HeyItsSara

I feel sort of stupid even asking this, but if you had 15 minutes to stretch after a ride, what would you do?
Asking as I take spin class on the regular, and have recently found myself with some time on my hands after class, before I have to shower and get to work. We stretch as a group, but surely there are more stretches to do besides just quads and hamstrings.

thanks all!

epnnf

I cannot recommend any particular stretch, but, it should be done before the ride, not after. Several doctors have told me so.

3alarmer 

......and some sort of chest opener, that usually consists of grabbing a railing behind me and leaning forward, while my body arches backward. Otherwise my shoulders get really tight and it makes it harder to breath openly and fully as I ride. I usually do most of my stretching at the halfway turnaround point, but if especially tight or cold, I might do a little bit going in.

spelger

neither stretch before nor after. and am miraculously still alive and bendable in all the usual places.

3alarmer 

...obviously, flexibility varies with individuals, and can change significantly over the course of a lifetime. This statement strikes me as laughing in the face of potential for chronic injury. Personally, I've found that to be not especially productive in maintaining a reasonably active lifestyle over 70 years. But if it's working for you, that's great. Saves a lot of time you can use for other things.

wolfchild

Stretching routines are useless and unnecessary. All you need to do is to live an active lifestyle and that's plenty enough to keep you flexible.

3alarmer 

...yet many professional athletes depend on them to keep competing, and dancers do them routinely. Weird.

Trakhak

I'm 70, and I've been a monoathlete all my life. Tried stretching a few times in my 20s and then stopped. My thought (aside from native indolence) was, why should I care whether I can touch my toes? I can't remember ever having had an injury that led to my thinking that stretching would help. The only person I know who stretches regularly has taught yoga for decades. He injures himself about once a year by overdoing something or other.

Yes, by all means, if you believe in stretching, do so, but carefully. Researchers have become increasingly guarded over the last decade in their recommendations concerning stretching.

pdlamb

I find that after I exceed a certain threshold, I don't usually need stretching. However, if I'm riding 175-200 miles a week or more, I'm usually on vacation and/or tour; and up to that threshold, I need the stretching.

In addition to hamstring and quad stretches, I usually want to stretch my ankles and the back of my shins. That doesn't usually prevent shin splints, though! In addition, I'll thrown in some torso twists.

Bob Anderson's "Stretching" is my go-to source.

Koyote

We can always count on you for a thoughtful, nuanced, and well-supported response.

wolfchild

Weird indeed...At 52 I find that various types of physical activities and workouts are more effective at keeping me flexible than following special stretching routines.

wolfchild

Do you stretch before and after your bike rides

Koyote

Irrelevant, since I didn't offer an opinion. You, however, as usual, offered an extremely strong opinion. And, also as usual, you provided ZERO evidence to support your opinion.

So, the relevant question is: why should anyone care about your opinions when you offer no logic nor evidence to support them?

Inusuit

If I don't stretch hamstrings, glutes, and quads after riding, I have issues with restless leg syndrome at night.

rourkefan

Shoulders, shoulders, shoulders. You'll thank me later.

wolfchild

At least I speak from my personal experience and many years of self-experimentation. I am not just blowing hot air from my rear end like some others do and quoting unreliable information cherry picked from internet.

bruce19

None. I don't really know why. I never stretched as a HS and college football and baseball player so it never became a habit. I've never felt that it mattered to me.

Koyote

Oh, well, if it's your personal experience, then we don't need any actual evidence. Forgive me for even asking you to support your claims!

tyrion

Kneed to opposite shoulder, fingers to toes, achilles/calf (against a wall), spread legs as wide as possible using chair for support.

Not religiously, but I like to get at least a couple stretching sessions a week.

PaulRivers

I like Limber 11. Might be a bit to intense for cooldown though.

WhyFi

How much do you ride and at what kind of intensity?

qwaalodge

I do two types of stretching. One I bend sideways to stretch my waist and then pull my foot up behind me up to my butt with my hands to stretch the quads before and after the ride. Only few minutes before and after each ride.

The waist and quads are my only two muscles that get sore after my rides mostly from steep climbs on a single speed.

Another very effective way to reduce or even prevent soreness after rides is spin the last 15 minutes at low resistance. >100 rpm cadence at a gear that is easy enough (but not too easy) . If you can't do this on actual rides, immediately hop on to a trainer as soon as you arrive home.

frogman

OK, you have made it clear you don't agree with stretching. I would leave it at that.

wolfchild

Majority of my rides are medium to low intensity mostly XC mtb trails and gravel rides....I was a 6 -7 days a week rider for many years but due to job changes and lifestyle changes I don't ride as much distance as before...I maintain my fitness and flexibility with high intensity kettlebell training and bodyweight training, no stretching. Even when I did weight training in the past I still never felt a need for stretching.....IME stretching won't help your body to recover faster after hard training. Stretching may actually cause injuries and slow down recovery.

wolfchild

Almost every year we have a stretching thread come up and it always turn into a war zone, I am not the only one who disagrees with stretching....I also don't have a problem with people who stretch, it's their body and they can do whatever they want with it. I just don't like when people make blanket statements and say that stretching is an absolute necessity, because my experience tells me that it's not...Going out for a walk a day after a hard training would be a lot more effective for recovery than wasting time with stretching routines.