For $15.00 or so purchase "Stretching" by Bob Anderson. It's the bible of stretching and now in it's umpteenth edition. I bought and early copy 25 yrs ago and followed religiously ever since. 54 and got more flexibility than many 20-somethings because of the info in this book.

Bob Anderson's book is great, so are yoga classes. But by far the best advice I've got is Just Do It, the rest will take care of itself.

---

-----------------------------------------------------

A few points:

Static stretches are safer and more effective than ballistic (bouncing) stretches.

Several recent studies have suggested that stretching before exercise is counterproductive: it increases the chance of injury and can actually hurt your performance. Stretching after exercise is the way to go. Regular stretching after exercise becomes an almost meditative part of your cool-down routine and definately seems to help people relax after a tough workout.

If the standard static stretches don't seem to do it for you, try a yoga class or two. Yoga combines stretching, range of motion, and strengthening in a more wholistic way. Many people swear by it.

1 - figure out why you're stretching. i need to stretch before a run, but many (most?) people don't. For me, I've got good strength but poor flexibility. What do you want to gain? Better overall flexibility? Injury prevention? Better mechanics in the pool?

2 - Stretching after exercise, or 'stretching down,' can be far more beneficial. Esp. true with biking.

3 - Never stretch a cold muscle.