However you feel about it, including stretching in your fitness routine is very important. It contributes to flexibility, injury prevention and making you perform better. But when it comes to stretching before and after workout, timing can make a difference. When in the day is it time to stretch? Instructor Callie Gullickson was asked what she recommends: warming up to stretch or stretching first.
You should visit our article on stretching before the chest workout if you really wanna warm up your chest muscles.
Why is stretching good for you?
Let’s first learn what stretching involves and what benefits it brings, before looking at the correct times to do it. Stretching refers simply to the types of movements that make your muscles longer for a little time. Most individuals know about dynamic and static stretching because they are the most popular types.
Dynamic stretching is where you work through your full ROM, such as by doing walking lunges or leg stretches. You do static stretching by remaining still in a position and letting tension build in the muscle (like bringing your hands toward your toes). Using different stretching styles offers benefits for a range of reasons, such as … Research suggests that incorporating stretching before and after workout into your routine can help increase flexibility. Some studies show different results, and experts explain this may happen because of how the nervous system responds or due to improved flexibility.
Reducing stiffness in muscles, due to any cause, also makes it easier for joints to move. “By dedicating five to 10 minutes to stretching before and after workout, you’ll feel more flexible, less stiff, and more likely to get more out of your workouts,” Callie says. A few studies show that stretching regularly can make it easier to engage more muscles and perform better during your workouts. Improving your hip flexibility helps you lower even further in a squat, which engages more muscles in your lower body. You will have the ability to safely do more types of exercises. You should know the importance of stretching before a workout.
Moreover, Callie mentions, “it’s smart to stretch before and after your session and to practice stretching during your everyday life to avoid getting injured.” This means greater flexibility makes it less likely for you to pull or strain your muscles from overstretching them (for example, while carrying a heavy load).
Incorporating stretching before and after workout routines may help improve flexibility and lower injury risk. But some studies have provided conflicting evidence, and the methods by which CBD may help are not fully known. Some experts suggest that stretching before workout, especially before strength training, can negatively impact performance. This part makes it more important to time things well.
Should You Stretch Before or After Your Workout?
In most cases, people disagree about whether you should stretch before or after exercising. Are one or the other more valuable? Is the help the same, or can it differ? Is it suitable to work this into your exercise routine? Despite what people think, the answer isn’t that easy, but there are some tricks.
Stretch Before Workout
Callie suggests that you not use static stretching before exercising, because it can make your muscles too vulnerable to injury. One thing she says is that stretching muscles before a workout can make you exercise less effectively.
According to a study in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, after reviewing existing literature, static stretching is not recommended as a warm-up activity before exercising because it may reduce muscle strength and athletic performance.
Some research, though, indicates that different results from static stretching before exercise might depend on the type of activity. The article in Frontiers in Physiology explains that doing short-term static stretches might be valuable in recreational sports since it may improve flexibility and help prevent injuries.
It is advised against for high-performance athletes because it decreases their strength and power. But Callie likes to do some movement exercises before strength training. She says that by doing this, you’re encouraging blood into the muscles for the movements you are about to perform. Her favourite exercises are: “hip sprints, spine opening movements and scapula extension and retraction.”
If you do sprints or a cycling session before you work out, it can improve your muscle movement and range of motion. They help do this by little by little increasing blood flow and heating your body, as well as improving circulation, stretching and movement in areas you target. Contracting your muscles and stretching your tendons guards against injury and allows you to do the exercise the right way. Taking time to warm up activates the connection between your brain and body, helping you do well in any exercise.
Even though including these stretches can help before a workout, it is not necessary. If you just can’t do a full stretching session, it’s better to skip the pre-workout part. Another choice is to warm up with some light cardio before you start your strength training. Your body will let you know what it feels and you should meet those needs.
Stretch After Workout
Workouts end with your body already being warm, so doing some static stretches after your workout can be highly beneficial. Callie describes that once you finish your run, “you will have better flexibility without any risk of injury.” This helps you slowly improve how much your joints can move and your flexibility.
You can use stretches like standing in front of you, lying down for hamstrings and stretching your quadriceps on the floor, for example. In any case, stretch the muscle for about 15 to 20 seconds before you relax it.
But, just like warming up before a workout, some people disagree about whether stretching helps reduce soreness afterwards. In a systematic review done in Frontiers of Physiology, research on 17,050 data points showed that stretching did not hurt the recovery process more than just resting. Some time ago, a study showed that stretching may relieve muscle aches, but other research finds that adding static stretches to your routine isn’t necessarily needed, since it is unlikely to cause harm.
The details and timing of stretching exercises are not always straightforward. There are many things to think about, including your fitness aims and your physique, when selecting the proper running shoe.
How to incorporate stretching into your routine
You can easily work in active stretches during your cycling sessions. She recommends you start slowly, saying a basic stretch is a good idea. There are quick stretching guides for your whole lower body and your whole upper body, like these 5-minute ones. Different stretching routines are specific to each workout, both pre- and post-workout, which makes stretching before and after workout sessions easy and effective (for example, running, rowing, or cycling).
Even though the routines are basic, Callie explains that “you’ll realise the difference in both your workouts and in your everyday life.”
Conclusion
With more research being done, most specialists feel that stretching helps in any type of workout routine. When it comes to stretching before and after workout sessions, the timing can be a bit subjective. You should stretch before or after your exercise, Callie says, but the ideal time is during your stretching.
What counts is focusing on what your body needs and following that. You might want to add just a short amount every few days and see your activity build up over time. Eventually, you might see that you can move better, and it will reflect in your everyday routines. Possibly, you can drop your squat or extend your legs slightly more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, stretching before or after doing exercise?
Good times to stretch vary depending on your aims and how your body feels. Most of the time, doing dynamic stretches before a workout prepares your muscles, and afterwards, you can do static stretches to help you recover and become more flexible.
Can stretching help you do better during exercise?
Not always. Doing static stretches before training could weaken strength and performance, mainly during intense activities. Still, performing easy dynamic stretches or light movements can warm up your muscles for exercise.
Does stretching once you have finished your workout ease muscle soreness?
Findings are not consistent. Stretching afterwards can help your flexibility and ease muscles, although it usually won’t greatly lessen your muscle pain. Moreover, it usually helps restore motion without causing major harm.
Should I stretch before starting my workout or only after the workout is done?
Spend between 5 and 10 minutes stretching prior to exercise and after as well. When you warm up, do dynamic stretches, and when you cool down, use static stretches. Use how you are feeling as a guide to change your schedule.
