Stretching after cycling...

[sergio]

... how much time you spend on it?

The first two months I didn't stretch at all. Now I spend like 10 min after 2-hour rides (sometimes more, but it's my average time on the bike). I'm not sure if I'm paying enough attention to stretching... Any suggestions/advices on the matter?

[skoptic]

not enough! I know I need to stretch more and I'm trying

I get bored, so I need a 20 min TV program recorded (usually South Park) which I watch and stretch during... no stopping till the credits roll

[fredrikw]

Some cyclists stretch a lot, some doesn't stretch at all. I'm one of the latter part, stopped stretching when I realized it didn't make any difference at all for me. Sometime I do an occasional stretch if my muscles are toasted, but that's more because it feels good than for any other reason.

Talked to a pysiotherapist about this, and she said that stretching is rarely a bad idea, but if you don't have trouble with short muscles it's often rather a waste of time.

[VegChick]

I rarely stretch after cycling. I do after my runs though. I do a few lunges at most, but I don't feel like it makes much of a difference for me.

[the crazyest vegan]

Not very often, stretching usually feels counter productive so instead i'll do a load of push up, sit ups, squats, jump squats, anything really as long as it feels gooooood.

[sergio]

ok, non-stretchers win! it looks it's not a crucial matter for most of you, and you're far more experienced than me, for sure. However I will try to keep doing it, as long as I have time/patience.

@skoptic: I do something similar but listening music instead of watching South Park. 20 min, it sounds like a eternity!

[Simon E]

sergio, it's whatever works for each.

I had to start stretching when I realised my hamstrings, already a little tight, were getting worse. I was riding to work, sitting at the desk, riding home and sitting down again, and it was getting worse.

Stretching after cycling won't necessarily prevent muscle soreness (linky) but it can help prevent the tightness that leads to discomfort, knee pain or even lower back issues. It is also recommended for general flexibility, and as pedalling uses relatively few muscles in a small range of movement I feel I benefit from trying to retain some suppleness. Lots of suggestions online, including these:

I have a 1-page PDF with several stretches recommended by bikefit guru Andy Pruitt, pm me if you want a copy.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/08/ ... ing_136713

These are specifically for tight hamstrings:
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cyber ... etches.php

This video discusses stretching for your IT band:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlYM3KWwrGY

A general stretching guide PDF by a local sports therapist (I trust him, he knows his onions) can be downloaded from this page: http://www.restoresportsmassage.co.uk/res2.htm

[skoptic]

ok, non-stretchers win! it looks it's not a crucial matter for most of you, and you're far more experienced than me, for sure. However I will try to keep doing it, as long as I have time/patience.

@skoptic: I do something similar but listening music instead of watching South Park. 20 min, it sounds like a eternity!

Yeah ... 20 mins feels like an eternity. Worth pointing our that its the running that gets me tight really, not the cycling... and I can get really tight, then start getting almost injured as a result. I do believe that if you're not tight / suffering you might as well spend the time doing something a LOT more fun

[sergio]

thanks a lot for the info, Simon E.