If you’re having pain and stretching provides some benefit but nothing long term, you may want to focus on strengthening those areas instead. Let’s examine this myth one gender at a time. Instead of stretching before a workout, do a light warm-up. Apparently, it’s not that simple. Derek Carter, a Manhattan Beach, California-based personal trainer and certified strength and conditioning specialist, believes in doing dynamic stretches to warm up for a workout and static stretches to recover afterward. For example, imagine the simple hamstring test. The percentage who’ve heard of it: 82%. In fact, some studies have associated stretching before exercising with an increased risk of injury. Let’s take a closer look at what stretching is, when to do it, and debunk 3 of the most common myths about stretching. This is because you want your muscles to be warmed up before you do static stretching – so post-exercise is the way to go if you participate in any sports that require flexibility. Myth: Stretching helps your body recover faster after a workout. This is further corroborated by a 2007 study which found that “muscle stretching does not reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness in young healthy adults.”. First off, a study by Mojock et al. Still, even in these cases, static stretching will be more effective if it is done after the exercise, not before. Hold until you feel comfortable then move onto the next stretch. 1: Always Stretch Before Exercise Yes, this one is a myth! Not very likely. Stretching before exercise does not reduce the risk of local muscle injury: a critical review of the clinical and basic science literature Objective: To evaluate the clinical and basic science evidence surrounding the hypothesis that stretching immediately before exercise prevents injury. Copyright © 2020 Caliber Fitness Inc. All Rights Reserved. The truth is, there is no exact dosage of time that you should be holding your stretch. And there’s some truth to that: Performing static stretches—reaching and holding in one position—is not recommended and has even been shown to hurt workout performance. One specific protocol that I have found helpful is doing the following sequence of warm-up sets before lifting heavier weights. Fact: A study in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine states that stretching before exercise doesn't necessarily prevent injury. After each attempt to touch your toes, you will get closer, this is because your tolerance of the stretch has improved—not because you have longer hamstrings. While stretching you want to feel moderate discomfort, but not pain. Rich Barlow Once upon a time, stretching was to exercise what proposing is to marriage: an essential ritual that had to be done before the main event. You Should Always Perform Static Stretches Before Exercising Most people believe this stretching myth, even though it’s been proven time and time again to be untrue. in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research researched the effect of static stretching upon long distance running in females and found that while static stretching increased women’s flexibility and range of motion, it had little impact upon their endurance or long distance performance. For the rest of us, however, who get most of our regular exercise in the gym lifting weights or doing cardio, static stretching just isn’t very useful. What if stretching before your workouts provided little to no actual benefit? Myth #1: You should always stretch before you start your workout. You always want to do a little moving around before you go into a static stretch session so that the muscles can get warmed up and are much easier to get a good stretch on. Myth 2: Stretching before exercise will prevent injury. Research suggests that stretching before exercise makes your muscles weaker and slower (PDF, 516kb) , even though you might feel looser. Myth: Stretching prevents injuries. Apparently, it’s not that simple. When it comes to stretching, many of us choose to neglect it after a hard workout, but how much difference does it really make and am I wasting my time if I bother? It is simply a widespread myth that it helps that has been promoted by fitness instructors and personal trainers simply because they were told it was a good idea. When you sit on the ground and reach for your toes the first time you may not be able to reach. We were sure to stretch before we were hit in the head with a dodge ball!! The Myth Of Stretching Before Your Workouts. #7 - Stretch before you exercise The most efficient time to stretch is after your exercise when your muscles are warm, especially if you are working on flexibility. The researchers from the University of Hull in England "concluded that static stretching was ineffective in reducing the incidence of exercise-related injury." running However, studies claim that stretching before exercising can weaken the performance. From a logical perspective, tissue stiffness and a lack in range of motion (ROM) both contribute to injury, and static … When it comes to stretching, many of us choose to neglect it after a hard workout, but how much difference does it really make and am I wasting my time if I bother? 1. It’s a widely believed that static stretching — the kind that involves holding a movement, such as bending over and touching your toes— makes your muscles more flexible, primes them for activity and reduces the chance of injury. You may have heard that stretching before your muscles are warm is a bad idea. myth #1: stretching before workout prevents injury Once upon a time, stretching before workout or exercise was considered essential to prepare the body and decrease the possibility of injury. Perform light cardiovascular exercise for 5 to 10 minutes before stretching to prepare your muscles for activity. MYTH #1: YOU ONLY NEED TO STRETCH BEFORE OR AFTER A WORKOUT, NOT BOTH Fact: It’s important to stretch before and after a workout. Researchers believe they have debunked a myth about the perceived importance of stretching before jogging. Myth #1: You should stretch before your workout. I mean, everyone from your parents to your high school gym teacher have been telling you that you should stretch before exercising. Stretching after exercise, magic or myth? Stretching after exercise, magic or myth? Is there an appropriate application for this kind of stretching? Many people believe that if you stretch before exercise it will reduce your risk for injury. There is no solid evidence that stretching alone before a sport or activity prevents injury. according to this comprehensive 4-week study on dynamic warm-ups. Instead, to truly stay safe, you'll want to do a warm-up exercise to increase blood flow to your muscles, … MYTH: You should stretch before you work out. Guidelines on who needs to do what kind of stretching and when should be individualized, depending on What you should be doing is called ‘dynamic stretching’ – and you should be doing it for all of the key muscle groups that you will be training that day. Let us know your thoughts in the comments. MYTH #4 Doing long, slow stretches before exercise can help prevent injury. But what about muscle recovery and limiting post-workout soreness, does static stretching at least help with those? You may have grown up hearing this one, but it can actually do you more harm than good. Whenever you exercise in a way that specifically involves flexibility, you should do some appropriate static stretches. When you stretch your stretch tolerance increases, but your muscle tissues are not lengthening. before your muscles have warmed up — isn’t just useless, it can actually cause harm. Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site. Dating back to the early 1980s, the practice of static stretching before exercise was widely believed to prevent or reduce the risk of injury, and to promote performance. Stretching is about increasing the tissue length. Myth #2: You Shouldn’t Stretch Before Your Workout, Only After You may have heard that stretching before your muscles are warm is a bad idea. Myth 5: Stretching Before Exercise Prevents Injury This particular myth is contentious. There is no evidence to back up that claim. researchers used the results from 5 controlled studies, researchers concluded that it had absolutely no effect on either one, 2010 study on Australian football players. According to this research, runners run more slowly, jumpers jump less high, and weight lifters lift more weakly by stretching, without significantly ensuring against injury during their exercise. So, given what all of these studies tell us, static stretching doesn’t seem to deliver on its promises. Gabby Gonzales. But intense stretching can lead to even more muscle damage and pain if you aren’t careful! Well, no offense to my old gym teacher, but research shows that static stretching before exercise can … Myth #1 Stretching makes you weak. Historically, it has been generally accepted that stretching decreases the risk of injury. Turns out static stretching doesn’t do much to reduce the occurrence of injuries. MYTHBUSTER: This type of warm-up—known as static stretching—may … Theoretically, stretching before exercise should make the muscles more pliable and less likely to tear. It is commonly believed that stretching will help to reduce post exercise muscle soreness also known as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Nope – at least not according to a 2010 study on Australian football players which concluded that static stretching did not aid muscle recovery at all, nor did it impact post-training soreness. Myth 3: Stretching before you exercise will prevent injury. Myth #2 Stretching should not be performed before exercise or sport. However, this is actually a myth. The percentage who believe it: 57% Before you start stretching it out—or doing any other warmup, for that matter—check out the most common misconceptions Taylor hears about warming up. Well, before we get mired in baseless speculation here, let’s start by taking a look at some of the benefits that this practice allegedly offers. MYTH #4 Doing long, slow stretches before exercise can help prevent injury. Any positive associations are likely due to the placebo effect and are entirely anecdotal, since solid research found no significant reductions in DOMS by stretching before/after exercise[2]. Myth: Always stretch before your workout Fact: Do the right type of stretches before your workout. "For most performances, this would be detrimental," says Dr Ian Shrier, a sports medicine clinician and researcher and Associate Professor at the Department of Family Medicine, at Montreal's McGill University. What is on the table here is static stretching, where you stretch out muscles while your body is at rest. Myth #1: Stretching before exercise reduces the risk of injury. Always stretch, right? Athletes of a certain age were warned to stretch their muscles before exerting themselves to avoid a debilitating pull or injury. Instead you should focus on stretching consistently, not just before or after an exercise. Yes, but what’s crucial is knowing how to stretch properly. So, in short, next time you get to the gym, feel free to skip all of the static stretching that you usually start with. This will put your muscles through the full range of motion that you will be working them in, and properly prime you for the later, heavy sets. MYTH #1: STRETCHING BEFORE WORKOUT PREVENTS INJURY Once upon a time, stretching before workout or exercise was considered essential to prepare the body and decrease the possibility of injury. Warm up by walking before cardio or doing light weights before intense training, and do stretch after a workout. Stretching is very important, but not for the sake of This is because stretching unwarm muscles can lead to pulled muscles and muscle weakness. A recent study now Yep, you can actually stretch too much. If we should always stretch before exercise? Evidence suggests that acute stretching immediately before exercise can have a negative effect on performance due to the physiological changes seen in the muscle and the decreased ability to store elastic energy (Wilson et al, 2010). Instead, begin by dynamically stretching the muscle groups that you are about to train, and you’ll be good to go. Just remember to stretch consistently, when you stretch you want to feel a moderate stretch discomfort, and figure out what works best for you.” Dr. Jarvis. Myth #3 Stretching increases risk of injury. So let’s say you start your chest workouts with the bench press. Myth #2: You Should Stretch Before Your Workout. Myth #2: You Shouldn’t Stretch Before Your Workout, Only After. Exercise Myth #1: You must stretch before you exercise We often hear that it is important to stretch before exercise. Try doing dynamic stretching or moving while you stretch. Myth #1 Stretching makes you weak. We’ve all been told this at one time or another – but why? But do we really know how long we should stretch for? Hundreds of millions of joggers around the world perform static stretching exercises before going for a jog. Now, if you haven’t been warming up properly before, this may sound like a lot of sets to do before your actual workout…. pain. Stretching Before/After Exercise Reduces Muscle Soreness. Does stretching before exercise affect performance? Stretching – what the research shows dispelling the myths and learning the truth Below is an article I found researching pre-race stretching. False. But the best time to stretch is after you exercise. But what if that advice wasn’t actually very good advice at all? And, really, this makes perfect sense… Copyright © 2020 University of Utah Health, For All U of U Health Patients & Visitors, DNV GL Public Information Policy Statement. Fact #4: Static Stretching is Best Done After a Workout Gentle stretching after a workout is fine. I think it is another reason the ChiRunning Body Looseners are so effective before your training, they are not stretching but joint movement. The myth is that if you exercise too intensely, you end up burning carbohydrates instead of fat. Stretching to increase mobility should be done as a separate workout. Next up, let’s take a look at the performance claim. When you sit on the ground and reach for your toes the first time you may not be able to reach. Static stretching before exercising is not recommended as it might weaken your muscle and impair athletic performance. Myth #4: You need to stretch before exercise. Author: But does that mean that static stretching is useless – that it should be abandoned entirely? A recent study now shows that people who stretch before their exercise routines are not exempted from the danger of pulled muscles. Myth 1: One must always stretch before exercising. While a good stretch session after a taxing workout might give your muscles and joints some immediate relief, research shows that static stretching, whether done before or after training, has little effect on preventing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Stretching is sometimes avoided entirely. But, really, the entire process takes less than 10 minutes (resting 1 minute between each warmup set), and after those 4 sets you’ll find that you are far more ready – both physically and psychologically – for your main sets. Myth #1: Perform static stretches before you work out to prevent injury Many of us learned to perform static stretching prior to workouts. Unlike static stretching, dynamic stretching has been shown to be highly beneficial to do before your workouts. Static stretching is an ineffective way to warm up, as it sends an inhibitory signal to your muscles. All clinical services and programs are part of University of Utah Health Hospitals and Clinics. First, we were all supposed to bend, hold and repeat before we even thought about running , lifting weights or biking. You don’t need to warm up MYTH #3: The longer you hold a stretch, the better. For example, imagine the simple hamstring test. It’s crazy! Dating back to the early 1980s, the practice of static stretching before exercise was widely believed to prevent or reduce the risk of injury, and to promote performance. Research suggests that stretching before exercise makes your muscles weaker and slower (PDF, 516kb), even though you might feel looser. When you stretch your stretch tolerance increases, but your muscle tissues are not lengthening. Stretching can take anywhere from 15–60 seconds. Aim to stretch 5 to 10 minutes before and after exercise. In truth, some studies suggest that pre-exercise stretching can actually increase the changes of your injury, since stretch destabilizes your muscle fibers. Well, based on this 2007 study on how stretching impacts muscle power production and activation, researchers concluded that it had absolutely no effect on either one. Sitting and holding a cold, static stretch before you work — a.k.a. If you’re like many guys, you might start out by doing a little bit of stretching. The best type of stretching to perform before your workout is dynamic stretching. 4 of 14 Fact: Stretching loosens your tendons, and makes muscles feel weaker and less steady, according to a new study. Myth #1 – Always stretch before exercising. Do you find that it helps with your workouts? Recent studies suggest that stretching doesn’t prevent injuries, and may even cause some. A recent study challenged that old, vague admonition to stretch before exercise. MYTHBUSTER: ... "Stretching before exercise is important, but it has to be the right kind of stretching- … This is because you want your muscles to be warmed up before you do static stretching – so post-exercise is the way to go if you participate in any sports that require flexibility. Static stretching before exercise can weaken performance, such as sprint speed, in studies. Exercise Myth #1: You must stretch before you exercise We often hear that it is important to stretch before exercise. In 2006, researchers used the results from 5 controlled studies to conclude that static stretching made no difference to the frequency or likelihood of exercise-related injuries, across a variety of specific injury types and muscle groups. Myth busted. You can safely do away with it. Instead of moving right into a weight that is challenging for you, start by doing 3-4 warm-up sets with relatively low weight. Find a doctor or location close to you so you can get the health care you need, when you need it, 50 North Medical Drive Salt Lake City, UT 84132. And there’s some truth to that: Performing static stretches—reaching and holding in one position—is not recommended and has even been shown to hurt workout performance. If you’re over doing it there is a possibility you can irritate your muscles. Let's learn the truth behind some of the most common fitness myths so that you can get the best of your workout: Is it necessary to stretch before a workout? Myth – Stretching Before Exercising Prevents Injuries By Dr. John Amundson, PT As a Physical Therapist, I get a lot of questions about stretching. Perhaps you were part of a sports team in your school years, back when stretching was a priority before practice started. MYTH 10: You Should Always Stretch Before A Workout. Also studies have shown that stretching before exercise does not help prevent injury during exercise. Do you stretch before lifting weights? As I mentioned before, it is pretty common knowledge that stretching precedes exercise. Further, it will help reduce the chance of your getting hurt, since dynamic stretching has been found to raise body temperature, improve blood flow to the muscles, and help with coordination – all of which are important for remaining injury-free. The easiest way to start incorporating dynamic stretching into your routine is to do a few warmup sets of whatever your main exercise is before moving on to your proper sets. Get weekly emails of the latest news from HealthFeed. Overall, stretching both before and after exercise is thought to offer a minor reduction in soreness but no significant protection against injury. You’re a PT – nice. The first question here is why do you stretch? It can help increase your strength, endurance, and speed, according to this comprehensive 4-week study on dynamic warm-ups. 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