I have read so many conflicting things about stretching before running. I've gotten the point very clearly that it's more crucial to do some good stretching after running, but it seems to be a topic of debate about how to warm up muscles before going out for a run. I know for me, the spots that get me the worst if I haven't stretched at all are my ankles and my calves. The ankles get a little stiff and the calves tighten up, usually after my first incline. So I try to do just a teeny bit of stretching before taking off, to try to prevent these, but even then it doesn't always work.
As far as my post-run stretching goes, I like to use a simple post-run yoga sequence that gets into some of the tighter spots. However, I would definitely like some suggestions of other ways to stretch post-run because sometimes this is kind of like "yeah, okay, sure...I think I'm stretching" because I use these stretches frequently enough in my normal yoga practice.
So leave me some thoughts-what do you do pre-run to prep your body? What do you do post-run to help it recover? Do you do the same stretching routine every time or mix it up? In particular, what do you do to curb calf and ankle issues?
Pre run, you should warm up with dynamic stretching. These are stretches that involve motion, such as lunges, high knees, etc. Post run, you should stretch your muscles with static stretching- stretches that you hold for 10 seconds to force muscular contraction.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the anonymous poster. Do a little job in place or jumping jacks to get the heart rate up a little, lunges and high knees will help too. For the ankles, try rotating them before you start your run to get them mobile/flexible. I'm doing Insanity right now and we do that as a warm up before the exercise.
ReplyDeleteAfter the run, try to incorporate lunges, hip flexer stretch (which is probably what you do with your yoga stretches), and a calf stretch. I bend one knee stretch out the other with the heel on the ground and grab my big toe and I repeat on the other side. Maybe also giving your calves a light massage before and after the run might help to kind of ease the tightness?
That seems to help me with calf and ankle issues. Hope this helps, good luck!! :)