So the misconception of a warm-up period and stretching was born.

Warm-Up

The use of a warm-up period prior to going out for run remains important. A warm-up should be designed to increase blood flow, increase heart rate and prepare the body for further exertion. Movement patterns such as calesthenics, stationary biking, jumping rope or brisk walking can be part of a warm-up. Sport or activity specific activities are most appropriate as part of the warm-up period. Remember, the goal is to generally increase blood flow, heart rate and prepare the body for further exertion. You should build the warm-up to a point where you begin to sweat. The warm-up period is important towards preventing injury.

Stretching

Stretching is most commonly applied in a static position, meaning you place the muscle fiber under tension and hold that position for a specified length of time. Most people will experience an increase in range of motion in about 4-6 weeks from stretching a muscle for 30 seconds each day. There does not appear to be any difference whether you stretch once a day or 3-4 times a day for each muscle. Holding a stretch longer (60 seconds) does not  appear to improve results over a 30 second hold.

A dynamic approach, or ballastic stretching (bouncing) is not recommended as the sudden increase in muscle fiber length can be injurious.

Stretch a muscle until you feel a pull and hold that position. As you feel less tension, increase the stretch until you feel the pulling again and hold. Some studies indicate holding a stretch position will provide greater gains in flexibility than a hold-relax-stretch. Use the method that best suits you. The most advantagous time to stretch is immediately following the warm-up.

A warm-up period before exercise is key towards injury prevention. Use a stretching routine in your program to improve flexibility in specific muscle groups.