Stretching Prevents Injury and Other Exercise Misconceptions
My high school athletics coach told me to stretch before training to prevent injury. You’ve probably heard the same and different fitness advice: “Be sure to change your sneakers every six months”; “No pain no gain”; “You release toxins in sweat.” But is there any truth in them? Eh, it’s tight.
This video from Mental Floss collects ten frequently repeated fitness statements and concisely dispels the fog around them. If you’ve been reading us for a while, you may already be familiar with some of them.
For example, stretching alone does not prevent injury. In fact, static pre-workout stretching can hinder performance, so you probably want to skip it if you’re going to lift heavy weights or do powerful sprints. On the other hand, a good warm-up can definitely lower your chances of a muscle strain or the like. And in the long run, stretching can make us stronger . This is the key difference.
The video also dispels the idea that you can’t hurt your knee on the treadmill (you can), do you really need to change your sneakers every six months (no), do you need to sweat to get a good workout (you can get a great workout. without leaving a puddle of physiological fluids) and much more.
After watching the video, check out our articles to learn more about detoxification and cleansing , why sweating isn’t a good indicator of a good workout , and many other persistent exercise myths .
Misconceptions About Exercise | Mental thread