Stretch No More
When I lived in Ireland, the gym I worked out at had this wonderful stretching machine. It looked kind of liked a bicycle, and was extremely effective at extending my back and shoulder muscles that were gimped from computer use.
My father always emphasized stretching before exercise. In Ireland, I was in the minority–most of the gym users just headed straight to the weights and exercise equipment. I used to look with disdain upon my fellow gym users, but they may have been on to something:
But the study, published in New Scientist magazine. in which some recruits stretched leg muscles before exercise while others did not, found there was no difference in injury rates. Army physiotherapist Rod Pope, who led the study, told the BBC’s Today programme: “If people are stretching to prevent injury, it is a waste of time, because it does not prevent injury.”
I think I’ll keep stretching until somebody other than the Australian army recommends against it.
Chan 
