Warmup, yes or no?
#26
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I never do, but I suppose I should. A short stretch afterwards if I got the time.
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I also like the trainer idea. lol
Growing up doing martial arts and in competition a little (when I was younger lol). We always knew it better to stretch AFTER rather than before. A little warm up would benefit which would be a nice easy ride in this case.
One note though for any workout/activity. If you find you really strained yourself and maybe cramped up really bad, overexherted the muscles and tendons took over, I have found in the past that stretching after could cause more harm than good. Let your body recover a bit for a day. Im no doctor, but just from experience. However if you feel good after the session then most definately stretch after.
Good luck
Hi Im new around here!!
Tom
Growing up doing martial arts and in competition a little (when I was younger lol). We always knew it better to stretch AFTER rather than before. A little warm up would benefit which would be a nice easy ride in this case.
One note though for any workout/activity. If you find you really strained yourself and maybe cramped up really bad, overexherted the muscles and tendons took over, I have found in the past that stretching after could cause more harm than good. Let your body recover a bit for a day. Im no doctor, but just from experience. However if you feel good after the session then most definately stretch after.
Good luck
Hi Im new around here!!
Tom
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I hate the first 3-5 miles no matter what I do so I just get on and ride no warm up
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#30
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The first 16 miles have 4200 feet of climbing. I'm not sure if this is something that would make a warm up necessary.
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Arrive early and get a few miles in before the official start.
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Bring your trainer to the start, to get a lot of attention. People will assume you are a professional and gonna rock that ride. Stay at the end of the group during the ride, so that people see that it was just for show. I'm sure you will make new friends with a few wanna be big-time-riders.
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OP: Unless one of those steep climbs are in the first 5 miles of the ride, just use the first few miles as your warm up. When I was racing, they used to say "the longer the race, the shorter the warm up", and it worked.
It's somewhat recent, meaning within the last 10 years (which I consider recent because these types of things take decades to get to the general public). My brother-in-law learned while studying kinesiology that stretching before exercise doesn't do anything and can actually lead to injuries. It is, however, a very good idea to stretch immediately AFTER exercise. This will keep you limber all the time, including the next time you work out.
It's somewhat recent, meaning within the last 10 years (which I consider recent because these types of things take decades to get to the general public). My brother-in-law learned while studying kinesiology that stretching before exercise doesn't do anything and can actually lead to injuries. It is, however, a very good idea to stretch immediately AFTER exercise. This will keep you limber all the time, including the next time you work out.
I'm sure there are more studies but you can start here: Stretching before exercise does not reduce the risk of local muscle injury: a critical review of the clinical and basic science literature.
This does not mean I don't believe it, and will certainly be looking more into this. I did note that "articles that suggested streching was beneficial included...warm-up"
I would most certainly agree that the people responsible for this article are much more studied than myself, so I would agree with the assessment that in order to effectively stretch there needs to be some manner of warm up first.
Thanks much for the informative posts.
#34
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Although I find the data in the link to be a bit dubious, it appears they did not do a real "study" but only searched keywords in relation to stretching and muscle injury, and other articles. In these clinical article reviews I am sure there was a lot of information, but it seems to me that in order to prove a hypothesis of this nature there should be a study done with a wide spectrum of volunteers performing various activities with and without stretching. Then the results of the study can be reviewed for it's individual merit, and not just what was found in a keyword search.
This does not mean I don't believe it, and will certainly be looking more into this. I did note that "articles that suggested streching was beneficial included...warm-up"
I would most certainly agree that the people responsible for this article are much more studied than myself, so I would agree with the assessment that in order to effectively stretch there needs to be some manner of warm up first.
Thanks much for the informative posts.
This does not mean I don't believe it, and will certainly be looking more into this. I did note that "articles that suggested streching was beneficial included...warm-up"
I would most certainly agree that the people responsible for this article are much more studied than myself, so I would agree with the assessment that in order to effectively stretch there needs to be some manner of warm up first.
Thanks much for the informative posts.
Given that, one of the all time best books on stretching is by Anderson. He recommends warming up.
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Some of the faster group rides use the first few miles to lull the sheep into complacency; "hey, this ain't so bad, I can hang with the big dogs." Then the inevitable acceleration up a short hill, more accelerations around the corners, and everyone is flying way over the posted speed for the ride. Then on a longer grade, we start dropping off like a sack of dead rats down a sinkhole.
No warm up necessary.
No warm up necessary.
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I also like the trainer idea. lol
Growing up doing martial arts and in competition a little (when I was younger lol). We always knew it better to stretch AFTER rather than before. A little warm up would benefit which would be a nice easy ride in this case.
One note though for any workout/activity. If you find you really strained yourself and maybe cramped up really bad, overexherted the muscles and tendons took over, I have found in the past that stretching after could cause more harm than good. Let your body recover a bit for a day. Im no doctor, but just from experience. However if you feel good after the session then most definately stretch after.
Good luck
Hi Im new around here!!
Tom
Growing up doing martial arts and in competition a little (when I was younger lol). We always knew it better to stretch AFTER rather than before. A little warm up would benefit which would be a nice easy ride in this case.
One note though for any workout/activity. If you find you really strained yourself and maybe cramped up really bad, overexherted the muscles and tendons took over, I have found in the past that stretching after could cause more harm than good. Let your body recover a bit for a day. Im no doctor, but just from experience. However if you feel good after the session then most definately stretch after.
Good luck
Hi Im new around here!!
Tom
I too stretch after a ride, I didn't mention that because we were into the warm up thing. So I stretch both, before and after. Like I said, I'm not sure if stretching does anything before a ride, I've heard some sports clinics and sport doctors say yes and
some say no...so which is it? I don't think anyone really knows for certain.
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For me stretching helps. I don't do full on static stretching and it takes me about 2 minutes to do them. Most of the hard stretching I do after the ride. Before it's just some of the basic light movements with my back, arms and legs in the focus just to the point where it feels comfortable. I think it gives my body heads up that the change in the activity is coming and it gets my body fluids going a little. I've been doing this before every ride and never did I notice any problems and my strength is fine and well. The point is to listen to YOUR body more and less to some experts who are trying to write the bible.
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You need to look up what "meta-analysis" means. In that link, you're reading an abstract of their review of the literature, and only included well-designed studies with some kind of control or comparison group. If you want more, read the articles under the "related citations" heading to the right.
Given that, one of the all time best books on stretching is by Anderson. He recommends warming up.
Given that, one of the all time best books on stretching is by Anderson. He recommends warming up.
I am a resurgent cyclist after 25 years or so of hiatus, but have put in my time coaching football, er, soccer. Static stretching is NOT a pre-activity warmup - rather dynamic activities mimicing the game are used. We should warm up, and stretching doesn't warm us up (static stretching before warm, and before the activity, actually can cause a shortening of the muscles - much research available on this). So spinning, or easy start on the bike, is the ideal warmup for the cyclist, since it is prepping us for the activity,
As stated above, stretching AFTER the activity is very beneficial. A great cooldown activity, and it does help flexibility to stretch afterward. But before the activity, I have been taught NOT to include stretching.
And my wife and I each have a copy of Anderson's book, and I am coming around to getting myself stretching more on off-days and after rides. Not that I don't believe in it, I just don't take the time.
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Well said.
You should bring the trainer, set it up in full view of everyone right on the starting line, and ride it like a madman. Peg to threshhold asap, and grunt a lot. Consume 3 gel packs while on the trainer. Well, maybe just 2. When the ride begins, simply release your trainer's QR clamp and launch yourself like Zues'es Thunderbolts.
Or you could just go easy the first few miles.
Or you could just go easy the first few miles.
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If the ride doesn't start at the base of the climb then don't sweat it and use the first few miles as a warm up. Assuming that it's a long consistent climb, it shouldn't be too hard to get into a rhythm.
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I wish I had some sort of hard evidence, but I'm just going by what my brother-in-law told me while studying at SDSU. Stretching after the workout worked for me, but then again, so did stretching after a light warm-up and before the workout.
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Yes, I'm up this early
https://www.deercreekchallenge.com/as...rse_072911.pdf
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Hopefully, he'll go 88mph and travel through time!
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And remember the importance of hydration pre-ride. While on the trainer, you should drink 2/3rds of a bottle of Heed based supplement, ideally between grunts. When most of it is gone, hurl it to the side without looking, ideally striking a potential competitor. You can then have your support crew hand you another. They are, of course, sitting next to you in a car, idling at the start line. When you bolt from the trainer, they will lunge the car in reverse to make your leap forward appear more impressive.
#50
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I purposely try to watch something on tv or whtever so that I take my time and stretch carefully and gradually for a good 20 mins and I really notice a diff.
prestretching is an old outdated, dangerous idea and bad for your muscles. Taking it easy at first is the best thing I have found.
you gotta listen to your body and not what people say is good to do.