Yoga and/or stretching

[Guest guest]

Has anyone found a good way to incorporate yoga into their workout?

I've been thinking of doing some yoga stretches either at night

before i go to bed to loosen up from the day or as a post-workout

stretch.

Now, i've read that in the BFL program, you don't have to worry much

about stretching before or after for some reason because it turns

out to be a full conditioning of the muscle. From other things that

i've read, its good to stretch out the stressed muscle because it

helps so that it won't be as sore and helps in the recovery

process. has anyone else heard anything similar or have other

insights?

[Guest guest]

I can't identify where I read this recently, but I know that I came

across a reference to some research that discounts the need to

stretch before most (note the word most, not all) physical

activities. I know that gymnasts and a few others were identified

as exceptions. What was found through the study was that no

discernible increase in performance could be documented nor could

any lowered incidence of injury be determined with stretching as

opposed to not stretching.

What the study DID identify, though, was the benefit of 'warming up'

before activity. It is important for blood flow to be actively 'in-

gear' before strenuous activity if one wants peak performance and

lowered incidence of injury. I think Bill must have been

aware of this when he wrote BFL.

NOTE: the authors did NOT recommed people stop stretching, just

that the supposed benefits could not be proven scientifically.

So maybe we don't HAVE to stretch.

Bruce