In a recent Get Fit Guy Podcast titled How to Get More Flexible (transcript available on the page), host Ben Greenfield discusses the pros and cons of stretching, overstretching, and inflexibility. There are good reasons to use static stretches and dynamic stretches. For example, it’s a good idea to increase range of motion in the joints required for a particular sport. It is not necessary, and might even be harmful, to develop hypermobility in those joints. More is not necessarily better.
The podcast also indicates there is a lot of evidence that stretching does not prevent injury. (This report reviews five studies, and the podcast mentions a review of 360 additional studies.) This is contrary to what Tony Horton stated in P90X, circa 2003. In P90X2, produced in 2011, Tony doesn’t exactly admit that times have changed, but he does “introduce” the same sort of alternatives you can read about in the Get Fit Guy podcast transcript: Limited stretching, the use of myofascial release (Tony says “Rumble Roller” a lot), and related techniques.
So, what’s a P90X fan to do? Do we abandon those 10 minute warm up and stretch sessions? Well, in an earlier related podcast titled What is the Best Way to Warm Up? Ben Greenfield suggests many of the activities we see in P90X2:
- Leg Swings
- Frankenstein Walk (similar to what we see in P.A.P. Upper and P.A.P. Lower)
- Bent Torso Twists
- Deep Body Weight Squats
- When doing P90X round (insert number here), I will ignore Tony’s warnings about preventing injury by stretching. Warming up is still recommended and beneficial, though.
- It is only necessary to stretch as much as you will need to perform a particular activity. For example, don’t try to wrap your arm around the front of your head during a shoulder-triceps stretch. Well, you get the idea.
- Ben Greenfield uses a 10-minute (or less) stretching routine every day to maintain his general flexibility, with the added benefits of focus and meditation. For P90X fans, a yoga session, X Stretch, or the new and, um, additional Recovery and Mobility will do the same trick. Just don’t overdo it! Even back in 2003, Tony reminded us, “It’s not a competition!”
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