“To stretch or not to stretch?” is this still a question in the year 2011?
Why is this still an issue in the fitness industry? Stretching what? muscle, connective tissue? I still wonder how many FT’s know why a muscle has tension and what happens to a muscle and its connective tissue when you “stretch” it? Did your certification include a study on Neurology? Love to hear your opinion?
I have to confess that I don’t even think this should be an issue. I think the real issue is that people don’t understand when to stretch and what the purpose is.
For example, I’m not having you stretch to increase flexibility during a warm up, but we will during the cool down. Increasing flexibility with stretching should be saved for after the muscles are warm. When soreness extends in time, I would encourage longer stretching times and more consumption of water, but knowing the purpose of stretching when you do workouts will help you answer the question.