Why and why not to stretch
Welcome to the weekly warble here at Ideanthro Movement.
This week I'm talking about why to stretch, and also why not to stretch.
At our gym, we run a stretching class on Thursday evenings. It's well attended and we're proud of it. So you might think that I'm simply going to sing the praises of stretching, but I'm not. This post takes a more nuanced approach. See, our stretching class is just one part of a bigger program of movement at our gym. And that's a good segue to the key point that I want to make in this post.
Stretching should be a supplement to a generally active life, but not a replacement for it.
If you're not currently very active, and you have some niggles that you feel need stretching, then I'd like you to know something. Becoming more active in a sensible, well rounded, gradual manner is probably going to do more to deal with those niggles than simply stretching. Stretching will likely be better than nothing, but becoming more active is almost always better again. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, but I think that you get point I'm trying to make.
So, if stretching should mostly be used as a supplement to a generally active life, for what reasons should you stretch?
Here's a few ideas:
1) If you enjoy it. Please, if you enjoy stretching or it brings you relaxation or any other such benefit, don't let anything that I've said above stop you from doing it.
2) To address tight spots that being generally active isn't sorting out. While becoming more active goes a long way, it's not unusual to have sticky spots that need a bit more help. Depending on the issue, stretching might help.
3) To achieve specific goals beyond general health and fitness. I am currently learning to press to handstand. This requires a fair amount of flexibility bending forwards towards my toes. It goes beyond anything I will ever need to live a healthy, capable life. But I've set myself this goal, and thus stretching is currently necessary.
And that brings us to the end of this week's warble. If you'd like to know more about our stretch class you can find it here, or you can get in touch and ask us a question.
Have a lovely day!
Cheers
Jack