Stretching! Valuable in any sport...

[QuantumTurkey]

So, since I'm just starting out, what sort of stretches do you guys do? Currently I'm doing the ones I remember from running cross-country, but I feel sure there are some biking specific ones I should be doing as well.

[kuan]

You should develop overall flexibility anyway. It makes your whole body work better.

[Roody]

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The common belief that stretching prevents injury is not supported by scientific studies. Thinkmuscle.com (http://www.thinkmuscle.com/articles/haycock/benefits-stretching.htm)posted this abstract of a meta-analysis of 361 independent studies. It was originally published in the journal Medicine and Science of Sport Exercise:



Title: The Impact of Stretching on Sports Injury Risk: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Researchers: THACKER, STEPHEN B.; GILCHRIST, JULIE; STROUP, DONNA F.; KIMSEY, C. DEXTER JR.
Institution: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Source: Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 371–378, 2004.

Summary: We conducted a systematic review to assess the evidence for the effectiveness of stretching as a tool to prevent injuries in sports and to make recommendations for research and prevention.

Methods: Without language limitations, we searched electronic data bases, including MEDLINE (1966–2002), Current Contents (1997–2002), Biomedical Collection (1993–1999), the Cochrane Library, and SPORTDiscus, and then identified citations from papers retrieved and contacted experts in the field. Meta-analysis was limited to randomized trials or cohort studies for interventions that included stretching. Studies were excluded that lacked controls, in which stretching could not be assessed independently, or where studies did not include subjects in sporting or fitness activities. One author screened all articles initially. Six of 361 identified articles compared stretching with other methods to prevent injury. Data were abstracted by one author and then reviewed independently by three others. Three authors using a previously standardized instrument assessed data quality independently, and reviewers met to reconcile substantive differences in interpretation. We calculated weighted pooled odds ratios based on an intention-to-treat analysis as well as subgroup analyses by quality score and study design.

Results: Stretching was not significantly associated with a reduction in total injuries and similar findings were seen in the subgroup analyses.



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Brian Haycock of Thinkmuscle wrote a short discussion of the paper. Here is one of his conclusions:

One thing this paper brought out was that “warm-up”, rather than mere stretching, may indeed be useful in preventing injury. Warming up helps to increase the blood flow to muscle tissue, increase temperature of the tissue, and even increases range of motion.


I'm assuming that Haycock would say that an appropriate warm-up for cycling would be a few minutes of light spinning.


/

[recneps]

I stretch on the bike. Stretching before you ride is dumb, but i see people doing it all the time, I'm sure you know never to stretch a cold muscle.

I start with unclipping one leg while riding, leaning forward and putting my foot on the saddle, kind of bending it backward. Then still while riding, I put my leg on the handlebars and push my ass towards the back of the saddle.

When im getting tired from a long day in the saddle i do the make love to the stem while clipped in and push your head back to stretch out my back.

[DannoXYZ]

I stretch after a warm-up. I've found that it helps me perform better after 30-minutes of warm-up. Otherwise, I'd have to warm-up for over an hour. Having flexibility also allows you to get into low aerodynamic positions and be comfortable for hours without sore shoulders and necks. Chronic pain in those areas can be considered injuries.

[rodrigaj]

The book "Stretching" by Bob Anderson has sport specific stretching routines including those for bicycling. It's a great book with very nice diagrams and it is widely available used and in libraries (as well as new at most bookstores). I do the everyday stretches after biking, and on long trips I do the biking specific stretches periodically to loosen up the shoulders, neck and arms.

[roadbuzz]

Apart from the sports injury issue, stretching will improve your recovery time, provided you don't overdo it. And it helps prevent other issues related to certain muscles groups becoming tight and affecting your posture, etc. When I started stretching, and in particular, using foam rollers etc. to work my muscles I was amazed at how much tension there was (all the time) that i didn't notice or realize. Particularly on my knees.

[Bici3]

Any stretches that keep tension in the "belly" of the muscle. Begin with Quads. Tendon and ligament stress need to be avoided. Slightly bending the knees accomplishes this well for posterior muscle group stretches. Hams, Calves, Lower back.
Gently hanging two-handed from a pull-up, or monkey bar, stretches many upper-body, large and small muscle groups sufficiently.
True - there is no science justifying the necessity to stretch... Why do so many animals and people, find that 1st thing in the AM, or long car ride stretch so unbelievably gratifiying?

http://www.bicitreregioni.com

[Ropopompom]

/


The common belief that stretching prevents injury is not supported by scientific studies. Thinkmuscle.com (http://www.thinkmuscle.com/articles/haycock/benefits-stretching.htm)posted this abstract of a meta-analysis of 361 independent studies. It was originally published in the journal Medicine and Science of Sport Exercise:





* * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Brian Haycock of Thinkmuscle wrote a short discussion of the paper. Here is one of his conclusions:




I'm assuming that Haycock would say that an appropriate warm-up for cycling would be a few minutes of light spinning.


/


Ok so there's no scientific evidence to show that stretching prevents injury. But is there scientific evidence that shows that stretching doesn't prevent injury?

[Bici3]

But is there scientific evidence that shows that stretching doesn't prevent injury?

What a great question!

I can live with conjecture regarding this issue.
If I do not follow my stretch routine nightly for 20 min., I will not sleep comfortably. Toss n' turn all night. The proceeding swim, bike, or run requires an even more lengthy warm-up.
No more empirical proof necessary.

http://www.bicitreregioni.com

[rodrigaj]

I don't do stretching because I think it prevents injury.

At my age, one week from 58, I do it because it feels good. I have arthritis, and cycling and stretching have been my solution to living drug free, maintaining good health and not letting the arthritis get the best of me.

[frogandtoad]

so is it commonly accepted that stretching in the morning, like right when you get out of bed, right before you get on the bike, is not good to do ? I have recently begun stretching, in the am, right before I get out.

[bigskymacadam]

i just got a cycle specific yoga dvd and it is great for after workouts. so relaxing. that said, i did yoga poses a year before i got the dvd and it's helped with form and hams and joints. make s a difference .... i don't stretch for injury prevention, rather flexibility. a good warm up should prevent injury. and i don't stretch before a warmup.

[Roody]

so is it commonly accepted that stretching in the morning, like right when you get out of bed, right before you get on the bike, is not good to do ? I have recently begun stretching, in the am, right before I get out.
Most of the more recent books suggest that you warm the muscles before you stretch. I have pulled stuff when I stretched before getting out of bed (just a normal stretch of the whole body). No long term injury, just momentary pain.

[Roody]

Ok so there's no scientific evidence to show that stretching prevents injury. But is there scientific evidence that shows that stretching doesn't prevent injury?
Obviously it could even cause injury, if not done properly. A good rule of thumb is that anything that's powerful enough to help you is also powerful enough to hurt you.

[webist]

I formerly thought of stretching as an injury prevention measure. It turned out to have injury potential of its own if done improperly. I use the warm-up now as opposed to stretching and am more comfortable. That is not at all to say that I don't occasionally stretch or put my joints through a full range of motion just for the comfort of it. I do. I have just given up the long stretching routine associated with physical activity, particularly cold stretching prior to activity.

[PDay]

Flexibility is definately good, but Im not sold on stretching as yet. Dont you find it funny that people who stretch say its useful to prevent injuries...but they keep getting injuries (especially with running)? I personally do light stretching before a ride and more after, but am somewhat skeptical.

[Roody]

I hate stretching, so I leap at the possibility that it isn't necessary.

[Terex]

I've been doing Pilates last couple of months. Only once a week, so will take time. T-Mobile and some other pro teams have added Pilates to their off-season training regimen. Swimmers and other athletes have incorporated Pilates (or, more famously "Yoga-lates") into their normal training. I added core/flexibility training exercises to my daughter's swim team program several years ago. Regular, controlled stretching (and breathing) exercises are one of the best ways of developing the suppleness that results in optimization of effort, especially in climbing. These exercises add increased power from the core and an enhanced ability to focus that power in an optimal way.

['nother]

I've recently discovered the foam roller + bodyweight. It's kind of like a massage. A somewhat uncomfortable massage. I do that a bit before workouts and sometimes after if things are really tight. It seems to help loosen things up, in particular the quads and IT bands, which are a common source of problems for cyclists.

I stretch some, mostly out of habit, and usually after activity, not before. Interesting to see the study-of-studies saying that stretching doesn't prevent injury. That shakes up a lot of old timer theory...

[8Lives]

Ah, the evil rollers - yes they work well, short of your own massage therapist!

I do a lot of yoga, mostly Vinyasa and Ashtanga (not recommended for starting out). I am 47 and have been doing yoga for about 4 years. I can't say enough the positive impact it has had. There is a core strength aspect, and an overall conditioning in multiple planes of movement, plus balance work. And, of course, stretching.

Before yoga I was very tight. Now I am flexible - like getting up into wheel easily flexible. That is saying a lot considering I have a spinal fusion at L5/S1. It took long, gradual work to get there but well worth the journey - which is of course ongoing.

I highly recommend a gentle home practice for 20 minutes or so a day (or every other day). there is something about the sequence of yoga asanas that leads to much better results than I had just trying to stretch.

[Ropopompom]

What a great question!

I can live with conjecture regarding this issue.
If I do not follow my stretch routine nightly for 20 min., I will not sleep comfortably. Toss n' turn all night. The proceeding swim, bike, or run requires an even more lengthy warm-up.
No more empirical proof necessary.

http://www.bicitreregioni.comI like stretching because it feels nice :)

However, I very rarely stretch because I always forget

I hope I don't end up with long term damage that I could have avoided by stretching regularly :(