Stretching after walking

[JanCam]

Advice please to many questions! I like walking but get bored at the thought of stretching to cool down afterwards. Can a warm bath be a good substitute for stretching? If the answer is no, for how long should one stretch? Is the time spent stretching proportional to time spent walking? Are there walkers who never stretch after exercising? Any problems with that?   

[_daniel_]

I hardly ever stretch after walking and I have no problems. I don't think it is necessary. It might be good. But, I don't think it is required. Running is a different story.  

[Colinm39 · Accepted solution]

---

@JanCam wrote:

Advice please to many questions! I like walking but get bored at the thought of stretching to cool down afterwards. Can a warm bath be a good substitute for stretching? If the answer is no, for how long should one stretch? Is the time spent stretching proportional to time spent walking? Are there walkers who never stretch after exercising? Any problems with that?   

---

@JanCamThere is plenty on the web, I'm 75 and have averaged my 10,000  steps/day for over 3 years and never stretched and warmed up or down before and after walking. i don't run, just walk and never had an issue. This link is one of many that say it isn't necessary for walkers.

[SunsetRunner]

At school (many) years ago, we always had to do stretching before running when having lesson in gymnastics but not when doing other activities.

When doing activities such as weight lifting, abs training, running,.. stretching before & afterwards for a few minutes would give the benefit to limit / prevent injuries.

Optional it can be done when walking alot and if not used to. A warm bath and / or massage (self massage / partner..) (after workout) will help the muscles to relax & recover.

[Gershon]

I never stretch before or after.

[lyro]

For just plain old walking I don't stretch before or after.  However, I do start out slowly and end slowly. hth

[tealily]

---

@JanCam wrote:

Can a warm bath be a good substitute for stretching?

---

HECK NO

Warm bath = causes generalised vasodilation = increased blood flow to a region (in the case of post-intense exercise, it increases the flow of blood-borne inflammatory factors to injured regions... which causes pain and can increase swelling to an area... yup, not a nice thing to do to yourself). If you have low blood pressure to begin with and sit in a warm bath for a long time, you're going to increase the amount of blood hanging around your legs (literally) which means you're going to be stupidly dizzy if you stand up too quickly (hydrostatic hypotension).

Stretching = the physical elongation of material. Now heat can sometimes make muscles more pliable, but it's not going to physically stretch material.

Point being that warm bath = / = stretching 😄

Q) For how long should one stretch?
A) As long (or short) as you need to. I rarely stretch before or after a walk unless I've got a particularly tight muscle before I start... or I've been walking really fast/for hours and I need to reduce some of the tension.

The general rule I was taught at uni was "only stretch what you need". This is both person-specific and sport-specific, ie a runner really doesn't need super-flexy hamstrings but a walker with really tight iliopsoas muscles (aka hip flexors) should probably stretch every day to avoid anterior pelvic tilt issues, which would change their natural gait pattern.

Q) Is the time spent stretching proportional to time spent walking?
A) No (+ see above)

Q) Are there walkers who never stretch after exercising?

A) Yup! 😄

Q) Any problems with that?

A) Depends on the person and the pace. For normal walking on a reasonably flat surface, you should be sweet. For power walking up and down hills, your calves are probably hating you and you should probably do something about that.

Hope that helps! ❤️

[lyro]

Very informative tealily!  

[Jadent]

Stretching is essential, dymanic for pre-work out and static for post workout! So many people skip because it's a bore, take care of your body, you only have one!

As for walking, at a slow pace stretching isnt really needed, but there no harm if you do stretch also you do get a lot of benefits.

As for a brisk walk maybe do a bit of dynamic stretching to loosen up the muscles!

Enjoy!

[HelenaFitbit]

Great post @tealily lots of information posted!

Personally I prefer stretching since it gives me energy to get started on the workout; stretching at the end prevents sore muscles and relaxes me to move on to something else. Same way you'd open and close an activity log 

[okiereed]

Wait until you near 60 years old.  You will find you should have been stretching forever.  Stretching is not only good for you muscles, it's also good for your circulatory system.  My cardiologist told me that stretching muscles also stretches veins and keeps them limber.  I now stretch as much as I can.

[Maxit]

I never stretch before walking - cold muscle + stretch = ouch.  I do static stretches after a longer treadmill walk - it just feels good to me & I find that I have less stiffness.  However, I don't stretch after walking a similar period of time outside and I don't miss it.  I guess whatever feels the best for you.

[Rosmilla]

So true; sometimes it's difficult to get out of bed when I have had a long run and not stretched much. It's not easy to stretch when you are really hot and sweaty but it must be done. I'm almost 64.

[DominicJ]

The "science" behind stretching before or after excericse is sketchy at best, I dont unless I'm in a class and its enforced

[Rosmilla]

stretching to maintain flexibility is most important when you are doing hard exercise. Just walking around will not require a lot of stretching. 

[PhilipHall]

Stretching after a walk gives heaps of benefits. You should stretch. I am over 50 yo and find that ageing is a stiffening process. Large stiff leg muscles can pull your whole body around. As an ex Taekwondo Black Belt Instructer I am rediscovering the reasons why we stretched all the students at the start and finish. Try this after your walk. I do my stretching in the pool because cool water helps recovery. Hold a calves and thigh stretch for at lest 30 seconds each leg. Plus add any other upper body stretches you feel like.
Simple stretching on the big leg muscles twice a day will take away all your aches and pains and free your body up to move better. Speedy Gonzales.