Q. I have heard that stretching is important. Should I stretch before or after exercise?

A. Stretching is perhaps the most neglected part of our workouts. Most of us need to stretch more, especially as we age. Stretching can be done almost any time but I believe it is best to stretch after a good warm up.

Stretching and warm up are different. Warming up is getting blood flowing to your muscles and raising your body temperature. This can be after a workout or simply after one or two minutes of some simple calisthenics like jumping jacks, or running in place. A brief ride on a stationery bike will also warm your muscles. A warmed up muscle is much more likely to behave elastically when stretched and less likely to be injured or strained. Your muscles and tendons are much like taffy. When taffy is cold it is quite brittle and can be broken into many pieces. Once warmed, it is gooey and elastic. I would suggest a brief warm up followed by a good period of stretching.

Stretching should be static which means no bouncy or ballistic movements. Hold the stretch for 10 to 30 seconds and relax, breathe slowly and deeply during the stretch and try going a little further each time. You should feel a slight pull in the muscle but no pain or sudden stretch. Everyone is a little different and some need stretching in some areas more than others. Most of us develop tightness especially in 4 areas: front of the shoulders; lower back; hamstrings; and calf.

Try to improve with each stretch but never compare yourself to others. Some of us are built very loose and others are wound quite tight. Not everybody is a gumby. Yoga is a wonderful activity that improves your flexibility, lowers stress and balances out most other workouts.

Some individuals, especially after a muscle injury or strain, require special techniques to improve their stretching such as proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF). PNF techniques utilize a contract-relax principle. After contracting or tightening a muscle and holding it for 10 seconds, the muscle can be tricked into a better stretch immediately following the contraction.

Partner stretching is also very effective and is done with the assistance of a friend, teammate, or trainer. Improving flexibility reduces injury rates and improves posture so it is certainly worth the little extra time.