Stretching Pulls Exercise Experts in Various Directions

Tuesday, 14 September 2010 | by Pat's Picks

You’d think stretching would be an apolitical topic among athletes. Not so says the Dallas Morning News. Not only do heated discussion rage over whether pre or post-exercise stretching is best, there is much disagreement about whether stationary stretching or something called dynamic stretching is most effective. The paper gives us a primer on the two types, defining dynamic stretching as “a foreshadowing of the workout to come.” That means arm circles for swimmers and walking in place for runners. Static stretching is what most of us think of when stretching is mentioned: holding poses for a certain amount of time.

The paper talks to one expert who recommends dynamic stretching before a work-out and static afterward, giving a great analogy about the importance of cooling down your muscles along the way: “You don’t put a kid who just had cotton candy to bed right away. You read a story. So after you exercise, you have to quiet down, to cool down.”