Stretching: Part 2

"I make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes."– Sara Teasdale

The Niners beat Atlanta and the Ravens beat the Patriots (you do the math). Perhaps, stretching was one component of their success. Several 49er players claimed they do a lot of old-school stretches-heavy, heavy squats with chains, a lot of flexibility and a lot warming up. One sports physiologist claimed that stretching was considered a much lower priority in the NFL compared to diets, weight training or warming up. One example of the 49er philosophy is that before lifting a single weight, a 49er must get on a cardio machine for 10 minutes for a muscle warming up tactic. On the field the team has simple but crucial periods of basic stretching before and after practice. Again in the locker room, hard-core stretching begins such as deep squats with as many 45 pound plates as possible. The player has to squat low enough to lightly touch the seat of the chair and raise again as many times as possible (some stretch). This stretch builds muscle and also increases flexibility and range of motion and assists the player by increasing agility and speed.

 There many testimonials by the players that includes:  Colin Kaepernick, Alex Smith, Ahmad Brooks, Chris Culliver,  LaMichael James, Clark  Haggans  and Donte Whitmer to name a few. Even Tony Martin, creator of the P90X workout videos said that “stretching requires patience holding the same pose for five breaths, and men are impatient, they like to keep moving.” He added “women enjoy stretching, generally speaking…..” “But in any work out the payoff comes when you do the stuff you don’t enjoy and aren’t good at. “

In an earlier post, I gave examples of various stretches. See post:  December 5, 2012.  Further, I stretch religiously for my Achilles before my trail runs and after them (sometimes during as well). All in all I stretch my Achilles about three times a day. If my lower back is sore, I also stretch that during the day. I’m going to consider stretching more often. A good reference to consider for stretching is Bob Anderson’s book “Stretching.” I consider it the Bible of stretching.

In any event, keep moving, keep a running and do with friends if you can.