Good input, MarcM. I dug a bit and found this interesting...a good discussion of ranges of flexibility (which you mentioned) and stretching and warm-ups.
It states "that stretching increases short-term flexibility, a potential benefit to athletes involved in sports that require extended range of motion, like whitewater kayaking or rock climbing, and a likely—though unproven—means to mitigate injury if you are unusually inflexible." And I will add...like treeclimbing.
from
http://www.outdoors.org/publications/outdoors/2008/outandfit/pre-exercise-stretching.cfm
Hi Pantheraba, I know from being around other athletes the issue of stretching before exercise can be a contentious issue. I do know that I myself am "unusually inflexible," as bad as one can be probably, but here's a counterpoint to the advice that pre work stretching can elongate muscles to prevent injury during work-
I know in my own case, a bit of stretching does not elongate anything any meaningful amount. It's only over the course of months and even years that consistant stretching with warm muscles actually increases my range of motion by a measurable amount. It's really the difference between wam and cold muscles that makes any immediate difference in my range of motion, so I make sure I warm up first, but I don't stretch first, only after.
And maybe a bit paradoxically, it's been my experience that overly tight muscles can actually help
prevent injuries from overextension in that I often start to feel I'm at the limit of my range of motion before I go far enough to sprain or damage any tendons/ligaments/connective tissue. I ski and hike and do a number of activites where injuries are common from over extension and it happens to me very rarely. Contrast that with my wife, who as I mentioned before, has very loose muscles; she has real problems with things like rolling her ankle because by the time she gets feedback from her muscles that she's overextending, it's too late for her connective tissue. Me on the other hand, will have felt pain and corrected long before... probably by falling over
Anyway, that's my take on stretching. I'm glad you went off to find other information/data; I encourage anyone who works as an 'industrial athlete' and is dependent on being healthy for their livelihood to do the same thing- read and learn. Don't just trust what someone tells you, verify it for yourself!
And thanks everyone for the warm welcomes! I'm an Arborist Site refugee in case anyone was wondering.
