Do you stretch before a ride?

bennett_346

I'm trying to get some others viewpoints on this. I've never stretched or warmed up before a riding day before and although we always get told to i don't think i've ever suffered because of it, and i've not been injured or strained a muscle because of it. I'm not for or against stretching, as of now i'm neutral really as i've heard both positive and negative views on it. In fact thinking back i have stretched once before a ride and i don't know if it did me any good or not.

The question is, is there more to it than this? If i stretched would it make me more able to tackle climbs and quick bursts standing up etc? I ask this now because i am soon to be entering a series of eight 1hr long races this year and want to know i'm getting the most out of myself that i can.

arthur_scrimshaw

I had it drummed into me by a trainer (the sentient kind, not the shoe type) not to stretch before but always after a ride. I do this when I remember, post ride that is!

bennett_346

See i've heard that before too. In my old cross country running club we always stretched before running but that could be wrong.

Thanks for you viewpoint.

cooldad

Nope, and I used to run a lot - daily and compete, plus a couple of hours in the gym, and I never bothered.
I used to stretch after a long run, no idea if it helped, but it made me look athletic and awesome on the side of the road.

oxocube1

I never usually stretch before a ride, as I take the climb as a warm-up. But i will usually stretch a little at the top of the climb just before the descent, as usually my quads/calves/hamstrings are a little tight. I tend to get a bit of a problem with my knees if I strain on them too much during rides (i'm only 22!!) but I also do skiing in the winter so there is probably a related problem there. I'm quite a lazy gearer and instead of gearing down, I will just stand up and put the power down which is usually the reason for needing a stretch after a climb.

I would suggest stretching down after riding though. I tend to do that as if I don't, I'm usually pretty tight the next day or get a case of the DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) 2 days day after.

bennett_346

Seems like the post-workout stretch is the favoured one. I'll give this a go next ride.

Oh and oxocube, i'm only 20 and i'm sure skiing has ruined my knees!

batmo

I do stretch before a ride sometimes, but I'm focusing on my back and shoulders rather than my legs.

mcnultycop

I always just have a five minute spin to get the blood pumping before starting my rides in earnest. I always stretch post ride, mainly because I do a lot of weights and I know if I don't stretch it'll be detrimental to my performance in the gym. It was drilled into me by the guy who taught me "beginners powerlifting" of the importance of stretching.

I like a nice foam roller session too, a cracking investment and really helps with flexibility.

carthorse73

Not sure if stretching before riding is helpful, but I wish I'd stretched afterwards more when I was younger. Years of being glued to a road bike have left be with mega tight hamstrings and a buggered neck :?

angry_bird

I stretch my arms and shoulders a bit but only because have problems with them, other than that if I'm on the bike I don't ever really bother stretching my legs pre-ride but I take the first few minutes gently to get the legs going. If I've been on the bike for any great distance or out for more than a few hours I tend to stretch everything off afterwards though.

When it comes to playing hockey, and tennis for that matter, I wouldn't dream of playing a match without a proper warm up and at stretching though. When I've not bothered in the past I tend to notice. A decent warm up and stretch seems to make the difference when it comes to the last 10 minutes of a hockey match and whether or not I can carry on playing as I have through the whole match or whether I'm struggling on just doing my best to avoid cramping :? Then obviously stretching off afterwards too.

mcnultycop

Carthorse73 wrote:

Not sure if stretching before riding is helpful, but I wish I'd stretched afterwards more when I was younger. Years of being glued to a road bike have left be with mega tight hamstrings and a buggered neck :?

I got told even if you aren't going to stretch properly post workout, at least always stretch your hamstrings.

jairaj

I don't stretch before cycling but do before I run. I have stiff ankles and they can twinge if I start running when they are "cold". I think cycling puts less stress though your body so I don't notice it as much.

I do stretch after a long or hard ride though. Helps stop the muscles and tendons getting tight afterwards and helps with my recovery for the next day.

paulneenan76

Stretch my back and neck pre-ride, but just to get the creaks and cracks out. Don't do any leg stretches as I warm up on the bike. I have found that if I hit technical/hard going stuff early in the ride, I find it harder.

Post ride, tend to stretch out a bit but largely when cleaning bike. I also walk dog after most weekend rides which is a warm down of sorts.

carthorse73

mcnultycop wrote:

Carthorse73 wrote:

Not sure if stretching before riding is helpful, but I wish I'd stretched afterwards more when I was younger. Years of being glued to a road bike have left be with mega tight hamstrings and a buggered neck :?

I got told even if you aren't going to stretch properly post workout, at least always stretch your hamstrings.

When I started rehab a few years back for my neck the physio asked me to touch my toes as part of my flexibility assessment - after watching me touch my knees for a few seconds she asked if I'd heard her correctly. I was forced to admit I was already bent over as far as i could go. Apparently I had the tightessed hamstrings she'd seen for ages, still impressing women with any physical attribute is a plus these days ....... :roll:

kammybear

I read last week the stretching before excerise is thought to increase risk of injury and reduce performance by 5%....!

TheNorthernTrain

I always stretch before and after playing lacrosse/football etc. notice a massive difference, the constant change if directions and quick sprints to stop to sprint again always takes its toll if I don't.

When it comes to cycling however, I generally don't, I will often stretch my hamstrings and calfs after half an hour or so as I tend to get really bad cramp. One thing I follow religiously when stretching is never to do it cold, always do it after some form of warm up.

Post ride, I always spend a minute or 2 just easing down the gears until I'm just spinning in the lowest for a minute or so round the car park, never bother with a stretch though.

Lagrange

Very interesting thread. I don't stretch at all but I do start slowly when I go - sort of a warm up - because I did injure myself once by going straight into full speed - tore a muscle. Used to do a lot of running and warming up was done but nothing at the end. Someone did tell me then that cycling does not need long hamstrings and running does and so if you cycle a lot then you may not encourage your strings to be long enough to do running without risking an injury. Sorry if that sounds elliptical trying to be careful what I sauy and avoid dumb remarks such as cycling shortens your strings.

Onades

By now there is a quite a general consensus that stretching before exercising is not beneficial. A warming up however is essential, especially when you're (getting) older. You can do this by starting slow on the bike, but it would be better still to have some routine off the bike to get all the muscles loosened up. Spend five to ten minutes and make sure you use every muscle group during warming up. The Yoga exercise "sun salutation" is something you could try. It will get your heart ready and will improve your performance on the bike.

After your session stretching is very important, and again more so if you're getting older.
The above is off course quite relative depending on the exertion you plan to put yourself through.

danlikesbikes

No never before but afterwards yes, have a foam roller which is much better than static stretching and seems to sort out and issues including tight hamstrings.

WindyG

No stretching, just crack off a good fart and get on and ride.

Thewaylander

From a lot of martial arts teh one thing i was taught was to never stretch a cold muscle, you should always warm up first to stretch.

it's defiantely a good idea afterwards as flexability helps prevent muscle pulls and so on (though i hardly ever bother these days) and start off slow and steady warm the muscles and a bit of a stretch doesn't really hurt either.

97th choice

When I use a spin class they recommend warming up on the bike before really going for it, and stretching afterwards.

concorde

Just have a big fart then ride. I stretch my hams after it as cyclists always get tight hams as they're quad dominant.