Home Archive Home Contact Us Last Update: November 19, 2004

[Website Editor's note: This article, which was the first O Genki Desu Ka? ran the paper newsletter Volume 1, Number 2 dated May/June 1989 with original editor being John R. Ellis. I did put one change and that is the contact information used to be through my father, I put in my email address in that place.] [Editor's note: Dr. Andre' Merrill offers a unique perspective on health issues as they relate to Judo training. Not only is he a respected Chiropractic Physician, but an excellent Judoka, having trained under some of the finest Sensei in the Western Hemisphere, including Dr. Sachi Ashida. This is the first in a running series of articles which Dr. Merrill has agreed to wrote for the Ki no Fuda. We are honored to have him as a regular contributor! The name of this column comes from a very common Japanese expression, frequently used when greeting people. Genki translates as spirits or well-being. When used as a greeting in the question "O genki desu ka?", it means "Are you well and in good spirits?" This is a most appropriate name for Dr. Merrill's column.] WELCOME TO HEALTH HINTS. This corner will try answer some of the questions you may have about any health topic affecting judo training. All you have to do is ask! I will be writing about topics of interest relating to any aspect of improving our understanding of health as it relates to judo. You can get in touch with me by writing David at awejudo@rocketmail.com. I'll start the first article the same way you should START your workouts, and END them, with proper stretching. STRETCHING - BEFORE OR AFTER THE WORKOUT? Judo training is one of the best exercise methods available. It incorporates both aerobic and anaerobic exercise as well as musculoskeletal development. Judo is great for building up your heart and lung capacity as well as muscles! If you enjoy being sore and increasing the chance of injury which would slow your training and get less out of your workouts, then don't bother to stretchout. Why? Because stretching warns the body that your getting ready to do something and therefore your body first shifts its limited blood supply into the muscles so they can respond to the increased demands put on it. Next, and just as importantly, it triggers the brain to produce a chemical substance called endorphins, which are the body's natural aspirins. Have you ever wondered why you feel like a truck ran over you the day after a good workout? The endorphins have worn off. This is the substance that produces the "runner's high" and even hides minor injuries from you for days! Well, that's great for warming up you say, so why afterwards? Simple, when you work muscles, you increase their size and chemical activity levels, producing lactic acid, which is a waste product. Your muscles get bigger, that is fatter, "pumped". They also get shorter, making you less flexible. All that stretching from the beginning goes out the window! You should be more flexible after the workout and to ensure that, stretch those muscles! This is your cooling off or cool down period. Once again it also helps flush the waste products from your muscles which also cause muscle soreness. So there you have it in a big nutshell. Stretch out before and after for best results. Yours in Judo, Dr. Andre J. Merrill Chiropractic Physician