Stretching...

[Youngguns]

Yes, no, maybe so?

What do you think?

When where and why?

[buster12]

I think the're essential. But thats just me. I like doin stretches after the workout, and between sets on back( because I hear the stetch can really improve one's back). I always thought stretching made the muscle look like it had better shape, but I have no evedince to prove this. All I know is that gymnasts do nothing but stretch and they have very impressive upper bodies. Would love to hear everyone else's opinion.

[ironwarrior22]

I can get much better range of motion when i stretch. i also believe in hyperplasia using extreme stretching.

[Big Al]

I feel a little bit stronger in every set if I stretch a bit between sets (especially upper back and chest)

[jeff_hardy]

100% must do. forget about bbing. think about the everyday things that are improved by stretching i.e. tying shoes

[MichaelWayne]

I do a simple warmup stretch with my light early lifts just to get the blood going and afterwards I enjoy that DOGGCRAPP style of stretching until the muscle feels like its going to rip off the bone.

Between sets and exercise I always feel like I lose the pump/focus if I stretch.

[Mark]

I do it after one warm up set on all compound/push/pull lifts. It's just a mental thing for me, i think, as i'd rather stretch the muscle out and feel for any aches and pains before I get under the bench, squat, shoulder press, etc, to find out I've got an ache

[Hardly Krishna]

In one of Levrone's new training vid's he shows you how to stretch your tri's quite effectively, I'll do it between every set for chest/shoulders/tri's.....not to mention stretching my chest & shoulders along with it.

Brings lots of blood into the area and helps relieve the initial stiffness when working out.

Not to be confused with working out the initial stiffness which is something I do every morning thanks to my BRAZZERS pass.

[antonbrn]

I do it before and during my workouts. I feel better and stay loose.

[dropshot001]

the dc style stretches have worked well for me and i have also been incorporating some foam rolling (not stretching, i know), but it has aided in the recovery of the legs more so than leg stretches

[Youngguns]

...

[Youngguns]

Definitely need more insight.

[Northman]

If you working to stretch out the muscle via working out, why wouldn't you stretch statically as well?

It's a no brainer.

[Youngguns]

If you working to stretch out the muscle via working out, why wouldn't you stretch statically as well?

It's a no brainer.
I workout to pump the muscle up as much as possible...

and if you've stretched the muscle out while working out, why stretch it more?

[Northman]

I workout to pump the muscle up as much as possible...

and if you've stretched the muscle out while working out, why stretch it more?


To allow the muscle tissue to grow more.

[Youngguns]

There's no evidence...

[GENESIS]

if there is no evidence then this whole thread is speculation. what else do you want?

i believe its essential for every women i.e. more complete sexual positions

[Northman]

There's no evidence...


Ask any descent bber YG.

[Yolo]

the dc style stretches have worked well for me

Same here.

[Big Al]

There's no evidence...
Actually, you are wrong. Where's a ton of evidence....
Robbie D. :yep:

[Bolan]

If you working to stretch out the muscle via working out, why wouldn't you stretch statically as well?

It's a no brainer.

Agreed, it also stretches out your muscle fascia.

[Sledge]

I believe I've read studys that show stretching prior to any form of power exercises like weight lifting, sprinting etc increases the risk of injury. And that stretching should be done after exercise only.

As for the application of stretching to increase muscle mass. Cant say I've seen any evidence of that. I wouldn't say it has no benefit but I'm highly skeptical of how much.

I preform a DC stretch for my shoulder flexibility (the one with the broom handle behind the back) Fantastic, and it has definatly increased my shoulder range of motion. Don't think it had any effect on delt size though.

[Youngguns]

Actually, you are wrong. Where's a ton of evidence....
Robbie D. :yep:
Well that's a convincing argument, I render myself a believer now, thank you for your insight.

[bigtimektz]

I don't know if I believe it helps with size but it does help with soreness and recovery.

[chasebny]

Personally, I perform a dynamic stretch before along with ample warmup sets.

Then after lifting, I perform a loaded static stretch.

Stretching promotes healthy supple muscles and joints, staves off aches and pains without drugs, and frees you up for day to day mobility. Why not spend ten minutes a day on it?

[mr intensity]

When you think about gaining muscle, stretching is probably not the first thing that pops into your head. But did you know that stretching plays a critical role in building muscle?

Every muscle in your body is enclosed in a bag of tough connective tissue known as fascia. Fascia is important for holding your muscles in their proper place in your body. But your fascia may also be holding back your muscle growth. Think for a moment about your muscles. You train them and feed them properly. They want to grow and will grow but something is holding them back. They have no room to grow!

Because fascia is so tough, it doesn't allow the muscle room to expand. It is like stuffing a large pillow into a small pillowcase. The size of the muscle won't change regardless of how hard you train or how well you eat because the connective tissue around your muscles is constricting the muscles within.

The best example of this is the calf muscle. The lower leg is riddled with fascia because of its tremendous weight-bearing duties in the body. It is because of this fascia that many trainers have great difficulty developing their calves.

The solution: stretching.

Using the pillowcase example from above, imagine you can expand the size of the pillowcase by stretching it. Suddenly, the pillow within has more room and will expand to fill that new space. By stretching your muscles under specific conditions, you can actually stretch your fascia and give your muscles more room to grow.

The key to effective fascial stretching is the pump. The best time to stretch to expand the bags that are holding in your muscles is when your muscles are pumped up full of blood.

When your muscles are fully pumped up, they are pressing against the fascia. By stretching hard at that time, you increase that pressure on the fascia greatly, which can lead to expansion of the fascia.

One of the major reasons Arnold Schwarzenegger had such incredible chest development was that he finished his chest workouts with dumbell flyes, an exercise that emphasizes the stretched position of the pectoral muscles. He would pump his chest up full of blood during the workout then do flyes, holding the stretch at the bottom of the flye. This gave his chest room to grow to amazing proportions.

Fascial stretching is more rigorous than regular stretching but the results can be amazing. When you stretch hard enough to cause the fascia to expand, you will really feel it! When you are stretching the fascia, you should feel a powerful pulling sensation and pressure as the muscle works against the fascia to expand it.

Be sure you do not stretch so hard that you cause the muscle to tear or cause injury to yourself. You will rapidly learn to distinguish the difference between a good stretch and a bad stretch. You should not feel any sharp pain, just a steady pull.

Hold each stretch for at least 20 to 30 seconds as you must give your fascia time to be affected by the stretch. Stretch hard like this only when you have a fully pumped muscle as you must give your fascia a reason to expand. If your muscles aren't pumped, just stretch normally.

One set of hard stretching after each set you do for a muscle group, besides the obvious benefits of increased flexibility, can have a great effect on size of your muscles n their further ability to grow.

[thesamewords]

Geez, people! Warm it up and then stretch it. Why stretch the crap out of a cold body part. Getting it nice and warm will help you get the most out of your stretch without over doing it.

[Youngguns]

When you think about gaining muscle, stretching is probably not the first thing that pops into your head. But did you know that stretching plays a critical role in building muscle?

Every muscle in your body is enclosed in a bag of tough connective tissue known as fascia. Fascia is important for holding your muscles in their proper place in your body. But your fascia may also be holding back your muscle growth. Think for a moment about your muscles. You train them and feed them properly. They want to grow and will grow but something is holding them back. They have no room to grow!

Because fascia is so tough, it doesn't allow the muscle room to expand. It is like stuffing a large pillow into a small pillowcase. The size of the muscle won't change regardless of how hard you train or how well you eat because the connective tissue around your muscles is constricting the muscles within.

The best example of this is the calf muscle. The lower leg is riddled with fascia because of its tremendous weight-bearing duties in the body. It is because of this fascia that many trainers have great difficulty developing their calves.

The solution: stretching.

Using the pillowcase example from above, imagine you can expand the size of the pillowcase by stretching it. Suddenly, the pillow within has more room and will expand to fill that new space. By stretching your muscles under specific conditions, you can actually stretch your fascia and give your muscles more room to grow.

The key to effective fascial stretching is the pump. The best time to stretch to expand the bags that are holding in your muscles is when your muscles are pumped up full of blood.

When your muscles are fully pumped up, they are pressing against the fascia. By stretching hard at that time, you increase that pressure on the fascia greatly, which can lead to expansion of the fascia.

One of the major reasons Arnold Schwarzenegger had such incredible chest development was that he finished his chest workouts with dumbell flyes, an exercise that emphasizes the stretched position of the pectoral muscles. He would pump his chest up full of blood during the workout then do flyes, holding the stretch at the bottom of the flye. This gave his chest room to grow to amazing proportions.

Fascial stretching is more rigorous than regular stretching but the results can be amazing. When you stretch hard enough to cause the fascia to expand, you will really feel it! When you are stretching the fascia, you should feel a powerful pulling sensation and pressure as the muscle works against the fascia to expand it.

Be sure you do not stretch so hard that you cause the muscle to tear or cause injury to yourself. You will rapidly learn to distinguish the difference between a good stretch and a bad stretch. You should not feel any sharp pain, just a steady pull.

Hold each stretch for at least 20 to 30 seconds as you must give your fascia time to be affected by the stretch. Stretch hard like this only when you have a fully pumped muscle as you must give your fascia a reason to expand. If your muscles aren't pumped, just stretch normally.

One set of hard stretching after each set you do for a muscle group, besides the obvious benefits of increased flexibility, can have a great effect on size of your muscles n their further ability to grow.
Very interesting post, thank you for sharing. I do understand many of the points in this theory, but without sufficient evidence ("studies") it really is just a theory.

[Nitro Fueled Barbie/Mel Marx]

stretching should be done after your workout when the muscles are warmed up. Not before.