good stretches?

Question

im new to track i run the 800m what stretches should i do before a race? & how long should my cool down be? my coach makes do another 800m cool down is that good?

Answer 1

Don't stretch! Stretching reduces speed, power, force production, and doesn't decrease (can actually increase) the chance of injury.



What you want to do is a dynamic warm up. Either biking or jogging, running, for 7-10 minutes (more or less depending on the person), or if you're doing sports:

High knees

Butt kickers

Side shuffles (feet nearly touch in between each rep)

Backwards running

Lunges (get low)

Karaokes

Arm Swing, circles

Running, sprints

Push ups



Or even a hot shower for 10 minutes. The goal is to raise the body temperature 1-1 1/2º C.



Now, why is that?



"When muscles are stretched beyond natural voluntary ranges of motion, the muscles and tendons are stretched unnaturally. Excessive stretching damages tissues and promotes inflammation [which is really bad if you're going to start lifting or doing explosive movements (ie. sports)]" (Yang, Im, & Wang, 2005). Continual stretching can lead to "lengthened" muscles. That condition leads to two performance altering states.



1) The range of movement of the joint about which the lengthened muscles gird is increased. That results in the range of effective contraction of the muscles being altered. Maximum muscle performance will have to occur in a different range of motion to the original natural range. IF a lengthened muscle is required still to perform in the orginal natural range, then performance in that range will be reduced because of the extra stretch. Maximally lenghtened muscles about a joint are associated often with a loosening of the joint. Increased leaxity can expose the joint to increased injury through collisions or simply through maximum efforts. Intra-joint movements can also stimulate aggravations to other structural tissues as well as bony structures.



2) If continued for a long time, muscles, tendons, etc... will start to loose some of their elastic properties, which would further decrease power and speed while increasing the risk of injuries.



From The Science and Art of Baseball Pitching (which in this section, discusses why one wouldn't want to stretch, and the literature out there that supports it), 44.4: "Running economy is actually improved when muscles are stiff. Craib, Mitchell, Fields, Cooper, Hopewell, & Morgan (1996) concluded running economy needs natural tightness in lower leg muscles and connective tissues to maximize the storage and return of elastic energy, and reduce the need for stabilizing activity. Continuing with the theme that the elasticity of muscles needs to be preserved for high performances, Jones (2002) attributed running performance to metabolism in the muscles and stiffer musculotendinous structures that facilitate a greater elastic energy return during the shortening phase of the stretch-shortening cycle. A certain level of muscle stiffness preservs the storage and return properties of elastic energy that can be used to generate energy in an activity. The contribution of elastic energy to overall muscle performance is as much as 25-40% (Cavagna & Margaria, 1966; Cavagna, Saibene, & Margaria, 1964).



Nelson, Driscoll, Landin, Young, and Schexnayder, (2005) found that stretching before sprinting, slowed 20-meter sprint times. A review of data-based investigations led to the conclusion that stretching did not improve performance capability (Ingraham, 2003)."



And it even increases DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).

Answer 2

Before the race you need to be constantly incorporating a number of different stretches. I would suggest stretching out 15 mins before your race. To start off, do "static" stretches. These stretches don't require running. Some good stretches can be found at http://www.halhigdon.com/15Ktraining/Stretch.htm . Also, i would include the hurdler stretch, where you sit down, stretch one leg forward, and position the other leg like you would if you were doing the butterfly stretch. Then, take a large breath in, and exhale slowly while reaching towards your outstretched leg with both hands. Following your static stretch, i would proceed into "dynamic" stretches. These are running/jogging stretches such as high knees and butt kicks. First off, all these stretches go from 10-15m, and you should be focusing on form. Start by doing high knees then repeat. Then, do butt kicks, focusing on raising your thigh instead of bending at the knee. Following that, do skips for height, and distance. Spring off one foot, and reach the opposite hand up as far as you can for height. For distance, do the same, this time focusing on how far you can get. Then, do a karaoke, where you you face the infield of the track, turned sideways, and bring your trail lag (back leg) first behind your front leg, then up and over your front leg, all the while moving down the track for another 10-15m. Your cooldown should consist of more static stretches, dynamic stretches aren't needed, and you should be wearing sweats and a sweatshirt!!!! I can't emphasize this enough, especially if you have another race. Cold muscles tend to tear and are more prone to injury. All in all, your cooldown should take about 10 mins, and possibly include a slow jog around the track. Best of luck!

Answer 3

well this is what my track team does once before each practice



we take 2 laps round the track

then stretch out just normall leg stretches

this is called pylometrics:

the we do high knees

butt kicks

shuffles(your legs straight out in front of you and kicks them out and move forward)

lunges

high knee jumps

then 100 meter sprints

each of these or done in 50 yards except the 100 meter obviously

Answer 4

I suppose you imply "Angdaayi" right here. If so, folks do that stretching factor, while they're worn out, bored or while popping out of the cobwebs of shut eye. Lethargic folks do it the entire instances, without reference to a physiological rationale. Your query didn't want any precise answering bud, it was once grossly self explanatory. :.: