Stop stretching!
May 12, 2012 1 Comment
Listened to an absolutely fascinating Fresh Air interview about the latest science on exercise yesterday (via podcast, while exercising, in fact). So many fascinating tidbits. Among others– the whole idea of stretching before exercise is actually counter-productive. Don’t I feel vindicated– I’ve never stretched before exercise a day in my life. Always struck me as a waste of time. Also talked about the silly myth of all that water you are supposed to drink before you are even thirsty. Nope– just listen to your body. And lots of interesting tidbits about not sitting down too long. Apparently just standing up every 20 minutes can make a huge difference in basal metabolism, etc. I was also quite intrigued to learn that having tight muscles actually leads to faster running. My son David has super-tight muscles– he’s been in physical therapy– and he’s a really fast runner. So there you go.
I don’t buy a lot of books, but I’m not waiting for the library for this one. The whole interview is so worth your time, but the link also has a nice summary.
About Steve Greene
My 16 years of running would corroborate all of that too. Never really stretch before short or long runs, and I’m still faster than everyone I know. Even in soccer, I’m faster than most everyone on the field with me, including players neary half my age.
We’re running a 5k in about 30 minutes, so in honor of this I will not stretch!