You Should Stretch Before You Exercise -- True or False?

My old track coach has some explaining to do!

According to the Washington Post's "The Moving Crew" column this week, almost everything you learned about stretching in PE class is wrong. For instance:

True or False: It's important to begin every workout with a gentle, thorough stretching session.

Ha! Fooled you already. That's false. Don't stretch a cold body. Warm up first with five to 10 minutes of brisk walking, light calisthenics, even marching in place -- anything that increases your heart rate, raises your core body temperature and lubes your joints. People who stretch when cold often become what is known in the fitness world as "regular patients of an orthopedist."

... A good, careful stretching session before an activity reduces your chance of injury.

False. Boy, you're not very good at this. Exercise physiologists have tried many times to prove that stretching before an activity reduces injury. They have failed. There is some evidence -- some -- that regular stretching helps you recover from an injury.

There's more -- hop to the link. They recommend Bob Anderson's "Stretching" ... if you can handle the truth.