According to a strength and conditioning expert, stretching, the types of stretches you need and when you should do them all depend on your workout
Art by Tricia Guevara | Sourced photo by Morgan Petroski/Unsplash
Stretching is proven to prevent injuries by increasing mobility and flexibility as it targets specific muscle groups. However, studies have also shown that doing the wrong stretches can weaken performance and tire out muscles.
You may end up running slower, jumping a little less higher, and losing a bit of strength if you do static stretches before a workout. Depending on your fitness goals, a proper warm-up is meant to physically and mentally prepare you. So we reached out to strength and conditioning expert Migie Felizardo to explain the best times to stretch to maximize your workout.
What you do will depend on your fitness goals
If you want to warm up your body before exercising, focus on dynamic stretching. According to Felizardo, these stretches emphasize the movements required for the activity rather than on individual muscles.
“These types of movements are also considered mobility drills and consist of activities that actively move a joint through the range of motion required for the sport or exercise,” says Felizardo.
Some examples he cited include:
- Inchworms
- Walking lunges
- Sumo squat to stand
- Forward lunge with elbow to instep or the World’s Greatest Stretch
- Side lunges and cossack squats
- Atlas lunge or lunge with twist
On the other hand, slow and constant stretches or static stretches where you hold the position for 30 seconds or more are usually used to improve flexibility. Felizardo says that static stretching is usually done after the workout for recovery since it involves the elongation and relaxation of the muscle.
Some examples include:
- Wall calf stretch
- Straddle (spread eagle)
- Butterfly stretch
- Standing quadriceps stretch
- Toe touch stretch
- Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch
The main rule is to do dynamic stretches for warm-ups and static stretches after exercise or allot time for a separate flexibility or recovery session. Felizardo says though that you can include both dynamic and static stretches in the middle of your workout for mobility and some static stretches before a workout if you think a muscle group needs more flexibility.
“Just make sure to end your warm-up with some exercises that are going to raise your body temperature and excite the central nervous system so you can execute the exercises in your workout properly. You may also use some static stretches or dynamic stretches as a filler during a workout session.”
Instead of resting before your next set of squats, you can incorporate a quick stretch like an active hip flexor stretch to improve your body’s mobility for the squat.
“Most of the time if your warm-up sucks, your workout is going to suck too,” says Migie Felizardo
Common stretching mistakes people do
Aside from mixing up it up, Felizardo notes a few warm-up mistakes people do. The first is not taking them seriously. “People try to do lousy movements instead of trying to be more athletic and move through the full range of motion. It doesn’t help them with their workout performance at all. Most of the time if your warm-up sucks, your workout is going to suck too.”
Secondly, warm-ups shouldn’t take too long and tire you to the point of fatigue. You’ll end up using all your energy, leaving you exhausted before you actually start working out.
“A good warm-up routine normally lasts 10 to 15 minutes in a workout session and around 15 to 20 minutes maximum for a sports session. Remember that the goal of the warm-up (dynamic stretching) is to stimulate the muscles, not fatigue them so monitoring volume is key,” says Felizardo.
“Remember that the goal of the warm-up (dynamic stretching) is to stimulate the muscles, not fatigue them so monitoring volume is key,” says Felizardo
Lastly, people tend to neglect proper breathing and end up holding their breath whenever they do static stretches.
“People normally do this due to discomfort when they feel some tightness in a range of motion during a stretch. Breathing is key to improving relaxation and flexibility. Static stretching should be done with deep breaths to maximize its benefits.”
Much of the confusion about stretching before exercise comes from a lack of understanding warm-ups. Studies have shown that warming up by itself has no effect on a range of motion, but when it is followed by stretching then there is an increase in range of motion.
Many people have been convinced by this finding that stretching before exercise prevents injuries, despite clinical research indicating the opposite. A better interpretation is that warming up reduces the chances of injury, while stretching hasn’t been proven to prevent injury.