Blond Athlete

High Jump

Everything You Know About Stretching is Wrong

It's inevitable - go to any starting line, fitness class or gym and you'll find people in various stages of stretching. Almost always, people are stretching before their exercise. It's what we were all taught by our elementary P.E. teachers, right? You gotta warm up those muscles so you don't pull something!

While my elementary school teachers taught me many important and useful things (one particular lesson that has stood the test of time in my memory was Mr. B telling us 5th graders to always run the water in the sink for a good 10 seconds after running the garbage disposal. "Save you a ton on plumbing costs!" he promised. I don't know if he's right - any plumbers out there? - but to this day I still do it!) it turns out they were wrong about stretching.

My first real experience with stretching beyond the rudimentary toe touches and arm swings we did before standing in line to bat once in an hour was in gymnastics. Stretching, in that sport, is more of a commandment than a suggestion. The first thing our coaches would tell us when we popped out on the floor was, "Go stretch out." In fact, we were encouraged to get to the gym early so we could devote more time to holding our various splits and backbends before joining in the coach-led stretch outs that often involved - no joke - them standing on our backs or pushing us to deepen the stretch. Even if you were injured or sick, you stretched. I became so indoctrinated in the art stretching out that I'd sit in the middle splits while doing homework or balance a leg on a stair to hyperextend a split while talking on the phone to my friends (which I did for approximately 28 hours a day).


I was reminded of this when Reader Janet e-mailed me:

"I had a question I wanted to throw at you.. I started running about a month ago with the Couch to 5k program. I joined a community forum with others involved in the program. Recently there has been a lot of back and forth about the merits of stretching before running and there is a clear divide on opinion. Yesterday someone even provided research on why it’s bad. Although this goes against everything I was taught in school about working out. I thought you should always stretch. What’s your thought?"

Take a gander at any running board and you'll see Janet's not the only one who is confused. We were all taught growing up to stretch first, then workout. Even today all of my fitness classes start out with some basic stretches. Research has proven that this is not only unnecessary but actually harmful.

The NY Times ran an article in 2008 that summarizes the latest research about stretching. If you want the short version: Don't do it or you'll diiiiieeeee! I exaggerate. But really, they don't want you do it. Stretching after your workout? Knock yourself out. Before? Don't.

The first problem with stretching before your workout is that it decreases muscle strength. A study out of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas says, "athletes generated less force from their leg muscles after static stretching than they did after not stretching at all." About 30% less, apparently. And the effect lasts: "The straining muscle becomes less responsive and stays weakened for up to 30 minutes after stretching, which is not how an athlete wants to begin a workout." In addition, stretching pre-sweat can lead to a great incidence of injury.

The confusion seems to come from the need to warm up. Our bodies do do better if you warm up your muscles - defined as working out at about 40% of your max heart rate for 5 to 10 minutes. A good warm up can help you lift heavier, increase endurance and run faster. It also reduces your risk of injury.

A good warm-up is anything that slowly elevates your heart rate. The number one mistake people make, according to researchers, is warming up too intensely or too quickly. It doesn't work to shock your body by running at just under pace for 1 minute before hitting your workout. I have no research to back this up but I have noticed for myself that when I warm up too quickly or skip it I get side stitches. So jog - slowly! - a few laps, jump on the elliptical for 10 minutes or take a leisurely bike ride before plunging into your planned sweat fest.

And whatever you do, don't stretch! Save your stretching for after your workout, preferably immediately after while your muscles are still limber. There are lots of benefits to stretching out. Not only does it increase your range of motion and loosen up tight muscles (although, sadly, research says it does not help prevent soreness) but it just feels good! Nothing like a good Updog after doing ab work!

So now that you know when to stretch, what's the best way to stretch? As far as positions, I think you should just do a range of stretches that hit most of your major muscle groups (i.e. legs, arms, back, core). It's more important how you stretch than which exact stretches you use. While there are as many methods of stretching as there are athletes (and scientists), here a few points to keep in mind:

- Don't use stretching aids (even other people). I don't use any aids except my own body weight to facilitate the stretch. The days of having someone stand on my back were over once I realized that being able to pop my right hip in and out of joint at will is actually not a skill but a problem. You are the only person who knows when a stretch goes from feeling good to tearing pain so it doesn't make sense to have someone else pull or push you. There are a lot of people who will disagree with me on this point - there is a whole type of exercise called "resisted stretching" that is based on the principle of having someone else stretch you while you push back - and I hope you guys will share your thoughts in the comments. But, for me, it's too risky.

- Go slowly. Especially right after an intense workout, you'll feel very loose and limber but be careful before dropping down into those splits. It'll feel good... until you can't get back up and then you'll be paying for it for days later. And not just with your pride.

- Hold the stretch. Don't bounce - your ligaments are not rubberbands. The longer you can hold the stretch (I aim for at least 3-5 slow breaths in each position) the more effective it will be. Don't hold it at the point of pain though, just hold it deep enough to get a good stretch.

What did I miss? What's your favorite stretching exercise? Anyone else ever get into the splits and not be able to get back out?

Someday this WILL be me.

Tennis Officials Call Serena Williams Ugly, Send Her to Back Courts

Quick, name this profession: long, slim, toned bodies poured into tight fitting - but adorable! - clothing and jumping around in front of a bevy of overeager photographers, magazine editors, and camera crews. Oh yeah, and there's a lot of "grunting" involved (oh, the scandal!).

Did you say modeling? Actually, it's tennis.

With East European beauties such as Maria Sharapova, Anna Kournikova and Elena Dementieva ruling the press coverage of the sport, one would think they must also be ruling the courts. Not so, say many tennis insiders. Often the best courts and play slots (and hence the better media coverage) are given to the women who are better lookers rather than the ones who are better players. This is even true at the venerable Wimbeldon tournament where officials admitted last night to putting the prettiest female players on the famous center court even if that means relegating the uglier-but-higher-seeded women to the new auxiliary courts. Wimbeldon spokesman Johnny Perkins said unapologetically, "Good looks are a factor." Observe:

In center court we have seed No 59 Maria Kirilenko of Russia

The number 1 seed? You'll find Dinara Safina of Russia way over in court 2.

Back in the center court we have No 28 seed Sorana Cirstea of Romania

But where is the number 2 player? The U.S.'s own Serena Williams (edited from original text "Venus": I'm an idiot and can't tell my Williams sisters apart.) is back on court 2.

Never having played tennis outside some embarrassing weekend recreations that we won't discuss, I have no idea if being moved to another court or being told flat out by officials that you are homely would affect one's game. Venus and Serena Williams seem to be pretty indomitable despite being stuck out in the hinterlands (I know! They're gorgeous, right?) but if it were me, I think it would mess with my head and probably my game too.

On the flip side, it also makes me wonder if the "pretty" center court girls worry more about which custom Nike tennis dress they will be wearing than if their backhand is stellar. Or, even worse, that they might avoid lifting weights or training hard because they don't want to "bulk up" and look more like the muscular athletes they are than catwalk models.

Of course no similar trend has been noticed among the men. Apparently the tennis officials are just giving the people want they want - and they think we would rather see pretty-but-weaker-players rather than the strong athletes that would show the best athletic competitions.

The question is, are they right? Do you watch tennis for the cute miniskirts and pom-pom socks? (And if so, you've heard of competitive cheerleading, right?) Any of you out there tennis players? Is an overemphasis on looks, like found in ballet and gymnastics, a big part of tennis?

Athletic Models Should Look Athletic - Plus Giveaway!!! (And no, it's not a model smart alecks.)

Girl 1: Ugh, do these stripes make my thighs look big? Quick, do the 3/4 Paris Hilton pose!
Girl 2: Whatevs, you can totally see my ribs. That's why I get to wear this teeeeeeny little bra. I just hope my girls don't get showy.
Girl 1: What I love is how it says "sportswear" and "workout" in really big letters despite the fact that we are doing nothing sporty nor working out.
Girl 2: Wait - this isn't a casting call for The Real World: Sweaty Gym?
Girl 1: Just be glad we're not working for Equinox. Now those girls have it bad.
Girl 3: What I love is how I'm totally standing here in a two-tone unitard that the website calls a "bodysuit". Like that makes it sound any better.

I have a pet peeve. We have already discussed the importance of wearing clothing suited to whatever athletic activity you are participating in. Today, however, I would like to talk to you about the very real danger of using models to sell workout clothing. You see them everywhere - those long-limbed, heavily tanned and only minorly muscled beauties - in ads, websites and movies but especially in magazines. Remember how Shape made us giggle and then shake our heads so hard our false eyelashes fell off into our $4/bottle specialty water? Good times.

Aw! Look, models can stretch! I bet she could like totally touch her toe if she weren't sucking in so hard.

I totally stand like this when I do tricep presses with 1 lb weights. Don't you??

Stripperobics? "Dropping" the towel, gym style? Someone kick the heater on in July? If this were done by someone not as good looking the authorities would be called. I'm just saying.

And not only are the "moddles" generally used to sell athletic clothing really bad at pretending to exercise, they don't even look like they workout!

I hate seeing athletic clothing modeled by women who don't look, well, athletic. Thankfully though there are some great companies out there now that know how to dress a woman who has some actual quad muscles covering her femur. I have long admired Athleta (check out the biceps on this lady!) and Nike Women (seriously, that is real sweat on those very real looking women!) but I have recently discovered Danskin.

Actually, they discovered me. I would like to say they read my embarrassing whine about my camel toe vs. muffin top conundrum the other day and took to heart all the suggestions from you guys that said, in essence, "Buy new workout pants already, Charlotte!!!" But actually they read my whine about how I never get to try out cool stuff like Danskin clothing. What is it they say about the squeaky wheel? At any rate, Christmas came early as I got a few pieces of clothing from the new Prima line from Danskin to try out. You will all be relieved: the pants give me neither camel toe nor muffin top and are so ridiculously comfortable that I haven't taken them off for three days straight.

In addition to a top that actually makes me look like I have boobs - an impressive feat on its own - I am proud to show you the legs of the anonymous topless model used to show off their clothes (And when I mean topless, I don't mean in the stripper sense. I mean literally topless. You know, a half person. I'm sure there's a support group somewhere.):


Now this model actually looks like people I see in the gym. Girl has thighs. It's a beautiful thing. And not just in an everything-is-airbrushed-sucks kind of way but in the very real sense that if I'm going to buy something, especially online, I need to know how it's going to look on me and not Supermodel Barbie.

Want to try some awesome Danskin duds yourself? Tell me about your favorite piece of workout clothing and you could win this supercute pink scoopneck tee (size small). Contest runs for 48 hours! And don't forget to head over to Kelly at Grounded Fitness for a second chance!