[tdarko]

In the Ash Ketchum thread I was really happy he brought up stretching b/c he was exactly right about it. Stretching teaches your body how to use your muscles and it is essential in fitness, athletics...he really put it well so I won't try to put it any better.

What I will say is that when stretching make sure you don't have the "no pain no gain" attitude that we all love to have. Sometimes people tend to think that if it feels like its stretching then it must be working so then I need to take it further and further. Going further than your body's normal range can actually cause muscles to work against themselves and inhibit flexibility; this is called stretch reflex. In the muscle/tendons are receptors that respond to tension. These receptors detect muscle length and are sensitive to stretch and the rate of stretch. When activated by quick reaches or forced stretching, the receptors cause the muscle to contract or shorten (the stretch reflex), which works against the stretch.

When stretching is done correctly you should feel a comfortable tension on the muscle. Then the stretch is enhanced as the stretch reflex kicks in. Within 10-20 seconds, the stretch reflex subsides, allowing further extension of the muscle. This is why holding a stretch longer than the first 15 seconds is more productive than short quick tugs on the muscles.

Stretching should be elementary but hardly anyone stretches correctly.

Also, if you are doing cardio such as running for instance, a good rule of thumb is the higher the intensity the more stretching you will need to do, the longer the duration the less stretching you will need to do beforehand.

Stretching after exercise is a must.