I’ve been dancing for the past fourteen years and ever since I first started class at four years old, every single dance teacher I have ever worked with has engrained the importance of stretching into my head. I was told I should stretch every morning before school, beginning of each dance class, on breaks between class, and a cool down stretch at the end. In dance especially, stretching is incredibly important, yet in recent years studies have shown how stretching too much could possibly be harmful.
Jennifer Gamboa, president of Body Dynamics, Inc., shared her concern with how dances stretched and the impact that has on their bodies. There are two types of stretching: static stretching and dynamic stretching. Static stretching is assuming a position and holding it with some other part of your body or slowly moving muscles until they start to hurt and staying in that stretch. Gamboa states that, “Static stretching before classes decreases strength, speed, agility, and useful range of motion” (Dance Magazine). The muscle fibers are not as strong and decreases the ability to produce speed which could easily lead to a dancer landing incorrectly or possibly causing an injury. Dynamic stretching, according to Gamboa, involves movement of only low intensity with a broad range of motions. Supposedly the larger moments, such as leg brushes, arm circles, or even walking/biking; are recommended to get the blood moving before class. Gamboa states that static stretching is bad because of how often the dancers do it in between center and barre work, or in between breaks.
Now from the perspective of stretching in general with other exercise, Alexandra Sifferlin wrote an article for Time Magazine about how stretching may not help before exercise. This article includes the findings of two recent studies which support the idea of limiting stretching before physical activity. One of these studies published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, “concluded that if you stretch before you lift weights, you may find yourself weaker and wobblier than you expect during your workout” (NCBI). Researchers at the University of Zagreb looked over 104 studies of individuals who practiced static stretching as their only warm up. They found that this stretching reduced muscle strength by 5.5%. They also looked at men who lifted barbells while completing basic squats and compared those who stretched before and those who did not and found that the men that stretched lifted 8.3% less weight than those who didn’t (Time). Too much stretching can cause muscles to lose flexibility when they are overworked.
The need for stretching is very different in dancers and those in other physical activities. Dancers need more stretching beforehand than individuals in other physical activities, where physical trainers recommend more of a light warm up. Yet it seems as though dancers should be particular about how often they complete static stretching, even though Gamboa does not produce scientific evidence for her opinion on how often they should do this. Yet along with the studies found in Time Magazine, it does seem as if dance teachers and trainers need to look into adjusting the stretching and the amount of stretching they recommend to dancers.
Sources: http://www.dancemagazine.com/issues/July-2012/What-Are-They-Doing-Wrong
http://healthland.time.com/2013/04/08/why-stretching-may-not-help-before-exercise/
From my point of view I used to do some light stretching before my running sessions, but if I’m in a hurry I skip them, without any particular difference in my jogging.
I have been dancing for 15 years now and I really enjoyed reading this post. I, too, was told to stretch constantly (especially because I am naturally inflexible). When I think about it, it makes sense why the people in the study felt more wobbly and weak after stretching before lifting weights. But, I am very surprised it reduced strength. Even after reading this, I would still suggest people stretch before they lift because you could risk pulling a muscle! Maybe its just the extent to how much one stretches! Here are some stretching tips! http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/stretch.htm
Throughout my life, I have only heard good things about stretching. It never truly occurred to me that stretching could do more harm than good. However, it seems that if it is done correctly, stretching can indeed be beneficial. Here is an article that further explores the effectiveness of stretching: http://www.thesportinmind.com/articles/stretching-when-is-it-effective/
It’s interesting to see that the things our coaches and teachers have told us has been wrong all this time. I participated in soccer my whole life up until college, and my coach had always made us stretch for at least 10 minutes before a practice or game. Throughout high school I began to realize that my ankles seemed weaker, and I ended up spraining each ankle numerous times. The doctors attributed this to not stretching enough. Now I wonder if it was because the stretching i performed actually weakened my muscles, and as I played, I strained them beyond what they could take. I researched how I probably should’ve stretched the past few years, so hope this helps people who still find a need to stretch before activities!
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/new-ideas-on-proper-stretching-techniques