Should you stretch before you workout? Back in grade school, before soccer games we ran around the field and then as a team performed a series of static stretches yelling out “ONE, TWO, THREE…” all the way up to 10 and then “SWITCH.”
This is no longer what is recommended to prevent injury. In fact many studies have said that stretching before a workout does not do anything to prevent injury!
Dynamic exercise for athletes was then proposed as the way to go. Then another study said if you don’t regularly stretch before a workout, don’t start. If you do, continue. It’s the switching up of your routine that actually causes injury. At this point, I’m confused but I know what works for me. I like to do 2 things.
When I go running, I warm up with a light jog for 5 minutes and then do a series of stretches as seen below.
When I do my strength training, I warm up using a foam roller.
Then I perform a series of dynamic stretches. When I went to visit Joe Dowdell at Peak Performance I was taught “The World’s Greatest Stretch.” Yes, that is the name of it and I am now a firm believer that it is in fact the world’s greatest stretch.
I do this exercise 5 times on each side and it prepares my body for the work that I am about to do. It activates my muscles and feels amazing. Who doesn’t like feeling limber and flexible. If you do one stretch before you exercise, I suggest doing this one!
Do you stretch before you workout?
PS I had the most amazing experience this morning. As I walked to the gym, I saw a group of guys hanging outside Equinox who looked a little other side of the tracks/gang like at first glance. Not a big deal, I live in a city but when I got closer, I realized it was one of my biggest Hollywood crushes of all time, MARK WAHLBERG, wearing an oversized red hoodie with the hood up. Swooon. My day, week, year is complete. Sorry for bragging but I had to share with someone! He and Mila Kunis have been working out at my gym while filming in town. It’s been good motivation to get to the gym in the AM but I had yet to see Mark until this am.
