
Conventional thinking suggests that it’s wise to perform some pre-workout stretches to help loosen your muscles and tendons and prepare the body for what’s to come. The supposed benefits include improved performance and recovery time, and a reduced chance of injury. It enables you to fluidly move your joints through their full range of motion. But new research has emerged suggesting that stretching before and after exercise may not be all that it seems.
A study reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine looked at more than 2100 physically active adults over 12 weeks.
One group of participants performed a series of lower limb and trunk muscle stretches (held for 30 seconds) before and after physical activity, while the control group was asked not to stretch.
The authors found that stretching before and after physical activity did not appreciably reduce the risk of all injuries. However, there were some positives to come out of the study. Stretching was found to produce a small reduction in the incidence (by 7.8 percent) and severity of muscle soreness. The study also suggested that stretching may reduce the risk of injury to muscles, ligaments and tendons
People who perceived stretching after exercise as important to prevent soreness, also experienced less soreness after stretching.
The authors recommend that individuals use this information to balance out the benefits of the small reductions in soreness, small increases in looseness and a possible reduction in risk to muscles, ligaments and tendons with the time it takes to stretch.
Did you know? - Research suggests that stretching before and after exercise does not significantly reduce the chance of injury, but it may help to reduce muscle soreness.
Some people might feel psychologically unprepared if they don’t stretch pre-workout, especially if the exercise is intense. There is certainly a good argument to perform stretching exercises if you enjoy stretching, or if you perceive that it reduces soreness or increases looseness. But there are other strategies that may also help to reduce your risk of injury during exercise, including these:
References available on request