Coach Romanov, the founder of the POSE System, posted this useful article about stretching and flexibility. It may change the way you train in ways other than just running.

4 REASONS TO NEVER STRETCH AGAIN

1. STRETCHING DOESN’T DO WHAT IS CLAIMED The general claim is that stretching will help you warm up and relax your muscles, and it’s good for you. It is actually believed that it is important to stretch before training or racing. Sorry to disappoint you but stretching does not do any of those things. To warm up before training, you need to actually do a “warm up” routine. Instead of relaxing muscles, stretching actually tenses them and can tear the muscles, so if you feel sore and tense after your stretching routines, now you know why.
2. STRETCHING CAN TEAR MUSCLES As mentioned above, stretching can tear muscles. Stretching is a very damaging, violent and forceful action upon your muscles whether you’re doing it fast or slow. As part of a human body, muscles have only 2 functions - to contract and to relax. When you start stretching your muscles, which goes against their natural state of being or working, they react by contracting which puts an unexpected and unnecessary stress on the tissue and can tear it.
3. STRETCHING IS NOT FLEXIBILITY Majority of people do not know the difference between the two, and many consider both one and the same, but it is a guarantee that everyone is after being flexible not stretchable. Dictionary.com provides very good meanings for both words:
   • Stretching-To lengthen, widen, or distend-To extend or enlarge beyond the usual or proper limits-To wrench or strain (a muscle, for example)-To subject to undue strain
   • Flexibility-the property of being flexible; easily bent

   Read more on this subject here FLEXIBILITY vs STRETCHING

4. STRETCHING HAS VERY LIMITED PURPOSE AND EFFECT While stretching does have a purpose, it is a very limited one and has nothing to do with sports. Stretching can be used for rehabilitation purpose and can be relatively useful, but there are other and better ways of rehabilitating.

So next time out training, start with a good warm up routine appropriate for your sport instead of mindlessly stretching yourself to injuries.

Scott at straighttothebar and  Ripped Corner both featured a neat tool to find out your maximum weights lifted by use of an Excel spreadsheet. This has been a handy thing to have and I keep a copy on Google documents and use it often. Last night, I plugged in the numbers to tell me what my 3RM would be for the deadlift, based on my 1RM and 5RM numbers and the number it gave me was exactly what I lifted during a 5 x 3 session. (It was a PR)! I doubt if I could have lifted another pound more! Go ahead and download the file and try it out for yourself. rep-max-calculator.xls