Back when I was in grade school—wearing my split shorts, knee-high sports socks, and participating in the mandatory track events to earn a scrap of satin in the form of a participation ribbon—stretching was a ritual that we all performed before the main event. Back then we were all programmed to believe we absolutely had to stretch our muscles before exerting them if we wanted to avoid things like the dreaded groin pull.
Times have changed. And luckily, so have gym uniforms.
These days there are many studies that caution us away from stretching before workouts. According to the research, not only does our performance suffer (less strength, less speed, and less power) but it also does not protect us against injury (even the dreaded groin pull).
Back then we were all programmed to believe that we absolutely had to stretch our muscles before exerting them if we wanted to avoid things like the dreaded groin pull.
What Is a Warmup?
A warmup is exactly what it sounds like: a routine that warms the body up—literally and figuratively. A warmup should activate the synovial fluid (lubricant) in your joints, raise your heart rate, and raise your body temperature.
There is some great info in the article What is the Best Way to Warm Up? But in a nutshell, warmups come in many forms, and all of them should involve some sort of cardiovascular movement.
Activities, like walking slowing and then gradually building into a jog, or cycling at a low intensity and building up to a moderate effort over a few minutes, are good ways to start a warmup. I like to get my athletes to start their warmup with a few sun salutations to get the blood flowing, the breath moving, and to get a feel for where they might be tight or sore on that day.
The duration of a warm-up can vary (I usually say between 5 and 15 minutes, depending on the intensity of the effort you are about to engage in), but a good rule of thumb is to make sure you break a sweat.
Only after you have broken a sweat is it a good idea to do some dynamic and full body movements (often confusingly referred to as dynamic stretching). After that you should be ready to rock your workout.
Now, what is a dynamic stretch you ask? Well, before we get into that and talk about how it differs from what we did in grade school, let's define static stretching.
What Is Static Stretching
A static stretch is a stretch that is held in a comfortable (but challenging) position for between 10 to 30 seconds and is the most common form of stretching. This type of stretching is considered safe and effective for improving overall flexibility.
But what about before exercise? Well, most of you fit folks out there have probably read or heard that sport science researchers have discovered (relatively recently) that using static stretching as a warmup can actually lower jumping heights, slow running speeds, and decrease lifting strength—without reducing the chances of getting injured. But how can that be? Was the PE teacher lying to us? Probably not. And here's why.
Why Static Stretching Before Exercise Doesn't Prevent Injury
Muscles are made up of bundles and bundles of tiny fibers. The theory was that stretching before engaging in exercise would make the muscles' fibers more pliable and therefore less likely to get torn or strained. But in studies that have compared the rates of injury (or even muscle soreness) among people who stretched before exercise and those who didn’t, researchers found little benefit (if any) in stretching. In fact, they found that stretching a cold, tight muscle that has not already been thoroughly warmed up could actually increase the likelihood of injury.
Sadly, stretching before or after exercising does not even protect you from muscle soreness.
So, if you hear someone say that they’re stretching so they don’t get injured, you should let them know that scientific evidence has shown that static stretching doesn’t reduce your risk of injury. And sadly, stretching before or after exercising does not even protect you from muscle soreness.
Why Static Stretching Before Exercise Doesn't Increase Performance
A study on runners called Effects of static stretching on 1-mile uphill run performance found that runners were 13 seconds slower when they stretched immediately before doing a 1-mile uphill run. The researchers concluded “... static stretching should be avoided before a short endurance bout.”
Many more research studies have shown that static stretching can also do things like inhibit the amount of force that a muscle can produce, and limit peak physical performance in jumping or lifting activities that you may engage in.
Going back as far as 2013, The New York Times reported on two studies which proved the detrimental effects of static stretching pre-workout. One study showed that static stretching impaired strength output in people who were weight lifting when compared to lifters who performed a type of dynamic warm-up that I will explain later.
If you’re about to lift weights, run very fast, or in fact do anything that requires power or explosiveness, doing static style stretching is going limit your performance.
The other reviewed 104 studies on stretching and athletic performance and found almost universal evidence that static stretching before a workout decreased performance.
Research published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that if young, moderately trained men stretched before they lifted weights, they were weaker and wobblier than they expected to be during their lower body strength workout.
In Croatia, an extremely comprehensive meta-analysis of data published in The Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports added to the growing scientific consensus that pre-exercise stretching is unnecessary and very likely counterproductive. In fact, they concluded that static stretching “during warm-up routine should generally be avoided.”
What this all comes down to is the fact that if you make your muscles loose and your tendons too stretchy before you ask them to perform, these soft tissues are less able to produce the quick and powerful responses that you desire.
This means that if you’re about to lift weights, run very fast, or in fact do anything that requires power or explosiveness, doing static style stretching is going limit your performance to a certain extent.
Should You Never Stretch?
With all this negative talk about stretching, it might seem like it is something to avoid. But that is not what I am saying at all. The confusion between mobility, flexibility, and warming-up for exercise is where the issue comes in. Stretching, by gently bringing a joint to the end of its range of motion, and holding it there for 60 to 90 seconds (or more), is how you increase your flexibility.
This can be a very beneficial thing to do. Just not during your warmup, not on cold muscles, and not before engaging in an activity that requires strength, power, and quick muscular response time.
A dedicated mobility and flexibility session is also the perfect time for stretching.
The best time to stretch is when the muscles are warm and pliable and about to hit the showers and relax. Which sounds a lot like a cool-down! For more info on cool-downs, check out the article called Cooling Down After Exercise: 6+ Helpful Tips.
A dedicated mobility and flexibility session is also the perfect time for stretching. A yoga class, pilates session, or simply some time spent on a comfy piece of floor with a foam roller, tennis ball, and some spandex can be just what the coach ordered a few times per week.
What Is Dynamic Stretching?
Well, since we know now that engaging in static stretching before you lift weights can make you weaker and less stable and that pre-exercise static stretching can hurt rather than help your athletic performance, what should you do?
Unlike static stretching, which is a stretch that is held in a mostly still position for a few seconds at a time, dynamic stretching is an active version of stretching, where you move your body through an increasingly larger range of motion. Dynamic stretches include movement such as:
- Arm circles
- Leg swings
- Squats
- Walking lunges
- Side lunges
- Jumping jacks
- Hip circles
- Ankle rotations
- High leg kicks (goose-stepping)
- The inchworm
- Fire hydrants
- Hip hikes
- And so on
This type of stretching has been proven to actually increase power, speed, agility, and strength performance when used as part of a warmup. This will warm up the body and get the heart rate elevated while also moving the body through a good range of motion—actively!
More fundamentally, these types of movements underscore the importance of preparing the body for exercise instead of preparing it for being flexible. And of course, it goes without saying that the aim of any type of warmup should be to improve performance, not worsen it.
For more dynamic info, stretching tips, and to join the static conversation, head over to Facebook.com/GetFitGuy or twitter.com/getfitguy. Also don't forget to subscribe to the Get-Fit Guy podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spotify, Google Play or via RSS.
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