I think we're arguing the same point. A lion (or any preditor,
for that matter) stretches for JUST A MOMENT -- no more.
Humans, on the other hand, stretch for no reason at all, and
use all manner of apparatus (rubber tubes, incline boards, hand
towels, etc.) to do so. And the stretching itself OFTEN causes
injury, or, at least aggravates and slows recovery. I DID NOT
READ THAT IN A BOOK. I don't even have a "Jim Beams Running Formula"
book, however, I've seen it happen HUNDREDS of times.
malmo
>
>From: "malmo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
>>
>> Stop the damn stretching!!! Ever see a lion stretch before
it
>> kills something?
>>
>> malmo
>
>As someone who grew up in Africa, spent a lot of time around
animals, and
>has a lot of pets, here's a salient bit of data: mammals stretch
a lot.
>Lions may not stretch directly before a kill (that would be
>counterproductive to the main aim: kill the critter before it
sees you or
>escapes), but they stretch a lot in general. Watch a bunch of
adult lions
>resting: they lie down, doze, get up, stretch a little, walk
around a
>little, lie down again, doze again, ad nauseum.
>
>It takes a little looking out for, but once you notice it you
start seeing
>it everywhere and it becomes amazing how many different animal
species do
>this. My rabbits stretch, usually after a period of inactivity:
they yawn,
>stretching first the front legs, and then the back legs (quite
a funny
>sight, actually, as they drag themselves a few steps forwards
with stretched
>hind legs). My dogs stretch in much the same way too: front
legs first,
>chest to the ground and ass high in the air, and then the hind
legs, with
>short scrapes backwards. My cats do it different: they tend
to stretch their
>legs and arch their backs at the same time (clawing away furiously,
too, as
>I know from painful experience). Even the free range chicken
we used to own
>did similar things: they didn't stretch, but after periods of
sitting around
>they would get up, flap their wings a bit, strut around a bit,
peck a bit,
>and go back to sitting down. Keeping the motor oiled and humming,
as it
>were.
>
>In case you think that animals aren't neccessarily flexible,
let me inform
>you that all of the said pets (except the chickens) are perfectly
able to
>lick their own butt-holes (which they do regularly, and with
obvious
>pleasure); few humans can claim the same. Which is a pity, because
if the
>reaction of my dog is anything to go by, it must be a fun thing.
>
>Now I don't know if by analogy the way most athletes stretch
is neccessarily
>beneficial. The animals I observe rarely stretch for more than
a few seconds
>at a time, and they do that by preference during sedentary pauses,
not
>during activity. The credo seems to be "fairly often, and briefly".
In
>contrast athletes stretch just prior to, and after, intense
physical
>activity, for relatively prolonged periods. Also, athletes tend
to stretch
>isolated muscles one at a time while animals do whole-body stretches.
Then
>again, athletes train; most animals don't.
>
>Disclaimer: I am not an avid stretcher, a fact which leaves
me feeling
>guilty now and then.
>
>Elliott Oti
>
>
>
