Originally Posted by
JoeKahno
I seriously need to work on my range of motion. Not just to improve my enjoyment of normal activities, if you take a hit, having good range of motion can make the difference between a bruise and a break. I've reached an age where I have to use it or lose it and that goes double for range. However, for me at least it's a completely separate issue from riding. I don't leap on the bike and go flat out with zero warm up but I don't do any stretching either, preferring to go easy until I feel things start to loosen up.
Exactly! People confuse joint flexibility and range of motion. Stretching really doesn't do anything for range of motion, there's no substitute for actually using the joints.
I'm blessed by needing very little warm up, walking from the car to the gym is usually enough for me, and most of my rides involve a little bit of high-traffic stop and go riding at the beginning.
I think that a lot of this is people think they need some kind of ritual to make it clear they're serious about working out. Not that there's anything wrong with that.