Dan John's View on Stretching

I just finished listening to Crossfit Live #7. Excellent show, lot's of interesting stuff.

One interesting thing was that Dan John seems to be against stretching. Stretching causes injuries was his claim. What do you think? Are you stretching?

I'm stretching every now and then, but I'm also getting injured every now and then. I've always thought that it is because I'm not stretching enough..

Had to add that he speaks about Pavel's stretching videos, but that is only positive comment about stretching :-)

[Dave Campbell]

I was checking out his website last night. He says to work on the olympic lifts and the supplementals (OH squat, etc.). According to him, if you do that, you'll be "stretched" plenty. I don't stretch at all, yet my flexibility is quite good due to thrusters, hang squat cleans, body weight squats, etc.

[Chris Forbis]

Outside of the pike stretch and the samson stretch, I have found Crossfit (especially the OHS) to do a great job on my flexibility.

[Bert Brams]

Who knows ...
Personally, I only stretch when I have severe tightness and/or when I'm recovering from an injury.
Otherwise I start each workout with some overhead broomstick squats, and perhaps a few dips and chins ... problem with typical stretching is that it doesn't "activate" the muscle while stretching it, which can actually cause injury later on in the workout.
That said, I'm totally for post-workout stretching.

[Gregory Spilson]

Don't want to speak for anyone, but I think Coach John was referring to the idea of "stretching just to stretch". Certain stretches will make you more flexible/stronger in certain positions, but if they don't assist your fitness goals, why waste your time? If he espouses Pavel's stretching philosophy, it makes sense. He advises to have only a slightly greater ROM than your sport requires to help avoid injury.

[Troy Archie]

I’ve had two experiences with this topic:

For the longest time I was having problems with my right knee while running and even while walking after certain lifts/exercises so I went to a physiotherapist. She attributed the problem with a lack of flexibility in my hip, showed me a couple of easy stretches, which I did quite lightheartedly but found to do the trick.

On the other end of the spectrum I’ve always had problems with my right shoulder dating back to my bodybuilding-isolation routine **** days. Some days it bothers me and other days it’s fine. With my shoulder I decided to take my past experience with my knee and stretching into practice and see what happens. It doesn’t give me any problems while working out but is a bit painful and restrictive while stretching and everyday after I stretch my shoulder does not feel 100% and it’s been a while since it has felt 100%.

Starting last week my left leg was feeling a bit wonky too so starting this week I’ve decided to drop the stretching completely and see what happens. So far things have felt better, my left leg is 100% and right shoulder is feeling good. Tonight is the big test though when I do both the power snatch/OHS WOD and then the run 5k WOD. I always found OHS to aggravate my shoulder and snatches to bother my knee, couple that with a run and it’ll be interesting to see what happens.

Dan and I always have this conversation. When he met Pavel last year, they both worked on something for his hip. Throwers always have hip problems on the hip you power off.

Anyways, it seemed to help. So I ended getting Pavel's "Relax into Stretch" for my birhday last January. I did a lot of the exercises to help get the OHS down.

Once I got good with the OHS, I stopped doing most stretching. We both kind of think most stretching ends up causing more aches and pains than it is worth.

For Troy, do you know what "halos" are? You hold a 10#-25# weight in front of your eyes and then circle it around your head in a halo motion. Dan turned me on to this and it cured my messed up left shoulder. I do sets of 10 each way. Now, is that stretching?

gary, is that directly above your head? or 'in front (of your eyes)'?
-t.

That Dan John guy...he is a fool. Don't listen to him. He is poison.


Actually, I have against the cult of stretching. I am against the jogging cult. I am against the high carb cult. Sorry. My Witch Doctor told me this would happen after he passed the Frog Brain over my Chest.

Seriously, I think that "stretching" is just way over the top. Listen, if you need to O lift, you need to get a deep bottom position. So, you had better take a few weeks to get your "ass to the grass" with a solid support.

So, now you Overhead Squat with bodyweight perfectly for ten reps. That's enough for a bodyweight plus snatch...or just about anything else you ever want to do.

The stretching zombies come over to your house and say "we will make you one of us." Now, you figure, I need to put my feet on boxes and get my butt down to three feet below parallel.



Enough. Here's the deal. Man sees love handles. Jogs. Five months later his knees hurt. Friend says stretch. Three months later man's back hurts. Friend says eat carbs.

A year later, man has big gut, no shoulders, no strength...five yoga classes a week, ten marathons, and needs to stretch out before running across the street to save his kid's life.




Not me. I take ONE warm up for Clean and Jerks at an O lifting meet, stretch by Overhead squatting, and enjoy life.

Sure, it doesn't fit many people's paradigm because...







I don't belong to the religion of high carb, lots of stretching and "jogging."



Anyway, Dan John doesn't really exist. He is one of Robb Wolf's bad chemistry experiments.