STRETCHING BEFORE EXERCISE. FACT OR FICTION?

Stretch Before Exercising. Fact or Fiction? Conventional thought has told us over the years that stretching before any form of exercise will not only warm up muscles for the work-out ahead, but it will prevent injury during the course of your physical exertion. This ideology was drilled into us during the gym-time line-ups in elementary school and more likely than not you’ve carried this message through to your adult exercise regimen. But is it true? Does stretching for a work-out or run actually help your body? The short answer: No. Several universities have participated in and conducted extensive research on this subject and the findings are very similar. One such study was performed by Doug Richards of the University of Toronto (the link at the bottom) dismisses the popularized theories with hard facts. Richards found that most, if not all,