TRIangle (Part 1) - Understanding your stretching routine

tri-angle triathlon training blog


Welcome to our new TRIangle series, which takes an in-depth look at your triathlon swim training with the help of three tri experts.

With exclusive articles from qualified British Triathlon coach James Hester, sports nutrition expert Renee McGregor and sports massage practitioner Anna Maria Matezieri, TRIangle will cover all aspects of your triathlon training and provide tips and advice that will help you become a better athlete.


Part 1 by Anna Maria Matezieri – award-winning sports therapist, sports massage tutor and course leader

Picture the scene, you’re in the changing room at the gym having just finished your training session. You’re chatting with your training partner about your next race and before you know it you’re out the door without doing any recovery stretching.

You drive home feeling a bit guilty for having missed such an important part of your routine… you might be thinking you will be sore tomorrow or even worst you may pick up an injury… at this stage of the training….oh no, catastrophic!

The belief that stretching has a great effect on decreasing the soreness experienced after training (Delayed Onset of Muscles Soreness – DOMS) and injury prevention is so ingrained into athletes’ minds, it has been accepted that stretching before and after exercises has beneficial effects on performance. But what does the evidence tell us?

Well, research doesn’t back this up! You may say 'I don't particularly care what evidence says because I like stretching and I feel its beneficial for me'.

Anna Maria Matezieri training blog

This argument is absolutely fine, however if evidence is telling us that stretching doesn't have a noticeable physiological effect on our performance then, the day in which you forget or can't be bothered to do it, you shouldn't feel guilty about it because it won’t affect you!

In fact I may argue those feelings of guilt and fear may have a bigger influence on risk of injury than the missed stretching drills as the focus shifts to what we 'think' is tight, and the brain starts a negative spiral of thought patterns.

Instead, perhaps we should concentrate on reversing potential feelings of doubt, negativity or superstition to a more positive, proactive mindset that will enhance our training routine and ultimately performance.

Evidence is consistently telling us that static stretching does not have the effects we think it has in terms of preventing injury, decreasing DOMS or improving performance.

In a very large study conducted by Lauersen et al. (2014) which collated the best quality papers to date on injury prevention concluded that there was ‘NO REDUCTION OR INCREASE IN INJURY RISK’ from post exercise stretching.

Another review found that static stretching can reduce running economy and performace up to one hour in endurance runners by diminishing the musculotendinous stiffness and elastic energy potential which is a desirable characteristic for long-distance runners (Baxter et al., 2016).

But not all stretching is the same and evidence is showing that pre-exercise dynamic stretching has a positive effect on power and agility performance (McMillan et al., 2006), while in more recent studies by Soligard et al. (2010) and Herman et al. (2012) was found that proprioceptive and strength training coupled with a dynamic warmup reduced the risk of acute and overuse injuries.

The results may be due to different reasons including the fact that dynamic stretching raises core temperature which in turn increases nerve conduction velocity, muscle compliance and energy production speed as well as performing the same movements required in the sporting activity may create efficient neuromuscular pathways specific for that sport.

Dynamic stretching is a type of stretch where you bring your limbs to the end range of motion and beyond but, instead of holding there as you would you for static stretch, you take the limb back and you repeat 10-12 times.

Takeaways:

  • Science has shown static stretching pre or post exercise does not decrease the risk of injury or improve performance
  • Static stretching pre exercise can impair performance especially when power and running efficiency is required 
  • Dynamic warm up which includes the movements required for the sport have positive effects on power and agility performance
  • Dynamic warm up has an impact on mitigating the risk of injury
  • If you like to stretch, continue to do so as part of your training 'routine' but view it as a movement drill and do not feel anxious about missing it as it would not have had any positive physiological effects on your tissues


Anna Maria Matezieri training blog

About Anna Maria Matezieri

Director of The Massage Clinic and The Massage Training School, Anna Maria has been a massage therapist for more than 15 years and has been instrumental in passing her wealth of experience onto countless students.

Taking a wide-ranging approach to human performance, Anna Maria considers physical, psychological and social factors in working to successful resolutions for her clients. Anna Maria will be discussing how to keep in tip top condition through training, racing and daily life.

You can follow Anna Maria on Twitter and Instagram, or find out more at https://www.thestschool.co.uk


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