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Lots of us who exercise regularly stretch for some reason or another. For example, a recent poll showed that Americans stretch to help prevent injury. Both the Norwegians (who stretch before exercise) and Australians (who stretch after exercise) stretch to prevent soreness, enhance well being and increase their performance. Even with all of these differences, one thing is true. “Exercisers and coaches everywhere…tend to have passionate convictions about the merits of stretching, or lack thereof.”
Currently, there are two studies being conducted that are asking about the effectiveness of stretching. The first study, being performed in Norway, asks its subjects to undergo a 13-week regimen. 1/2 of the participants are instructed to perform a 10 minute stretching exercise before and after their workouts while the other 1/2 are asked to abstain from stretching during the same time period. The participants enroll on the internet and report weekly on the study’s web site where they tell about muscle soreness, injuries and feelings of looseness. So far, 1700 people have enrolled in the study and they researchers are still actively enrolling more. If you’re interested in participating, go here.
While the first study is geared towards all forms of exercise and the exercise regimen isn’t prescribed, the second study, sponsored by USA Track & Field is specifically geared towards those of us who run at least 10 miles per week. This study is also still accepting new subjects and is asking whether stretching BEFORE exercise affects injury rates in runners. In this study, participants are given a stretching program, or are asked to not stretch for three months and they have to report their injuries during that time frame.
Whatever your opinions on stretching may be, it’s safe to assume that someone out there disagrees with you. For me, stretching feels good–especially after a run. I hardly ever stretch before a workout, but I love the “looseness” I feel afterwards. I know I’m not the most flexible person in the world and stretching is the only way that I know how to increase flexibility. I say do what works for you, at least until there’s a definitive answer as to whether stretching actually provides some type of benefits.
J.D.
14 responses so far ↓
1 Marcy // Aug 13, 2008 at 4:51 pm
I’m glad they’re doing a study, but I read a report on the compound joint theory of injury (which I can’t find a link to now) and it seems to be valid.
Each joint provides either stability or mobility and they alternate; your neck provides mobility, your lower back stability, your hips both, your knees stability, and your ankles mobility.
If you lose stability in a joint the neighboring joints have to compensate, likewise for mobility, i.e., inflexible hips can cause knee or low back injury because those joints end up with more than their share of stress.
Conclusion: flexible people are probably not going to get the exact same benefits from stretching as inflexible people.
2 J.D. // Aug 13, 2008 at 6:00 pm
I think “do what works for you” is great advice, but the key is figuring out what does work for you. In my case, I need a lot of stretching. My doctor says so, my physical therapist says so, and my body says so.
You’ve also highlighted one of the most frustrating things about physical fitness, at least for me. No matter what studies you read, you can almost always find studies that conclude the opposite. “Alcohol is good in moderation! No alcohol is always better!” “Eat more protein! Eat more carbs!” “Stretch more! Stretch less!” It’s enough to drive me mad!
3 Sheamus // Aug 13, 2008 at 7:12 pm
The problem is JD that all of this advice is based on the ‘average person’, who does not and never has existed. As you also both agree, what works for you is what works. It’s trial and error, but you have to experiment a bit. If you followed every bit of “expert” advice out there, you’d spend your life just going round in circles. I think part of the problem is, certainly for people who are trying to get in shape for the first time, they often want to be told what to do, as opposed to figuring out what works best for them themselves.
I don’t stretch. Never have done, and probably never will. I certainly would never stretch before exercising, as it totally makes sense to me that stretching a cold muscle must weaken the fibres and increase the chance of a tear.
At the gym, one should always adopt a warm-up and working set principle; that being, do 1-2 warm-up sets where you do the exercise with low weights, and then your working sets are balls-to-the-wall to failure. Stretching the muscles beforehand is not only asking for trouble, but seems unnecessary and totally non-specific. If you want to jump higher, you need to jump more. If you want to run faster, you need to run more (fast). If you want to bench press, then bench press.
Cross-training has its place but I don’t really see the logic of warming up doing one thing and then going on to do something different (that’s heavier and/or harder).
When I run, my first mile is my warm-up. Believe me, where I am now (Mississippi), you’re warm within a quarter-mile - it’s that hot!
After a long run, I simply shake my legs out a bit and that’s it. I never get next-day soreness and I’ve never had cramp once in my entire life. And I mean that literally - not once. I’m not sure entirely why this is - clearly a lot of it has to do with genetics - but I have always added reduced-sodium salt to my food and maybe that’s something to do with it too.
I keep expecting to ‘have’ to stretch and ‘have’ to be constantly repairing my body as it falls apart but it isn’t happening so far. I’m 37 later this year and today was my 73rd day in a row of running at least 20 minutes a day (I did 8 miles in the midday sun) and it’s really a case of so far, so good.
(He says, completely jinxing himself. 
4 Noah // Aug 13, 2008 at 11:21 pm
Interesting stuff, never even thought about the merits of stretching.
For the record I wouldn’t rely too much on those studies, especially the first. Let’s pretend stretching is helpful when exercising(whenever you choose to do so). For the group who doesn’t stretch and starts to feel tight and sore, what are they going to do? Same amount of effort? Of course not, the vast majority will reduce their efforts to minimize the pain they’re in both during their current exercise and to help in future sessions. The idea of equal effort but for this one element is noble, but I think the real-world humans are going to make the results less than compelling. Still looking forward to hearing the results. In the meantime, I’ll continue to stretch before and/or after and/or whenever I’m feeling tight.
5 israel // Aug 14, 2008 at 6:25 am
I stretch my legs before doing cardio.
I don’t stretch before lifting. I used to, but don’t anymore. I simply do a light warm up set.
6 Brad // Aug 14, 2008 at 8:01 am
I developed ITBS prior to my first attempt to run a marathon. I was advised that my hamstrings and hip flexors were tight. I’ve been stretching my hip flexors and hamstrings before every run and so far, knock on wood, no ITBS (Marathon planned for September). I have changed shoes as well so stretching may not even be the factor that has helped my ITBS but I’m not taking any chances. . . .
7 deepali // Aug 14, 2008 at 8:11 am
Actually, advice isn’t so much based on an “average” person as it is on an “aggregate” person - the results of population-based studies using *real* people. The majority of us are not outliers, so using this aggregate data is perfectly valid. And if you are an outlier, well, you’ve figured that out by now.
My advice? (haha) - listen to an expert who has actually read the literature and understands statistics. That generally means, consensus by committee.
8 Sheamus // Aug 14, 2008 at 9:28 am
Advice such as RDAs and statements like ‘drink more red wine!’ / ‘drink less alcohol!’ are generic and based on assumptions made on a cross-population of people, none of whom exist as an individual. Furthermore, if even 500 people react well to a glass of red wine a day, it doesn’t mean *you* will. Likewise, if a million people felt they needed to stretch before, after or during a workout, it doesn’t mean I’m suddenly going to start doing it, or that it will offer me any great benefits.
Generic advice is generic advice. Largely useless to the individual, particularly when it comes to food, given that most nutritional recommendations are made for sedentary people who don’t engage in regular intensive exercise. You know, “average” folk.
As I said, I think some people like or even need to be told how to do things, as opposed to just getting out there and experimenting and figuring it all out. That’s a lot of the fun part for me - the journey.
9 AkiraSabine // Aug 14, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Hi, I’ve been to your page several times. Nice informative blog you have here!
10 Metroknow // Aug 14, 2008 at 8:13 pm
There is a very simple test you can do, which we did in high school: See how high you can jump, cold, no stretching. And then stretch seriously, and try it again. For everyone in our class, myself included, there were dramatic performance improvements after stretching. Same with speed tests.
On a related note, based on advice from a friend who attended music school, I did this same test playing guitar - he developed a repetitive injury in his hands from overplaying, and was shown a series of finger and forearm stretches to help. It helped not only the injury, but his ability to perform.
That also worked for me.
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13 Debbie M // Aug 18, 2008 at 7:31 am
I suspect that a lot of the advice we hear but that makes no sense when we are young, flexible, in shape, and uninjured actually starts making sense later. For example, I’m still not that old in the grand scheme of things (I’m 45), but I am older than before and more out of shape. Stretching feels better to me now than it once did. For example, when I wake up and when I go to bed, it feels good to stretch. So probably that means it’s good for me. So I try to do it sometimes.
I think other advice like that you should warm up and that you should not squat down too far and that you should not let your heart rate get too high (I have gotten mine above my supposed maximum before) also can go from being useless to helpful as you age or change in some other way.
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