On the Run Blog: The home stretch

WTOP's Paula Wolfson and fitness expert Craig Ramsay practice the sumo squat, the base for a lot of hip and back stretches, at Epic Yoga in Dupont Circle. (Courtesy of Troy Petenbrink)
The unilateral seated forward bend targets the hamstrings. (Courtesy of Troy Petenbrink)
This stretch is the seated butterfly. You have to sit up tall. It is great for the hips and lower back. (Courtesy of Troy Petenbrink)
This is the wide-legged forward bend. It stretches the lower back, gluts and muscles along the back of the legs. (Courtesy of Troy Petenbrink)
This is the unilateral knee to chest stretch.(Courtesy of Troy Petenbrink)
The IT band, which runs along the outside of the leg, is a notorious trouble spot for runners. Craig Ramsay says this stretch really helps post-run, and he is right. (Courtesy of Troy Petenbrink)
This is a stretch for the triceps muscle on the back of the upper arm. (Courtesy of Troy Petenbrink)
This is the wrist flexor for - you guessed it - wrists, hands and forearms. (Courtesy of Troy Petenbrink)
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Editor’s Note: To mark a milestone birthday, WTOP’s Paula Wolfson has signed up to run the Marine Corps Marathon. She will be sharing her journey along the way in a series of blog posts.

Paula Wolfson, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – One of the benefits of being a health reporter on the run – literally – is you can seek out expert advice.

And that is why I ended up sitting on the floor at Epic Yoga in D.C. with my new stretching guru Craig Ramsay.

Now, Ramsay is more than your average fitness guy. He is also a trained contortionist and a former Broadway dancer (think “Lion King”), and he is on a mission to get everyone to stretch more – and to do it right.

Stretching got kind of a bad rap in recent years, and that is because a lot of us were doing it wrong.

Think about it: How many times have you seen someone stretching at the start of a workout or before going for a long walk or run?

“You don’t want to do it on a cold muscle,” Ramsay says. “You want to be smart about your stretching.”

That means stretching is best done AFTER you workout, or at the very least, after your warm-up.

“Let’s warm up the body before we stretch, let’s get the heart rate going … let’s elevate the body temperature,” Ramsay stresses.

And oh, it can feel so good – especially after a long run (my preference) or weight session at the gym. No equipment involved – just your own body.

And there are pointers available everywhere. Ramsay has a book called craigramsayfitness.com) with free advice.

Of course, if you can manage to get a one-on-one with the man himself, so much the better. And what I found is proper stretching can help with flexibility and recovery – cutting the soreness after a tough bout of exercise. It can also, if you are a 5-foot-2 runner, lengthen your stride. And that is a very big deal indeed!

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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