Some Vids.

[Mr Punch]

Where did anyone ever say static stretches weren't good for you?!

All types of stretching have their place imo.

I'll find some lit later - I'm at work now.

But, I didn't say it was outright bad... just bad as a sole warm-up or before any other kind of warm-up. I also said they have their place. Your warm-up should do just that - warm you up. If you go straight into static stretches cold, you'll increase the chance of injury.

Also it depends on what you're going to do: if you're doing heavy weights, you shouldn't static stretch before you train at all. Slowly going through the range of movement you're going to use is fine, but holding stretches at beyond that for 30 secs or so is not good.

If you're doing MA/cardio/HIIT, you should warm-up with dynamic stretches up to the range of movement you're going to use (and a little beyond doesn't hurt as long as you build up to it) and then, if you think it's necessary, as your muscles are already warmed-up, static stretches from there. Personally, though, I only really use them after this kind of workout, or as I said, as a separate session like yoga.

[sanjuro_ronin]

One of the many studies out there (google mofu) was done th ethe military and it showed that static stretches done as part of the warm up did NOT help increase the range of motion and even hampered the ability to produce strength.
Warm ups are just that, exercises that warm up the core body temperature.

Statics are best done as part of your cool down or a separate session like Mr Punch mentions after you warm up though.

Its pretty much "common knowledge" nowadays that warm ups should be moderate paced aerobic activities like calesthietics and dynamic stretches that start with limited range of motion and work their way to full range.

[SaintSage]

Its pretty much "common knowledge" nowadays that warm ups should be moderate paced aerobic activities like calesthietics and dynamic stretches that start with limited range of motion and work their way to full range.

Back in the old days we would start with running around the mat, followed by static stretches, dynamic streches, and then martial work. Perhaps an outdated method of excerise?

[sanjuro_ronin]

Back in the old days we would start with running around the mat, followed by static stretches, dynamic streches, and then martial work. Perhaps an outdated method of excerise?

In regards to the static stretches, pretty much, heck in the old days I don't recall doing a cool down in class, except for some jogging or crap like that.