Stretch

At CFSR, class always begins with a general warm up – like a run or row – which is to get your blood flowing to your muscles and literally get you warmer. Following the general warm up is dynamic stretching. The dynamic stretches we prescribe are based on what the exercises are in that day’s WOD. We want you to move through a range of motion and hopefully increase that range through the stretching exercise, preparing your muscles and joints for the workout ahead.

We discourage static stretching before a workout. Why? Here’s a quick piece written for the general public that explains. Static stretching actually decreases the strength of a muscle in the immediate period after stretching. As the article notes:

Researchers now believe that some of the more entrenched elements of many athletes’ warm-up regimens are not only a waste of time but actually bad for you. The old presumption that holding a stretch for 20 to 30 seconds — known as static stretching — primes muscles for a workout is dead wrong. It actually weakens them. In a recent study conducted at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, athletes generated less force from their leg muscles after static stretching than they did after not stretching at all. Other studies have found that this stretching decreases muscle strength by as much as 30 percent. – Stretching: The Truth, NY Times Magazine

Static stretching is, however, appropriate after a workout. With a good cool down and stretching period post-WOD, you’ll have less soreness and be more limber when you walk in for class the next day.