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Saturday, October 17, 2009

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July 23, 2006
Stretch to be safe
Stretching exercises are not always necessary but they're useful anyway, say experts
By Rachel Lim

STRETCH before and after you exercise or you will have to pay the price the next day with aches and pains.
This has been the long-standing mantra of physical education teachers and fitness trainers alike.
But what has been impressed upon us for years as the golden rule of exercise may not actually be quite the blanket rule it is made out to be.
The need to stretch really depends on the nature of the sporting activity as well as how flexible a person already is, according to experts interviewed by The Sunday Times.
Stretching increases the range of motion of the joints and muscles for sports and exercise, said Dr Benedict Tan, a sports physician who heads the Changi Sports Medicine Centre.
So if your sport requires you to extend your limbs quite a bit, stretching beforehand is essential.
'Ballet, gymnastics and hurdling require the joints to move through their extreme range, so the need to stretch before commencing the activity is even more obvious,' said Dr Tan.
On the other hand, for sports such as jogging, you can quite safely do away with stretching.
'Jogging and walking do not require a full range of motion, so whether you do stretch or not, you will not feel the difference,' Dr Tan said.
Real estate executive Adeline Lian, for one, does not believe in stretching before her weekly jog.
'I think that my muscles are not warmed up before I start jogging. Stretching after the exercise when my muscles are warm would be more effective,' said the 26-year-old.
Whether you had to huff and puff to pass the sit-and-reach segment of your fitness test in school is another important factor to consider.
Some people are born more flexible than others and may therefore possess the optimal flexibility for the sport they are engaging in without having to stretch, said Dr Tan.
'Otherwise, you should bridge the gap by stretching before starting to exercise,' he said.
Engaging in a sport competitively is also a different ball game from just playing for leisure.
Assistant Professor C. Kunalan, from the National Institute of Education's Physical Education and Sports Science Department, said: 'People who play recreational sports are not there to push themselves to the extreme for better performance like how full-time athletes would. So the amount and range of stretching required may be different.'
That said, the final word from fitness professionals still appears to be: Stretch whenever and wherever possible.
More often than not, stretching is a vital component of any pre-exercise warm-up, said Mr Quintin Roman, a strength and conditioning coach at the Singapore Sports School .
And for good reason.
'Stretching prepares the joints and muscles for mobility in training. Not stretching means not preparing the body for activity, and this puts the body at risk as injury may occur,' he said.
Prof Kunalan agreed.
He said: 'Some people may get away without stretching. For instance, when you play badminton, you can start off with gentler strokes, so we gradually stretch out more during the play and this will give our muscles and joints the required range of motion.'
However, injuries may set in if you stretch beyond your range of motion during the sport without foreseeing it, he added.
This is particularly so in the case of high-impact activities, according to Mr Martin Cheung, a Senior Aerobics Coordinator at Planet Fitness.
'Most cardiovascular and resistance training causes muscles to shorten and tighten. Chronic injuries may set in over time if people keep going at these high-impact classes without stretching,' he said.
Warming down by stretching also goes some way towards keeping pain away.
Prof Kunalan explained: 'When you train long and hard, your muscles tighten and are fatigued. Stretching helps in recovery.'
Experts said that stretching should not be confined to those who exercise on a regular basis. Even the desk-bound may benefit from an occasional stretch or two.
'Stretching reduces the inflexibility that is associated with back and neck problems,' said Dr Tan.
And simple reach and pull exercises do not have to take up a lot of time.
'It can be done concurrently with another activity. For example, you can stretch while waiting for a lift. When you are catching your breath after a run, you can also stretch,' he said.
rachlim@sph.com.sg

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