by: Madeleine Marret, Contributing Writer

Traditional stretches may be a thing of the past. Shane Thread, Signature School athletics coach and world-ranked amateur duathlete from Evansville, Ind., shared his warm-up routine, which does not include stretching.

“Some studies indicate stretching is a common cause of injury,” Thread said. Although stretching does increase flexibility, it does not help runners or cyclers involved with endurance-based sports.

According to Thread, his successful technique has kept him uninjured from sports-related injuries since the 1980s.

“The athletes I’ve coached have not suffered from training-related injuries during my supervision,” he said. Following a simple warm-up routine can help you have an efficient workout, stay in shape and keep your body injury free.

1) Begin slowly

Start your workout by moving your body slowly. Begin by jogging, cycling or kicking at low speed and with a limited range of motion for 7-15 minutes to ease your muscles into the workout, Thread said. This will allow your muscles time to get warm without the risk of injury.

2) Work in short bursts

Next, increase the speed and range of motion of the activity.  “Repeat these movements 8-20 times to insure the firing of all types of muscle fibers in the body part that will be used during the sport,” Thread said.

3) Prevent tight muscles

Thread asks athletes to rub their limbs immediately after exercise and then again a few hours later to help minimize the tightening that occurs when muscles are worked. This tightening is created by scar tissue that develops during the recovery period.

4) Find what’s right for you

If muscles are tight to begin with, take time to slowly loosen them up in the first step of your warm-up. Similarly, if you plan a big work out, don’t train too hard or wear yourself out during the first few minutes.