To Stretch or Not to Stretch? The Answer Is Elastic
Good article from the NY Times:
www.nytimes.com/.../13Best.html
Excerpt:
The truth is that after dozens of studies and years of debate, no one really knows whether stretching helps, harms, or does anything in particular for performance or injury rates. Yet most athletes remain convinced that stretching helps, and recently more and more have felt a sort of social pressure to show that they are limber, in part due to the popularity of yoga. Flexibility has become another area where many athletes want to excel.
I'm not stretching anymore either, except maybe a bit after I run or do core work. I am very flexible, and it doesn't seem like a good use of my time. Moreover, I went to a power yoga class a couple weeks ago while I was cross training to give my shoulder a break. My lower back has hurt ever since. Of course, something else could have triggered the pain, but I'm choosing to blame yoga. From now on, I'm sticking to cardio and lights weights.
I'm not stretching anymore either, except maybe a bit after I run or do core work. I am very flexible, and it doesn't seem like a good use of my time. Moreover, I went to a power yoga class a couple weeks ago while I was cross training to give my shoulder a break. My lower back has hurt ever since. Of course, something else could have triggered the pain, but I'm choosing to blame yoga. From now on, I'm sticking to cardio and lights weights.
