stretchin' dem muskels

we all know that stretching our muscles is a good thing- for numerous reasons: prevents injury, elongates muscle, promotes growth & strength, & others. there's just no debatin' that stretching is great for muscles.

what i'm going to bring up here is more of the "when" to do it. even the most beneficial things for us can be detrimental if not applied/practiced @ the right times- stretching is one of them. if we don't know "when" to stretch then it's pretty much a crap-shoot.

a common quote of accomplished runners/athletes is: "never stretch a cold muscle!" it's apparent that many people haven't heard of this principle. whether it's in a gym/pe class or during team sports training, i see & have be involved in "cold muscle stretching." there's possibly nothing more dangerous for a muscle (in terms of training) than stretching it while it's cold. you see it all the time though. people stretch before runs, basketball, football, or whatever sport w/o first having warmed the muscle up.

the only time a muscle should be stretched is when it's warm. how does a muscle get warm? as far as i can ascertain through reading expert's opinions & personal experience- a warm-up should consist of brisk walking, jumping-jacks, light jogging, swimming, jumping rope, light shadow-boxing, etc... for 20-30 minutes. only after this has been done- should a muscle be stretched. i've heard of some runners that stretch about the 30 minute mark of their run, then continue their run. some stretch @ half-way points of runs. some stretch @ the end of their run only. btw, stretching @ the end of a run is the most beneficial for recovery/repair/muscle health and down-right necessary.

i could go into more detail, but i won't, because all i wanted to say- has been said. please don't stretch your muscles when they're "cold." you take a big risk of injury (muscle tears, strains, bruising). "work smarter, not harder."

thoughts?

peace & joy to ya-