Stretching sore muscles?

Epistemology is the study of the acquisition of knowledge. Here's what I have come to know about stretching, performance, and recovery:

• Stretching can increase flexibility and decrease injuries associated with limited range of motion.
• Stretching can be done before, during, and after a workout.
• Besides injury prevention, being more flexible allows for greater ease of movement thus can promote more movement.
• Overstretching can reduce muscle force generation decreasing performance and increasing the risk of injury.
• Drastically stretching an injured or very sore muscle may increase recovery time especially if the injured area is lacking is any one of the many required elements to the repair process.
• A healthy joint requires a balance of strength and flexibility.
• A healthy muscle is metabolically active, resistant to injury and can remain strong well into the later stages of life.
• A muscle is composed of about 70% water.
• A 3-4% decrease in body weight from dehyration can decrease performance by 10%.
• Normal muscle contraction requires the right balance of sodium and potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron.
• Dietary protein (amino acids) are the building blocks for muscle protein synthesis and life.

The main points:

1. Done correctly, stretching is good.
2. Done incorrectly, stretching is bad.
3. When diet (hydration and nutrition at the cellular level) is compromised, performance decreases and the type, intensity, and frequency of your stretching program won't be as effective.

Funny quote: "Flexibility without strength is counter productive while strength without flexiblity is just stupid."

To hear more about epistemology and how we validate information before using it in our programs, contact me at www.strongerliving.life.