Jane and I

Jane Fonda

Originally uploaded by scottkmcmillan

Last weekend I went for a group run up a nearby mountain. After the run I was pretty tight so I did some light stretching. Others followed suit. All of us are pretty good runners. However, it is surprising how much more flexible I have compared to some. For this, I salute Jane Fonda.

I grew up in a really small town. When I was a teen there was a fitness kick going on. My Mom was on board as she knew the importance of exercise and healthy eating. So, we had a few Jane Fonda cassette tapes kicking around. They even came with a manual to show her what the exercises were.

Small town, hockey player, teen age boy entering manhood and Jane Fonda in Lycra. The typical “man” attitude toward working out was that it was for women in tights and leg warmers. So, I laughed at my Mom’s suggestion that I should do these exercises. She even suggested it would make me a better player. Testosterone was talking and I was not about to be caught dead listening to Jane or reading her manual. What would others think?

But again, small town, not much to do after school and it may help me play better hockey? I guess boredom over took me. I actually listened to the tape and did the exercises. A lot of it was on stretching. Sure we did some stretching in hockey practice and some in PE but nothing structured like this.

I do not know what it was about Jane but I caught on. I learned how to stretch properly and I did a lot more AND my flexibility improved. Unfortunately, it did not improve my height. Could have used 4-6 more inches for hockey’s sake.

You will hear many different takes on stretching. For me there are two big reason’s to stretch. One, to relieve tight muscles (from hard workouts) and two, to improve your base flexibility.

The first reason is obvious. If you are getting really tight and sore then it is a good idea to stretch out so you can maintain your normal range of motion during exercise. The second reason is part of being a good athlete. Flexibility in certain areas is important for swimming, biking or running. For example, for biking…you need good hamstring and back flexibility to ride in good time trial position. Those that do not have good flexibility do not have that option and lose time due to a poor position.

Here is what I recommend:
1) Do light stretching before and after every workout. Hold your stretches for 10-20s and do some dynamic movements as well (ex. deep lunge). This helps release tension.
2) Spend 15-30 minutes just stretching if you want to improve your base flexibility. Hold your stretches for 60+ seconds and really focus on relaxing each muscles as you stretch. Relax your breathing. There is not reason to stretch to the point of discomfort. Simply pull the muscle till you feel tension and then get it to relax and lengthen.

Thanks Jane,
—Scott