bikehoco

Any suggestions for pre and post ride stretching and/or recommended sites with info?

I have an extremely stiff body and need to stretch daily whether I ride or not. I’m looking to add more stretches to my routine.

I envy people who don’t need to stretch.

livedarklions

I don't stretch and wouldn't try to convince you to stop, but be very careful about pre-ride stretches. Most stretches are safe, but people apparently can injure themselves stretching a cold muscle too much per medical studies. My understanding is that trainers and pros have been moving towards something called "dynamic stretching" that essentially seeks to warm up and stretch the muscles simultaneously. The traditional static pre-workout stretching likely does more harm than good.

masi61

My answer is one word - yoga!

This works for me. I do yoga classes at my gym once or twice a week and find it very therapeutic. Do I recommend it? Yes.
in the past I have responded with my opinion that yoga is beneficial & lots of folks said stretching & yoga for injury prevention isn’t applicable to everyone. I can accept that & will leave it at that.

CAT7RDR

Stretch on your bike while riding.
Use the drops.
Shift back on the saddle and reach out on the hoods.

bikehoco

Agreed. I generally do a warm-up ride on an old stationary bike before my pre-ride stretch.

bikehoco

My doctor made the same suggestion. But I don’t feel limber enough to even start yoga.

livedarklions

This is my issue, I am not at all a stretchy person, so stretching actually is really unpleasant for me. As far as I can tell, my lack of stretchiness prevents me from performing interpretive dances and makes stretching exercises difficult, but is otherwise not any detriment to my workouts/rides or activities of daily living.

Alas, my career as a contortionist will never amount to much.

When you say you're "stiff", is that a source of pain or otherwise hindering what you want to do? Honest question, I just find the desire to stretch really hard to relate to.

Iride01 

I don't feel that stretching does anything for you on the bike. On a correctly set up bike you aren't going to be able to hyper-extend your joints which is what I thought stretching was originally intended to help with for other types of exercise.

Now if you are talking about warming up, well there is maybe something for that. However I prefer to just warm up on the bike.

Getting back to the stretching part, if you need incentive to do things that will cause you to move each joint to it's fullest and keep you limber, then yoga or pilates might be for you. Or most any other well rounded exercise program.

Greg R

I use a warm room in the morning, that being the den. Slow moving with stretches I remember from gym class and boot camp followed with that Tai Chi (?) for beginners Things make noise now, but I don't get near the sprains and back ache I did without them.

cyclezen

You can do it ! Yoga can be for everyone. There are good yoga programs for disabled, for mobility challenged seniors, for limber and lithe young- everyone.
The key is to find a good start class/program. One you can do 'in-person' and focused on beginners.
And instructors present a balanced series of poses, meant to equal effort to poses which provide a balanced session.
The benefits of yoga are not realized so much in the short term, as they are after some consistent, regular 'practice' over time.
I always recommend doing 'in-person' because an instructor can help tailor the 'practice' (name for a session) for what can work for you.
A Key is to not force thru yoga poses. Doing as much as possible, within a safe, comfortable zone (which can be different for everyone) is key.
Better to do them as they are shown, and not reach for a 'goal'. The real goal is overall improvement - Over Time.
If needed, an instructor will show modifications to 'poses', which allow similar effects as the std pose.
Best is to not be self-judgemental, do what you can - it's ok to be kind to yourself.
And maybe, between a weekly class/practice, take a few minutes on some days and do some poses on your own - ok to do the ones you like.
It's always a good time to start yoga. It reaches beyond the physical and will help you feel better about yourself, as well.
Give it good try!
Ride On
Yuri
EDIT: Many adult or evening schools offer good yoga programs, as well as gyms and other health facilities. I strongly recommend a beginners program.
Getting into a program for experienced participants can be discouraging, and not well suited to allow beginners to progress. It's OK to question suitability and start slow.

frogman

You are not alone. I am a firm believer in stretching. As we get older our muscles shrink and are more prone to injury. My problems were solved after my doctor set me up with a physical therapist. He gave me a routine that I use for cycling. Said to do a warm up on the bike before heavy pedalling and only do the stretches after the ride when the muscles
are warmed up. I can really tell the difference in my back and legs especially. Here is a setretch routine from the bicycle.com site. Prettty much the same as what I do.
Don't stretch so far to feel pain, just feel the muscle stretch and hold. This isnt a no pain no gain thing haha

https://www.bicycling.com/training/a...est-stretches/

epnnf

Get medical advice from your doc/physical therapist, not here

RiceAWay

I don't stretch before or after a ride. This might be somewhat of a hindrance since it takes me about 20 minutes or more to warm up. But I would rather warm up moving than staying still. After a ride, the next morning when I get out of bed it sounds like popcorn popping.

frogman

It shouldn't take 20 minutes to warm up on the bike. Just do gentle pedalling for a few minutes to get warmed up.

Dan Flashes

same, I always do some yoga before riding. There are good videos by “yoga with adriene” on YouTube. She has a beginners video that’s 20 minutes long, and I do most of those before I ride, plus a few extra stretches for my back like the yoga snake pose. I would post the link to the video, but I haven’t posted here enough to be able to do that yet.

Dan Flashes

^ also I should say the total amount of stretching yoga I do before riding is probably about 12 minutes worth. Going through the beginners video, you’ll notice that not all the stretches are applicable to riding and so some I skip.

Inusuit

Find the right class/instructor. There are opportunities for people of all conditions. I taught a chair yoga class for older veterans through the local YMCA. Some were very stiff and immobile but loosened up after a few classes.

I don't stretch before riding, but always 20-30 minutes of yoga after a ride targeting quads, calves, hamstrings, and back. If I don't, my tendency to restless leg syndrome is exacerbated which interferes with sleep.

Inusuit

See post #6.

bikehoco

Ok, I’ll do that when I need medical advice.

livedarklions

Usually, I agree with that, but since when is stretching a medical issue?

wolfchild

Or since when is stretching a remedy for a medical issue ??

livedarklions

No one said it was.

frogman

If you stretch you may be able to prevent a medical issue

wolfchild

Stretching isn't going prevent injuries or heal injuries or resolve medical issues....Stretching is just a waste of time and can actually cause injuries.

PeteHski

Reading threads that you have no interest in is just a waste of time.