[QUOTE]Originally posted by YellowJacket
[B] Originally posted by Whale @ AnabolicMinds.com
*** I mean no disrespect by this post, however I would like to shed some light on some issues that I have with this article.
Stretching for bodybuilding is quite different than you might imagine. As for what to do and what not to do there are a couple of rules. 1. Never stretch during exercise. It is counterproductive in what you are trying to achieve. I would say that stretching during exercise not only hurts your gains but is also potentially dangerous as you have just activated the actin myosin bridging which shrinks the muscle. Stretching during exercise elongates the muscle thus loosing the whole effect of shorting it in the first place. Imagine a rubber band that has been frozen(shrunk) then heated(elongated) were is the rubber band now? At its same length, not good for muscle tension and the final goal of strengthening the muscle.
*** My question is this. Can tension still be created under a elongated muscular contraction? It seems that the author is affirming that an elongated muscle can not create sufficient amounts of tension which compromise the strengthening of a muscle. This is incorrect.
2. The next is after you warm up a short stretch can be administered but is not 100% necessary. What you really need to concentrate on is the post stretch or no stretch at all after working out. I vote for the post stretch. Anyway if you are going to stretch after make sure you start at the bottom and work up. This is key to stretching effectively. It is like building blocks starting with the bottom and working up. Each muscle and tendon and ligament is supported by the one bellow it. This is not a difficult theory if you think about it.
*** A theory is usually supported with science and if it is not, it uses logic that is backed with a healthy dose of common sense. However in this case, I can not see how the theory behind the ligaments, tendons and muscles being below each other jive with stretching from top to bottom. That is puerile logic at it's best, or should I say worst.
3. Always stretch for 30-60 seconds. Yes this can be long and drawn out but the truth is you are only stretching muscle if you do less than this and you want to stretch tendons and ligaments well tendons really. So a good rule of thumb is 45 sec. Also never go over a min not worth it either. All this being said I feel that honestly if you want to be more flexible you need to stretch every day and that is a fact… everyday. By the way best time to stretch is after a message or after being in a hot tubor something warm all over. Worst time during exercise and def when your body is cold.
*** You can not stretch a tendon. Some studies have shown as little as 4% and as much as 10% of a stretch can reduce the elasticity of a tendon which can and will lead to injury. This is because tendons are comprised of inelastic collegan fibres.
As for the time limit, I have no idea where these numbers came up from. I would assume they are based on some studies which I would be most intrigued to read.
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