Now That's Stretching, The Truth

Recently at the gym I was talking to someone who asked me if I had seen this segment on the Today Show about fitness and stretching. They said that some (can't remember his name) trainer was on there and had said something about stretching being bad for you...something about studies showing that it wasn't beneficial and could even cause injury. Now, this caught me quite off guard, and I immediately thought that my friend must have misunderstood. When I got home that day, I went online and found that clip and watched for myself. Not only was my friend accurate with his recounting of what the trainer had said, but he was pretty much word for word right on the money. I really couldn't believe my ears. It is bad enough that stretching is one of the most ignored aspects of a fitness program as it is, but give that kind of information out and it is exactly the kind of excuse people will use to keep on ignoring it. While there may be certain times a person should not stretch (never stretch a cold muscle) and stretching may not be a cure-all for preventing injury or soreness as once thought, I believe that trainer spoke way out of context and should have really not said what he said. The last time I checked there are five, count them, five components of fitness. They include cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, body composition, and last but not least flexibility. Cardio endurance is the ability to perform sustained physical activity such as walking, swimming, running, etc. Muscular strength and endurance are linked and are improved by using weight-bearing exercise such as weight lifting, resistance bands or machines, etc. The proportions of muscle, fat, and body water make up body composition. Now here is my point...and you knew I was trying to make one, didn't you? Flexibility is related to range of motion and is improved by gently and consistently stretching muscles and the connective tissues surrounding them. So, unless the ACSM or the powers that be have gone and decided that there are really only four components of fitness instead of five, I think I will continue to stretch and I will keep it as an important part of my routine personally and also for my clients. You should always do static (long, held stretches) as opposed to ballistic movements. You should hold the stretch for around 10-15 seconds or more and never stretch past the point of comfort or past the range of motion. Just stretch! It feels good and you have to do something between sets anyway, right?