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146

When I was a kid in the middle / high school gym, the gym teacher taught us you stretch before working out. Used the elastic band example. Called anyone retarded who thought otherwise.

The school had the region’s top wrestling team and the weight room was top of the line and they took it seriously.

I’ve start and stopped working out many dozens of times. When you start up, you’re most vulnerable to pulling a muscle.

I’ve started up again by not stretching first. And started by stretching first. Every time I don’t stretch first on that first session after a break I’m basically guaranteed to pull one muscle and 50% likely to pull a second or third. If I do stretch first, only 10 or 20% likely to pull one at all and it’s much more milder.

When I was a kid in the middle / high school gym, the gym teacher taught us you stretch before working out. Used the elastic band example. Called anyone retarded who thought otherwise. The school had the region’s top wrestling team and the weight room was top of the line and they took it seriously. I’ve start and stopped working out many dozens of times. When you start up, you’re most vulnerable to pulling a muscle. I’ve started up again by not stretching first. And started by stretching first. Every time I don’t stretch first on that first session after a break I’m basically guaranteed to pull one muscle and 50% likely to pull a second or third. If I do stretch first, only 10 or 20% likely to pull one at all and it’s much more milder.

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[–] [deleted] • 2 pts

The advice given now is to not stretch prior as it increases the chance of injury. This comes after several studies were done.

[–] • 0 pt

My basketball coach made us do "warm up stretches" before physical activity. This involved movements like high knees, lunges across the gym length, etc. Stretching + light movement.

After working out/games she had us do still stretches of the traditional sorts.

I played all up and down the East coast in a league growing up. She hired lots of professionals to train us and perfect different skills. I usually took what they said as truth but never looked into it.