Lately I’ve had some people coming up to me saying that they had just read an article on how bad Static Stretching is, how Foam Rolling is a waste of time, and how bad putting Ice on an injury is and that in most cases we should be putting on heat instead. As Mr. Wonderful would say on the popular TV show “Shark Tank”, “Stop the Madness!!” Don’t get me wrong, I like when people come to me about these subjects and I feel honored and humbled that they would come to me and I want them to feel that they can. So I’ll tackle each subject one by one with my opinion (and you know just how much opinions are worth). However I will say that with over 35 years in the coaching, athletic injury and fitness industry, I will give and pull my feeling on the subject from the perceptive of experience.

Static Stretching is Bad & can Hurt Performance: The thing that bothers me about this statement is that yes, there is some very good research that static stretching can be harmful and hinder performance to some degree, but the problem I have is that “we want to throw the baby out with the bathwater.” We want to do away with Static stretching all together not thinking that it might have its place. This is what I mean. When I was with the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA I had two things that happened that will give substance to what I have to say on Static Stretching.

Each morning the Hornets would have practice at 10:00, and to a professional athlete this is early! We had just played a game the night before and were at practice at our training facility the very next morning. The players would be shooting for 10 to 15 minutes then I would call them up for our stretching session for 12 minutes. Dynamic stretching that is! After a couple of weeks I was getting complaints from a few players that they just weren’t warmed-up enough, and that they were just too stiff from the night before. So before I got fired and began looking for another job I changed my format.

Here’s what I did. We had two practice courts at our facility. On court one I had our stretching bands laid out all around that court, then I would call the players over and we would do 10 minutes of static stretching with the bands and THEN we would walk over to the other court and perform our dynamic stretching! Man did they love that! They felt better and were able to MOVE! All I did was add a little movement prep before our dynamic movements—and that movement prep was some light static stretching!

I also remember a player we had. This particular player had a personal trainer who would stretch him before practice and before games for 30 minutes, maybe longer! The type of stretching he was doing? Static Stretching! You see, static stretching wasn’t made to be performed for that time frame. Maybe only 30 to 60 seconds at the most. The thing with this player was that he was hurt ALL the time…I mean all the time! My dog buddy is 12 years old and you couldn’t tell (oatmeal, with whey protein on top and fish oil every morning). When he gets up from a nap or his night’s sleep he will do what? Stretch, like most all animal do..........Static Stretch! He hasn’t pulled a quad or Hamstring yet! That static stretch that animals do is only for 2-5 seconds at the most. When one static stretches for too long the elasticity goes out of the muscle. Get a brand new rubber band and stretch it for 5-10 minutes and see how it goes limp. All the energy is taken out. Your muscles react the same way. Research does point to static stretching as being more productive at the end of a workout session or after a hard practice session, but it does have its place and it’s not going to hurt ones performance if used properly.

So please don’t throw the baby out with the… well you know. Both types of stretching have their place. All the internet experts just want to add some drama to draw attention to themselves, with good intentions I’m sure. Yeah—right! “Stop The Madness!”

Oh, and by the way, go out to the warehouse each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings at 11:00. You’ll see our WH Team, Group 1 performing Dynamic Stretching and Group 2 lying down on mats performing Static Stretching—they have their choice of either. Whatever they feel is best for them.

Foam Rolling: You’ve heard me talk about the 1% rule when it comes to supplements. What I mean by that is, if supplements can only help you improve your health or athletic performance by 1% is it worth it. Of course it is! That 1% may be the difference between finishing first or second place in an event or having some type of health issue or not. The same is true with the foam roll. The foam roll is used to smooth out the muscle fascia which is a band or sheet of connective tissue fibers, primarily collagen, that forms beneath the skin to attach, stabilize, enclose, and separate muscles and other internal organs. After a workout or even before this fascia can get all bound up causing the muscle to be stiff and this can limit range of motion. Yes, the foam roll can be used too much or in some cases not needed at all, however if the foam roll can improve performance or help with an injury by 1% would you still use it. I had the pleasure of working with Michael Chadwick this summer. Michael is an All-American swimmer from the University of Missouri. He’s getting ready for the US Nationals in Austin Texas. I have him foam roll his Lats, and foam roll his Lats, and foam roll his Lats. Why? If the Lats are tight then a swimmer shouldn’t even jump in the water—they have no chance! So the foam roller is used to help massage the muscle fascia around the area of the upper back. Ask Sue Walsh, the All-American Swimmer, I worked with at the University of North Carolina in 1982-1983- if she would have loved to have had access to a device like the foam roller back then. She would have given her right arm for one, (well maybe not her right arm—she wouldn’t have been able to swim, but something just as valuable). Please, “Stop the Madness!”

And if I may, can I mention one more thing? I foamed rolled and foam rolled after I tore and had surgery on my Quadriceps Tendon January the 21st of this year. Instead of coming back and squatting in October they let me come back in July (it feels so good to squat again). If it would have helped to get me back sooner only just by 1% I still would have done it!

ICE not good after an injury: Yes, do we use Ice too much in the healing process? I know I am guilty of this. There is some very good research to indicate that ice may be detrimental in some cases. Kelly Starrett a leading Physical Therapist in the field of movement has done a very good job in bringing this to the forefront. We’ll know with more research in years to come if this holds substance.

Until then I still think it’s a good idea to ice the first 24 to 48 hours when there’s an injury. Now I’m not a Physical Therapist, I have only assisted some of the best in the country. With helping and assisting those PT’s in seeing 10 to 15 patients a day, I have seen firsthand how ice can help in reliving the stress and reducing the swelling to help retain the range of motion in a joint. Alan Tyson a leading PT and owner of Architect Sports here in Charlotte makes a great point. “When you work with 12-15 athletes a day and you see the positive results of what ice can do” Alan says, “and by seeing these positive results day in and day out you know and see the benefits that ice can have”. Besides, a lot of these researchers haven’t worked with 12 to 15 patients a day for over 20 years and haven’t seen what ice can do by taking the swelling down! Another thing, a lot of times a surgeon can’t operate until the swelling goes down on a particular injury. Go ahead and put heat on the injury and watch it swell that much more! The surgeon will be waiting that much longer.

Yes, there are times to heat and times to ice. Only time will tell which one will win out and we change our way of thinking. Plus there is still more research needed to be done. But until then I’m still an Ice guy!

One more item of interest (a funny story-but true) pertaining to ice. In 1978 when I got my first teaching and coaching job, I also received my athletic training certification. I coached football and track but also took care of all injuries and let me tell you, “I iced everything that moved.” If it was hurt I iced it and believe me we had some pretty good “back to playing time” stats after a jury…mainly because I threatened them if them didn’t get back to practice! I iced so much the athletes called me “Dr. Freeze!” “STOP THE MADNESS, PLEASE!”

I hope that answers some of your questions…….or raised even more!!

Chip Sigmon CSCS*D, USAW, CFMT, RSCC*E
Wellness & Fitness Coordinator
Europa Sports Products