Stretching Before Warm Up - now a no-no

[dbny]

There is an article in today's NY Times Science section that says that stretching should be done after a warm up, and not before: Hold That Stretch: Warm Up Is Challenged (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/27/health/nutrition/27STRE.html) an exerpt: "Stretching before exercise is routine for many recreational and professional athletes. But researchers have grown increasingly skeptical about its merits.

Now a major study is stirring renewed discussion about when stretching is and is not beneficial." ... "Like many sports physicians, Dr. Bartoli tells her patients that rather than stretching before physical activity, they should do the sporting activity at 50 percent of the target intensity."

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This seems to explain exactly what I have discovered by accident recently - that I skate much better after teaching. I took that experience and decided to try warming up by doing crossovers in slow motion, as if teaching them, and it is really helping me get the feel of the ice very quickly and skate more smoothly after.

[Spreadeagle]

I have also found that I skate much better after warming up, and usually I spend at least the first 5 minutes on-ice warming up with stroking, power pulls, cross-rolls. If I have time to warm up off-ice first, even better. I think with figure skating it is important to do some stretching before skating or competing, especially things like spiral stretches. But the stretching is so much more effective, and easier, if your muscles are warmed up first from jogging, jumping rope, skipping, etc. I have heard elsewhere that stretching too much before physical activity can be detrimental--it relaxes your muscles so much that they can't perform as well and can actually increase the risk of injury. Not sure if this is true.

Every time I get on the ice, I always have to go to the boards after stroking around a few times, prop my leg up on the boards and stretch, even if I already stretched off ice! It's probably not the best way to stretch, but it's such a habit!

[CanAmSk8ter]

My friends and I always jog for a few minutes, like five laps or so of the rink lobby, before stretching. Ok, sometimes I'm a little sloppy about thi in the afternoon :oops: But in the morning it's an absolute must. If it's nice out I run all the way around our parking lot, which is huge. I never do any real stretching without jogging first though.

[icedancer2]

Every time I get on the ice, I always have to go to the boards after stroking around a few times, prop my leg up on the boards and stretch, even if I already stretched off ice! It's probably not the best way to stretch, but it's such a habit!


This is EXACTLY what I have always done -- I have never found that doing a stretching routine before skating helps at ALL, although some yoga/pilates exercises can be helpful. I also like the idea of going for a little jog or jumping rope before putting my skates on, but I am always just so darn excited to be going skating that I can't wait to get onto the ice!!

I had a friend in Boston who used to say that you need to warm up your feet first, and then move up your legs, hips, back, etc. -- all done on-ice. Nowadays I usually do some figures before the stroking -- just some front outside and inside eights, maybe a little more -- what a great warmup!!! Then edges and crossovers -- backwards and forwards, inside and outside. Then Moves. Then finally some dances.

[Michigansk8er]

Where I skate we have mandatory lap skating (forward and backward in both directions) followed by stretching at the boards, at the beginning of each freestyle session.

I also jump rope, followed by stretches off-ice.

[flippet]

Where I skate we have mandatory lap skating (forward and backward in both directions) followed by stretching at the boards, at the beginning of each freestyle session.


This is the way I've always done it. Laps (sometimes very lazy, but anyway), then some basic stretching at the boards. I save my serious stretching for after my session, when I'm good and warm.

[oroetlaboro]

There is some excellent information on the whys and hows of stretching at the USFSA website. Go to Athletes and then Training Tips and look at the Stretching articles.

[IceAngel2007]

There is no way I can skate my best without prior stretching for at least 30 minutes. so ya I don't know about ya'll but for me its impossible to skate well without stretching.

[Mrs Redboots]

Yes, but there's stretching for flexibility, and warm-up stretching. The former shouldn't be done before you are really warm. Most skaters I know either have a tremendous off-ice warm-up (longer than their session, in some cases) which includes some stretching, or else they stretch after skating. Mostly, they take their boots off, put their trainers on, and go up to the fitness room for a stretching session.

[jenlyon60]

If I'm lucky, I get a bit of off-ice stretching in, generally while walking my dog, before I leave for the rink on my early skate days (like 6:15AM ice time). Usually, though, I end up getting to the rink, skating around comfortably for a few minutes, then do some stretches at the boards. My post-ice schedule on early skate days is such that I can't take time to stretch, either, because I have to immediately bail for work.

[MQSeries]

The problem with pre-exercising stretching is that many people don't bother to warm up before stretching. It's like you have to do a mini-exercise to warm up your muscle then you go on to stretching and then you can do your full exercise routine. The order should be warmup - stretch - exercise - stretch.

When I was skating, it always made me cringe to see kids arriving at the rink early in the morning barely awake, put on their skates, get onto the cold ice, and immediately plob their leg onto the barrier and stretched. It couldn't have been good for their muscles to do that, but they didn't seem to have too much trouble during their actual lessons and practices though.

When I go to the gym now, my routine is always 5 minutes on the elliptical trainer - strecth - strength training - abs - stretch (longer and more than the first strech). It makes for a longer workout each time, but I always have to stretch prior and after.

[kisscid]

I have been told by numerous doctors that stretching while your muscles are cold will not aid in flexability and that it is eaiser to injure yourself doing this. Your muscles need to be warm and the stretch needs to be held at length in order to add flexability. When I was a younger skater I always stretched at the boards before stroking and it never increased my flexability, and I did get injured. I have learned a lot since then. I always stretch after my work out.To begin I jog in place off ice then I do stroking and 3's and mowhawks for at least a half hour. I then do stretching and continue with my workout. Then I "cool down" with slow stroking and edge holding followed by more off ice stretching .
Cid

[skateflo]

I too have been told numerous times over the past few years that you must get your heart rate up to get the blood flowing through the muscles and it is the blood flow that warms the muscle so it can begin to work well without microscopic tears. I like the analogy of the clay from the freezer! Brings to mind salf water taffy......

But I have always wondered how ballet people warm up. Does their barre work first really increase their heart rate enough to warm their muscles?

All the work out books, videos say to do at least 5 minutes of exercise/cardio before doing the workout, yet now you hear that you can break your exercise routine into 10-15 minute segments during the day. What they don't say is spending 5 minutes first to warm your muscles!

And what consititues a good warm up for we over 50 people? It is especially hard when work/job, travel, cramps you to get to the rink just in time to get your boots on and onto the ice. I do stroke around at least 5 minutes, try to do some edge work (that is where they used to say Figures prepared the body for the freestyle session and the sessions were alternated for just that reason.) After the session in the locker room I do at least hamstrings, quads, and calves. The little hockey boys and their fathers seem to feel uncomfortable with me standing there, but I am not going to stretch in the cold rinkside, and certainly not in the entry lobby. And it is a 35 minute high speed drive to back home.

Says she who sits with ice packs on her lower spine from working so hard yesterday on those *&$# spins and inside 3's.....

[mikawendy]

But I have always wondered how ballet people warm up. Does their barre work first really increase their heart rate enough to warm their muscles?


When I was in college, I took an excellent anatomy/kinesiology course for dancers. Most dancers in my class warmed up doing the things they like to do but these were the same things they were good at, not the things they needed to focus on (e.g., very flexible people focused on stretching, not getting their heart rate up).

Most ballet warm-up begins with grand plies and port de bras or sometimes (depending on the teacher) some pre-barre stretches--none of which gets the heart rate up. The anatomy textbook suggested jogging lightly around the dance studio, jogging in place with legs parallel (sixth position), and/or doing gentle leg swings with the leg in attitude position to get the heart rate up.

I found this very helpful, and it's something I do before I get into my skates as well. I also do a *very* short Pilates mat workout (just the hundred and some of the leg series) sometimes to get my heart rate up and to feel my core stomach muscles before I go on the ice.

Edited to say that a proper set of barre exercises does warm the body up enough to do center work such as small and large jumps. Aside from not starting with something that gets the heart rate up, the barre work does go in a somewhat logical progression from smaller to larger muscle groups and gentler to more brisk movements (e.g., tendu comes before battement jete which comes before fondu and grand battement; ronds de jambe a terre comes before ronds de jambe en l'air and grand ronds de jambe).

Of course I've also seen combinations at the barre given with grand plie straight into pirouette from the bottom of the plie. Zoiks! It's one thing to give that in the center after the body is warm, but straight off at the beginning of the class, it seems like a formula for tendinitis!

[icedancer2]

I do stroke around at least 5 minutes, try to do some edge work (that is where they used to say Figures prepared the body for the freestyle session and the sessions were alternated for just that reason.)



You know, you're right -- this is exactly why the sessions were alternated -- I of course never thought of that as a kid -- I thought they alternated just to relieve the "boredom factor" which was induced by figures!

Now I LOVE figures and can't understand why I ever thought they were boring...

[dbny]

And what consititues a good warm up for we over 50 people?

The thing that works best for me is crossovers in very slow motion, focussing on precision rather than on power, then the four pre-pre edge patterns. Then I up the speed on the crossovers.

[Mrs Redboots]

I
And what consititues a good warm up for we over 50 people? It is especially hard when work/job, travel, cramps you to get to the rink just in time to get your boots on and onto the ice.I think we have to adapt to the conditions. I find that if I warm up first, by the time I've put my boots on I'm cold again, and you can't do half the exercises our fitness people would like with skates on! So unless I'm very stiff indeed (or at a competition), I don't bother with a pre-ice warm-up. I get on the ice, and by the barrier warm up my feet and ankles by sliding them to and fro and bending them in all directions (in and out, I mean, and up on my picks and off them again, that sort of thing). Then I start to skate round, usually just forwards stroking, while at the same time loosening my upper body - arms, shoulders (especially shoulders), head.... You can do - I can never remember what you call it, but you go down really steep on one knee, leaving the other leg straight behind, and then do a 3-turn like that, then change legs and turn..... I do that, sometimes. Usually do a lap of forward slaloms and then, if time, do some of my exercises.

If I'm not quite finished warming up but it's time for my lesson, I usually start it with a lap of forward cross-rolls or "Russian stroking" (alternating forward crossovers with a held inside edge in between) - one of my favourite exercises. By the time I've done that, I'm good and warm!

[icenut84]

I had a friend in Boston who used to say that you need to warm up your feet first, and then move up your legs, hips, back, etc. -- all done on-ice.

I used to do gymnastics, and I was always taught to start at the top and work your way down when stretching (e.g. head/neck/shoulders/arms, then back, then legs and feet etc), so that's what I always do.

I have to walk about 10 minutes from the bus/train to get to the rink, so I'm usually warm by the time I get to the rink. After paying & changing etc, assuming I'm still warm, that's when I do some stretches, before I skate (I mainly concentrate on leg/hip/groin type stretches, although I often also do some light stretches on my neck, shoulders, back and sometimes arms), and before I put my skates on (so I can stretch my calves feet/ankles properly). Once I get on the ice, I take some time to stroke etc, get into the ice, and I always warm up with the basics first (I've seen some people who get on the ice and the first thing they attempt is a double!). I also stretch at the end, once I've taken my skates off & put my trainers on, and then I get another 10 minute walk which works well to help the warm down. :)

[AshBugg44]

I've known that for forever. Stretching cold muscles isn't good for you because they can tear more easily.

[Ellyn]

If I get to the rink early enough I'll jog a little bit (usually the width or length of the rink and back to where I started; all the way around is not always possible because of obstacles, but the one time I did do that I ended up walking most of the second half) and then do some off-ice stretching, especially lunges, and often leg on the boards stretches, leg swings, palms on the floor, side stretches, etc.

Usually I arrive just in time to change clothes if necessary, put on my skates, and get right on the ice. In that case I'll start with at least two laps of power moves, maybe straight to spins next or 5-45 min of moves and edge work depending on my goal for the day. After I do upright forward and back spins, and change foot, and a couple of laybacks, then I'll go to the boards and stretch before starting the evil camel spins.

[Mrs Redboots]

I realised this evening that, while I am changing and putting on my skates, I am constantly flexing my arms and shoulders and beginning to warm myself up.