You don’t have to stretch!

It was, for a very long time one of the biggest sacred cows in all of fitness: You have to stretch before and after exercise to improve performance and prevent injuries. This idea has been drilled into our brains for years, as children in gym class, and now as adults at gyms and fitness classes. “You have to stretch” – It is often stated as a religious mantra. Just about all of us believed this, myself included. The only people opposed to stretching were considered heretics, or more likely just lazy or idiotic.

Luckily, there are no sacred cows in science. If an idea doesn’t stand up to scrutiny, if there is no evidence to support it, it gets slaughtered. Thanks to many scientific studies done on stretching, we now know it doesn’t improve athletic performance or prevent most injuries. Don’t believe me? Here it is:

The impact of stretching on sports injury risk: a systematic review of the literature.

RESULTS:
Stretching was not significantly associated with a reduction in total injuries (OR = 0.93, CI 0.78-1.11) and similar findings were seen in the subgroup analyses.

Don’t worry, you won’t become as stiff as these guys if you don’t stretch.

Wow! In spite of this, telling people they don’t need to stretch is considered a radical or even harmful idea even by some personal trainers. So many people continue to advocate this practice, even though the science isn’t there to support them. Next time someone tells you you have to stretch, politely show them the evidence that demonstrates there are no benefits from regular stretching. Now this is just about stretching when it comes to general exercise, I don’t think this applies to physical therapy. And “warming up” isn’t the same thing as stretching; warming up does improve performance and may prevent injuries, especially if the temperature is cold. Don’t worry, if you don’t stretch you won’t become as stiff as a statue.

Stretching may even be harmful if done before some types of exercise, since it may lead to overpronation and injury. It is important to note that Running economy is negatively related to sit-and-reach test performance in international-standard distance runners.

Because of the weight of the evidence, I almost never stretch and I do not advocate it. All the juggling and joggling I do is made possible through a fitness regimen that excludes stretching. For similar reasons, I don’t do yoga, which I consider overrated(relative to the hype), although I don’t doubt it helps many people because just about any exercise is better than no exercise. I’m not saying yoga is inherently bad, just that it doesn’t have much to offer me. If you enjoy it and you benefit from it, I have no argument with you. If you don’t like juggling, that’s fine too.

Whatever you do, a fitness program based on fact, and science is going to be better than a fitness program based on pseudoscience.

Photo source – C.P the Wild Juggler

Lactic acid is not your enemy

The idea that lactic acid causes muscle fatigue and stiffness during exercise is a stubborn one. It has been discredited by scientific research, but many fitness enthusiasts still see lactic acid as an enemy that interferes with performance.

Not only does lactic acid(which in the body is in the form called “lactate”) not cause muscle fatigue, it is actually used as an important fuel during vigorous exercise.

This myth goes back to the early 20th century, but it was fully discredited only recently.

All this begs the question: What is causing the fatigue and stiffness that was once blamed on lactate? According to researchers at Columbia University, it may be caused by overworked muscles leaking calcium, among many other factors. And acidity in general in fatigued muscles may play a role in stiffness and fatigue, it’s just not the lactate causing most of it.

So what’s the solution? The idea of calcium leakage partially causing muscle fatigue doesn’t mean most people should consume less calcium, as this is a vital mineral(it is possible to get too much, and it can cause problems but this is rare). However, and I am just speculating here, maybe ensuring adequate vitamin K consumption can help prevent this a little, since it helps with calcium metabolism, along with making sure you get enough magnesium. Calcium helps muscles contract, magnesium helps them contract as well as relax; if you have too much calcium in your body relative to the amount of magnesium, this can be problematic(in fact, not getting enough magnesium may be detrimental to your heart).

It is relatively east to get enough magnesium if you eat like a rabbit – lots of leafy greens, nuts, and whole grains. Fermented vegetables are an especially good source of vitamin K. If you are taking calcium supplements, it may be a good idea to take supplements that combine magnesium with the calcium, to counteract the potentially negative effects of calcium. Try discussing this with your doctor or pharmacist.

Proper hydration and making sure you are getting the right amount of electrolytes helps too. I don’t think stretching would help, since just because a muscle is stiff doesn’t mean it needs to be stretched. Increasingly, science is showing that stretching is practically useless for most people.