Welcome back to those of you who’ve been eagerly awaiting this for a full week 
If you haven’t already done so I’d recommend reading Part One first
Strength Training & Flexibility
It is a common misconception that there must always be a trade-off between flexibility and strength. Anyone who has been watching the endless stream of Kai Greene videos I’ve been posting on Facebook will know that this is complete nonsense As a matter of fact, flexibility training and strength training can actually enhance one another!
One of the best times to stretch is immediately after a weight training workout (which is what I do in my Edinburgh personal training sessions). This helps not only to increase flexibility, but also enhances muscular development, and will actually help decrease the level of post-exercise soreness (though I’ve recently read that it doesn’t do this after all. I’d recommend conducting your own experiments here).
After you have used weights (or any other means) to overload and fatigue your muscles, your muscles are shortened somewhat due to frequent intense contractions, often only taking the muscle through part of its full range of motion. The muscle is also full of lactic acid and other waste products. If the muscle is not stretched afterward, it will retain this decreased range of motion, which in the long term can lead to the classic ‘muscle bound’ look (I’ve seen this occur for real). Static stretching helps the muscle to return to its full range of movement. It also helps to remove lactic acid and other waste products from the muscle.
Furthermore, strenuous workouts can cause damage to the muscle’s connective tissue. While the damage will usually heal in 1 or 2 days it is widely believed that the tissues heal at a shorter length (decreasing muscular development as well as flexibility) and to prevent this from occurring many physiologists recommend static stretching after strength workouts.
Practical Stretching
I’m going to move on now to more practical matters, specifically when to stretch, how long to stretch, how to breathe while stretching and what specific stretches to do…
While there are many sources that recommend including stretching as a component of warming up I recommend stretching AFTER your workout. This ensures that your muscles are warm; warm muscles are more elastic and there is far less risk of injury. There is also evidence to suggest that stretching before a workout can lead to a loss of strength.
Exactly how long to hold a stretch for is a widely debated topic. With sources ranging from 5 seconds to several minutes the truth is that no-one really knows I personally recommend listening to your body here, which is what I do. Some days I’ll hold certain stretches longer than others, depending entirely on how my body feels. For those of you who like more precise information I’d say that on average I hold a stretch for 30 seconds.
Correct breathing is vital when stretching and helps to relax the body, increasing blood flow and helping to mechanically remove lactic acid and other waste products. I personally recommend taking slow, deep, relaxed breaths when you stretch. Inhale through the nose as you GENTLY EASE (stretches should always be eased into slowly) into the stretch , expanding the abdomen not the chest (I do this to a count of 3); hold the breath (I use a 3 count here too); then exhale through the nose (or mouth) while gently easing gradually deeper into the stretch (another 3 count); hold the breath (again to a 3 count) and then repeat the cycle as many times as you wish, finally completing it by easing out of the stretch as you exhale (still keeping with the 3 count).
Coming in next week’s final instalment – What Stretches to Do
