When to Stretch: Before or After Workouts?

Most of us know the benefits of stretching and how important it is for increased exercise performance, reduced risk of injury, reduced pain, and even stress relief. Where it can get confusing is the discussion around whether to stretch before or after your workouts. The answer is both– you want to stretch before and after workouts if possible. How you stretch is even more important. Imagine coming to the gym after sitting static at work all day. Your muscles are already tight. Then you go straight to the mat, touch your toes, hold your stretches in the same position for 15 seconds, and head off to powerlift. Recent research suggests this may lead to decreased performance and possible injury because your muscles haven’t had much opportunity to warm-up at any point in your day pre-workout.

Here is what to do instead:

Pre-Workout

• Dynamic stretches are best before exercise and can mimic movements you’ll be doing during your actual workout that day. For example, when I was on the track team in high school, we would jog the field, do butt kicks, and walking lunges before getting into our actual sprints and strength workout.
• The idea behind dynamic stretching is that you are constantly moving and providing your body with a warm up that literally heats up and loosens your muscles. You should notice positive changes in your strength, endurance, and agility if you can commit to 10 minutes beforehand.

Post-Workout

• Static stretches which are poses held in the same position for 15-30 seconds. It is the reach-and-hold technique and has gotten a bad rap lately. It certainly should have its place in the workout world. It can help release tension in the muscles post-workout and is beneficial in the flexibility of the joints- areas like the ankles, hips, and shoulders- all the things that help you move more freely.
• Breathing slowly and deeply during these stretches can also help reduce feelings of stress. I look forward to my static stretches post-workout. I switch my loud, pumped-up music to a more chilled out selection and just let my mind quiet down.

All-in-all, keep it simple when it comes to your stretch routines. Do constant movements before your workouts, reach and hold each pose up to 30 seconds after your workout. If something hurts, stop immediately. Listen to your body and do not push your muscles to the extreme.

Hope this helps,

Natasha

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