Thoughts on Stretching

As a dancer, stretching has always been an important part of my daily routine.  However, I admit that I sometimes find it difficult to spend (what I consider to be) an adequate amount of time working on my flexibility.  Thankfully I work along side Rob Daly (pictured above in a hip flexor stretch), who probably spends more time stretching than anyone I know.  He is a “stretchaholic”.  Rob has been a positive influence on my stretching habits, but I still have room for improvement.

At the gym, I generally do a few gentle stretches on the major muscle groups in my legs before I do my cardio workout.   When I’m finished, I spend a longer period of time going into deeper stretches while my body is still warm.  If I’m lifting weights, I typically stretch the muscles I’m working, in between sets.  When warming up for a dance class, rehearsal, or performance I probably spend 30-60 minutes stretching and rolling around on the floor, before I feel anywhere close to ready to dance “full out”.  For me, different activities require different and specific stretching habits.

This article in The New York Times has some interesting current information about stretching.  Click on the link below to read the article.

To Stretch or not to Stretch?