Page 126 - Ian Oliver Boxing Fitness

UP ACTIVITY FOR BOXING WILL INVOLVE SKIPPING AND OR SHADOW BOXING !LWAYS
ENSURE YOU WEAR ENOUGH CLOTHING TO STAY WARM YOU CAN ALWAYS SHED YOUR

OUTER LAYERS WHEN YOU GET WARMED UP
4O STRETCH OR NOT TO STRETCH 4HIS HAS NOW BECOME THE QUESTION &OR

YEARS WE WERE TOLD TO WARM UP MOBILISE JOINTS AND TO HAVE A SHORT PRE
EXERCISE STRETCH 4HIS WOULD TAKE LESS THAN A MINUTE IN TOTAL STRETCHING FOR
SECONDS PER BODY PART 4HE STRETCH WAS ALWAYS PERFORMED STANDING AS

IT WAS CONSIDERED THAT LYING DOWN OR SITTING WOULD ALLOW THE BODY TO COOL
TO THE OBVIOUS DETRIMENT OF THE WARM UP

3UDDENLYˆALL CHANGE &ITNESS GURUS SEEM UNABLE TO COME TO A UNIlED
AGREEMENT ON THE SUBJECT OF STRETCHING BEFORE THE WORKOUT 2ECENT DATA

SUGGESTS THAT STRETCHING WORKS BY SUBJECTING MUSCLES TO STRESS AND THE
STRESS APPLIED TO MUSCLES AND JOINTS TENDS TO LEAVE THEM UNREADY FOR AND
EVEN VULNERABLE TO VIGOROUS EXERCISE )F YOU LIKE ME HAVE BEEN DOING A
SHORT STRETCH FOR YEARS WITH NO NOTICEABLE ILL EFFECTS MY ADVICE WOULD BE

TO CARRY ON REGARDLESS

%XPERIMENT TRY SKIPPING YOUR STRETCH AND SEE IF IT MAKES ANY DISCERNIBLE
DIFFERENCE

)N EITHER CASE ) AM SURE THERE IS NOTHING PERNICIOUS ABOUT A SECOND
GENTLE STRETCH BEFORE A MILE RUN 4HE SPORTS PHYSIOLOGY COMMUNITY
CHANGES ITS OPINION OF WHAT IS BEST AT SUCH A DAZZLING PACE ) HALF EXPECT IT

TO CHANGE AGAIN IN A SHORT TIME
/NE POINT ALL lTNESS INSTRUCTORS WILL AGREE UPON IS THAT THE OPTIMAL

TIME FOR STRETCHING IS AFTER YOUR WORKOUT WHEN THE MUSCLES ARE BLOOD
ENRICHED WARM AND THEREFORE PLIABLE )T WILL HELP TO SPEED YOUR RECOVERY
REDUCE MUSCULAR SORENESS AND BEGIN THE PROCESS OF WASTE CLEARANCE

4HE WARM DOWN

!FTER YOUR WORKOUT IT IS ESSENTIAL TO WARM DOWN 3UDDEN CESSATION OF
EXERCISE CAN BE HARMFUL TO THE HEART )T ALSO HELPS TO CLEAR LACTIC ACID AND