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Is it best to do Active Stretching before or after a workout?
In an ideal world you would do Active Stretching both before AND after a workout for the best results.
Active Stretching done before a workout quickly and safely prepares your muscles for the workout, and helps prevent injuries.
Active Stretching done after a workout flushes muscles of toxins produced by your workout, quickly supplies worked muscles with fresh blood delivering nutrients and oxygen to tired muscles, helps prevent post workout muscle soreness, speeds muscle recovery, and intensifies muscle growth stimulated by the exercise.
That said, if you have time to do only one stretching session, post exercise will offer the greatest benefits.
Does Active Stretching support and speed muscle growth?
YES! Recent extensive research supports the theory that muscles growth happens during the resting stage.
This is in direct opposition to the old belief that taught muscle growth occurs during strenuous exercise.
If a muscle is tight after exercise it is still working, and it is not resting and therefore not growing. Active Stretching quickly re-boots muscles back to the relaxed resting stage and stimulates and accelerates muscle growth by doing so.
Muscle strength and muscle mass will experience greater gains faster when Active Stretching when used as an integral element of any training or exersice program. By targeting the muscles that have just been worked by using Active Stretching you stimulate them to faster growth and greater strength gains than if they had not been Actively Stretched.
Why is Static Stretching counterproductive?
Static Stretching, in which a stretch is held for a length of time, is the stretching method some of us were taught many years ago. Sadly, many athletes and coaches continue to use Static Stretching today in spite of what extensive research tells us.
Modern science and technology analysis methods comparing different approaches to stretching conclude that Static Stretching
1. Can decrease performance when done before an exercise activity or competition.
2. Can temporarily reduce muscle strength up to 5% by fatiguing muscles.
3. Can reduce muscle power and the explosive force of muscles.
4. Can decrease the body’s ability to react quickly.
5. Can increase the risk of injury.
6. Can cause muscle and ligament damage.
7. Can decrease the activity of vital muscle spindles which results in decreasing the activity of the stretch reflex that is necessary to protect muscles from injury.
8. Does not immediately improve flexibility.
Which is better, Yoga or Active Stretching?
One is not "better" than the other. Each has it's own special qualities and offers different results.
Most important, Yoga and Active Stretching when both practiced, will beautifully complement each other.
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