When must and should one not stretch?
If the strain is particularly high during sports and lactate is produced, stretching is harmful. When the strain is high, by-products accumulate in the muscles, which have to be transported away again by the blood. Static stretching worsens the blood circulation in the muscles and increases the risk of sore muscles and muscle injuries. Immediately before intensive strength and speed performances, stretching exercises reduce performance because the desired pre-tension of the musculature does not occur. (up to 60 minutes after stretching)
Stretching in the sports
Since the different sports with different loads and requirements of the musculature are demanded in relation to strength and mobility, there is no universal warm-up program.In the wisest sense, yoga can be considered a sport consisting of stretching exercises.
Soccer
Myth of muscle shortening: Many soccer players justify their immobility of the leg muscles with muscle shortening. In many cases this is not correct. The muscle is not shortened due to missing or only slight stretching of the musculature.
The length of the muscle always remains the same, but the mobility varies. Stretching before a soccer training does not make sense, since no large joint range is required. Stretching can even be harmful.
If at all, only the leg muscles should be stretched with dynamic exercises. Loose warming up and running in would make more sense for this kind of sport. Even after training, a loose warm-up run is more appropriate than stretching exercises. Further information ́s you can also find under our topic:
- Injury in soccer
Tennis
Similar to soccer, stretching is not useful in tennis. However, a warm-up program before training is necessary. Since the joint load (especially ankle and knee joints) is very high in this sport, the running-in should be as variable as possible (sideways, hop run, heel, knee lever run, ankle work).
Stretching exercises of the upper extremities should generally be avoided. However, regular tennis play limits the flexibility of the hitting arm or the shoulder of the hitting arm. This can be counteracted by stretching exercises for the shoulder, but not immediately before the sport.
Sauna and massages after sports are particularly suitable for regeneration. Targeted stretching is not absolutely necessary in handball, as it does not require a large joint range. An exception is the goalkeeper, who, in addition to his ability to react, can take advantage of defensive behavior through mobility of the lower extremity. However, since handball is a very demanding sport, a targeted warming up before the sport is mandatory. In particular, the danger of overloading the shoulder during the stroke should be reduced by warming up.
All articles in this series:
