The Stretching Obsession

Everywhere one looks in exercise venues be that the gym, swimming pool, park, baseball field and even now the office, people are stretching. As a former professional dancer with a lifetime devoted to flexibility, my first response is “Why are you stretching?” My second response, “Let’s talk!”

For many reasons stretching seeped into the fabric of fitness in the US and now has expanded its’ tentacles into everyday life. I believe this is largely due to the desire for many individuals to find an activity beyond sports, in addition to the widespread growth of yoga in this country (which I believe is an outgrowth of a sports dominated society).

Current survey estimates (done by a yoga magazine so biases may exist) show that 20.4 million Americans practice yoga, close to 9 % of US adults. While that number is very fluid, meaning some have practiced for less than a year and may quit in that time, what is striking is that 80% of the participants are women. As yoga gained in popularity so has the trend to “stretch” infiltrated many aspects of both physical activity as well as physical fitness programs.

I believe it is time to turn down the dial on the stretching obsession. I would applaud a return to a more balanced attitude towards keeping a body in motion. One prepared to handle the total variety of movements necessary for an active lifestyle. In a previous blog post “What does it mean to be fit?” I explore a broader and new definition of fit.

In the early days of physical fitness in this country stretching was not so pervasive. My own personal experience growing up in the 60’s and 70’s with regular physical education classes (PE) contained minimal emphasis on flexibility. Yes there was the annual President’s Test for flexibility (the stretch and reach test) but stretching was not, nor should it be used as a warm-up or sole component of physical fitness.

Important to note here is that for specific professions and sports, think dance, diving and gymnastics; increased flexibility positively correlates to job description. Dancer’s work endless hours on developing heightened flexibility. A perfect example in dance is the arabesque position.

In this position the leg is held above 90 degrees behind the torso. A trained dancer particularly a ballet dancer, must be able to execute elegantly such types of extreme flexibility. It is through practice and repetition that the body learns and acquires the ability to execute the actions on demand in choreography. This requires proper training in alignment and body placement in order to protect the body from undue damage. Simply said, years and years of training!

However, one must also realize that with increased flexibility comes increased risk of injury, if the flexibility is not balanced with appropriate strength. I use myself as a example, former professional dancer (30 + years) and certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor. I suffered a torn Achilles tendon and a “loose body” (chipped a piece of my Patella, knee bone) off as a dancer, and other minor set backs. As a former yoga practitioner and teacher I agonized with chronic hamstring problems that eventually led to discontinuing my practice in order to be able to walk.

All of my injuries, plus others not mentioned, occurred through an imbalance in flexibility and strength. My dance injuries were in the range of acute, sudden and thanks to a great physical therapist, quickly healed. With my yoga injury, it was chronic, occurred over several years. In my own case, none of my dance injuries halted my career, that was not the case in yoga, the damage was so severe, there was only one choice, bring it to an end.

I take full responsibility for this problem but at the same time I think there is a push at all levels of exercise and particularly within certain stretching (read yoga) circles to continue to push individuals to farther lengths of flexibility.  There is a mindset that adheres to the thinking that every ailment can be healed through a form of stretching, Obviously, I am not a member of that group any longer.

“In evaluating one’s flexibility and formulating a flexibility training program, one must consider not only the benefits of increased flexibility, but also the potential for injury and impairment of function and performance if training occurs under suboptimal conditions.”

Michael J. Alter author Science of Flexibility

Then the question arises should the levels of flexibility that a dancer (or yogi) strives for be part of mainstream physical fitness, and if so why? In evaluating a personal value or need to stretch I believe depends on four main components that each person should individually assess.

1. Work/job demands
2. Physical activity requirements
3. Physical fitness level aspired
4. Current or past injuries that need maintenance

Before going any further let’s clarify a few terms.

Physical fitness: a set of attributes that people have or achieve that relates to the ability to perform physical work.

Physical activity: comprises any bodily movement produced by the skeletal muscles that results in a substantial increase over resting energy expenditure

 Exercise: physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive for the purpose of conditioning any part of the body

Stretching: be made or be capable of being made longer or wider without tearing or breaking

Flexibility: ability to be bent, pliable

Mobility: to move, the quality of moving freely

With that in mind, the exercise one chooses to engage in should provide the necessary training needed to perform physical work. Example, a truck driver needs to get in and out of a truck, lift heavy objects, sit for long periods of time and be mentally alert to respond to road situations, to name just a few activities. Thus, she should be training her body to handle those physical actions.

A short list of exercises that would support a healthy physical fitness level for the truck driver is listed below.

• Core strength to support the spine in lifting heavy objects and aid in long sedentary periods
• Adequate arm and leg strength for getting in and out of the truck
• Conditioning training such as swimming that is non-stressful on the joints
• Joint mobility exercises that keep the body mobile and decrease risk of injury
• If available massage therapy to relieve overworked muscles or joints
• Meditation or other relaxation to alleviate built up tension and assist with mental fitness

Another example is an office worker with young children. This person must be able to do less physical work than the truck driver, but has similar needs for long sedentary periods. In addition, if the office worker desires to engage in physical activity with young children those actions should be incorporated in the overall exercise plan to support their lifestyle.

Note to self: practice (exercise) to prepare your body for action.

What are the benefits claimed by stretching enthusiasts?

The three most commonly claimed benefits are increased flexibility, enhances performance and decreases injuries. While there are personal stories on all sides of the aisle the research still remains mixed with increasing demonstration of the negative effects. I highly encourage a pubmed.org search on the topic.

Increases Flexibility

Common sense tells us if you practice something you more than likely will improve your performance of that task. As mentioned earlier if you are a dancer or gymnast increased flexibility is crucial for your profession. The level of flexibility an individual needs should be appropriate to their needs.

Keeping all of our joints in motion might be more dependent on mobility than flexibility. I wrote another blog post on that topic you can find here. I firmly believe mobility routines should be a mainstay of well-rounded fitness programs for any age or physical fitness level.

The danger of an over-emphasis on increasing flexibility is joint instability. Take the spine for example, musculature that is evenly trained allows for maximum efficiency. Individuals that overstretch the lower back area say in forward bends that promote an increased lower lumbar curve can acerbate chronic back issues. One must strive to find an even balance in the muscles on all sides of the bodies. Stretching patterns tend to work one or more sides unevenly.

More recently researchers are demonstrating something titled the sensory theory. Simply said increases in extensibility are gained through your increased tolerance to the stretch. You get used to the pain!

Enhances Performance

Yes for certain professions as previously mentioned, dance, gymnastics, diving and yoga teacher. There are however some professions that it most definitely negatively impacts, particularly if done prior to the event, for example runners, weight lifters and other explosive types of movement. More and more coaches are advocating for dynamic stretch routines, throughout the athletic world.

My point on performance is be realistic. If you feel tightness is hampering your performance either at work or in exercise than spend time to discover the underlying issue and develop a program to balance the body out. It should include some form of strengthening work for all the involved muscles, mobility for the joint to gain full range of motion and possibly some flexibility if there is impairment.

“However, most experts now agree that although static-passive stretches have many benefits, it’s best to do more dynamic-active stretches. Because dynamic-active stretches require you to use and build your own strength while moving through the stretch, they are more helpful for improving functional movements used in everyday life and in sports.”

Excerpt on Human Kinetics from Full-Body Flexibility, 2nd Edition, by Jay Blahnik.

Decreases Injuries

Again current research is very mixed on this point. For the past couple decades it was thought that stretching after working out helped with lactic acid build-up and thus cut down on discomfort and possibly less injuries. This does not seem to be the case in most current readings.

“Lactic acid isn’t the cause of muscle soreness. Soreness is caused by damage to muscle when people do unaccustomed exercises, or ones which lengthen the muscle.”

Dr. Rob Herbert, Professor, Musculoskeletal Division at the George Institute for International Health

There is an important distinction between passive stretching and dynamic stretching for relevance in decreasing injuries. This is a critical point to assess when deciding on your own personal philosophy towards stretching. Dynamic stretching involves moving through positions, thus the muscles are contracting and releasing through the designated actions.

Passive stretching or static stretching, on the other hand incorporates positions held for long periods of time that force the body into the stretch. There is ample research out there highlighting that passive stretching does not decrease your risk of injury.

What does most definitely DECREASE your risk of injury is and always has been a proper WARM-UP! Taking the body through muscular action that allows the temperature to rise and gets the blood flow going is a sure way to prepare both mentally and physically. Think of your car in the winter, turn the motor on and drive slowly until the motor is warm.

Wrap-up

In a nutshell, finding the right mix of exercise is very personal. My motto is train smarter not more! No matter whether you are defiantly pro stretching or adamantly against, or somewhere in between, common threads exist. Ultimately you the exercise enthusiast must choose the best approach, to meet your needs.

• Passive stretching can negatively impact certain sports and daily activities
• Passive stretching is contraindicated as a warm-up!
• Dynamic stretching offers positive benefits both for pre & post exercise, click here for a 7-exercise dynamic stretch routine
• If stretching makes you feel good then do it but be aware of the above points, judge for yourself, your performance, energy, prevalence of injuries and overall balanced strength within your body, plus read current literature
• True physical fitness should contain a variety of components all equally emphasized within an exercise program, such as this simple slogan used within the Classical Pilates teaching. All deserve equal attention.

1. Strength
2. Stamina
3. Stability  
4. Stretch

I believe it’s time to go back to square one. The beauty of the body lies in the ability of our muscles to do the actions they are designed for. When we exaggerate any one component, like stretching for example, we destabilize the architecture of our body.

I also think we need to come to grips with the fact that the over-emphasis on sports in this country is pushing many individuals away from participating in well-rounded exercise. Stretching has opened doors to people, who previously did not feel welcome in exercise programs, that’s a positive accomplishment I applaud.

It’s time to move beyond stretching being the only attraction. Inspiring true physical fitness means offering intelligent guidance, hiring experienced trainers and developing programs that reach a wider variety of participants, particularly those less inclined towards sports.

Final Note

Classical Pilates became popular through the prevalence of practitioners within the New York City dance community, both modern and ballet. It was a form of training that enabled dancers to strengthen the body, and re-balance extreme degrees of flexibility by building strength, stamina and stability to handle the stretch.