Stretching

I'm a little confused about whether to stretch or not. I run daily for about 6 miles and find that my legs are a bit stiff the following day. I have read that you should not stretch before running coz it damages the muscles. Should I stretch afterwards?? I think it might reduce the stiffness. What does everybody else do and what stretches should I do if at all any?? Thanx

Hello Marvin,

In my opinion stretching, if done sensibly is very good for you.
If I run early morning say before 8am I stretch afterwards but if I train later in the day I stretch before.
Make sure you muscles are warm & don't over stretch or force anything.
I would suggest looking for a book on stretching as you will see diagrams & have the stretches explained. Amazon have lot's of books on running. It's a little difficult to explain stretches here.
After a while you will find a routine & it becomes quite a natural thing to do.
Some people in my opinion don't stretch because they feel silly.
I've been running for nearly 20 years & have never had a running related injury. I put this down to a good diet & stretching.

Tim

As Big Tim says stretching works well for him, although he is in the minority at not having had a running related injury in 20 years.

Far from feeling silly stretching, although when I see some people strectching I think they realy shouldn't being that.

I hardly stretch at all, but I do warm up for a mile before a hard work out and cool down with a mile jog getting slower all the time & then walk for about 1/2 mile before showering. Even after that cool down & shower I try to stay active for at least an hour before sitting down.

This seems to work for me. One mans medicine can be another mans poison. Whatever you do you can not just run & then go sit down.

Well there's 2 points of view. Good luck & I hope you find what works for you.

PM

Hi Marvin

Check out 'Stretching' by Bob Anderson. It's the bible of stretching, and I can highly recommend it.

- The Huckster