I bet that if a runner had to choose between a bloody alien invasion and a stretching session, he would opt for the aliens. In fact, the activity of “stretching” muscles is one of the most disliked and is often seen as an unnecessary waste of time.<\/p>\n
I don’t think it’s necessary to tell you, but I will anyway, that instead stretching is very useful because it increases your flexibility, making your movement smoother and thus also improving your speed, and because-according to some (but it’s fair to say that the subject is still very much debated)-it reduces the risk of injury. What is certain, however, is that stretching, if done well, helps a great deal with everyday life and, in particular, running.<\/p>\n
You must be thinking, “Okay, but when are you going to tell me what exercises to do?” Wait, I’m not done yet because it’s better before to understanding a little better what stretching is.<\/p>\n
If you want to better understand what stretching is for, it is only fair to elaborate (if not, move on to the next chapter, I promise I won’t be offended).<\/p>\n
First of all, stretching exercises make the running motion smoother, and the natural consequence is that you will run better, faster and be able to enjoy your runs more while having fun. And with smoother movement, you will consume less energy. And so you will go faster. It is a bit like “lubricating” a gear that has been idle for a while-you will be able to use it better and with less effort.
\nThis is also because stretching improves blood flow, making the muscle more efficient.<\/p>\n
In addition, by acting on areas that may be particularly tense for psychological reasons (even a stressful day is enough to stiffen your muscles), stretching exercises promote relaxation. It’s basically like getting a self-massage.<\/p>\n
Let’s start at the beginning: when you stretch, however you do it, you should never feel pain. NEVER. You just have to feel the stretching sensation, the muscle “pulling.” And if you feel pain, it does not mean that “you are doing more,” it only means that you are hurting yourself, thus making the stretching session useless.<\/p>\n
As for immobility, it is not always necessary. Static stretching-which, if done well, can be effective-came along in the early 1970s with Bob Anderson’s method of holding tension on the part to be stretched for about 30″ but, as he says Fulvio Massini<\/a> (one of the best coaches we have in Italy), there is “the risk of damaging the back.”<\/p>\n Bob Anderson’s is a good one, but since the 1980s two New York physical therapists-Jim and Phil Wharton-have proposed a different way of stretching, the Warton method, in fact. This method involves working on isolated muscles (and no longer on groups) with exercises involving particular movements associated with breathing in which one must hold the position for a period of 1 to 2 seconds, exhaling when going to the position to be held and inhaling when returning to the starting position. This method is much gentler and does not attack the musculoskeletal system, promoting its activation. The exercises are not so easy to learn, and there are almost 60 of them. Here are some of them.<\/p>\nWhat stretching method should I use?<\/h2>\n