Stretching – what is it good for?

Flexibility is one of the five measurable components of physical fitness (along with cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and body composition).  Stretching exercises provide the best means to improve flexibility and have other tangible health benefits.

The Basics of Stretching – to hold or not to hold?

Traditional stretching exercises are termed static stretches.  Static stretches consist of performing a movement such as a seated hamstring stretch where you reach a position of mild discomfort and hold that position for 10-30 seconds.  Practicing static stretches at least two days a week is recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine to promote/maintain flexibility. Dynamic stretches, in contrast, involve continuous movement. For example, a dynamic stretch could be walking lunges in which you gently lengthen your stride with each repetition. Both types of stretches can help improve your flexibility.

How good is stretching for you?  Does it help you recover?

Stretching exercises do have some real benefits. But I am going to start by dispelling one commonly-held belief about the value of stretching. I often encounter the notion that stretching after hard exercise will help reduce muscle soreness.  It won’t!  Many studies have examined the effects of static stretching on post-workout soreness and have found no measurable benefit. 

If you hold that belief, don’t feel bad—a recent survey of movement specialists, including physical therapists, athletic trainers, and coaches, found that most of them professed the belief that static stretching could reduce soreness and improve recovery, even though these benefits are not backed by research!

In addition to not helping reduce soreness after exercise, stretching before exercise can make your workouts a little worse. Specifically, static stretching particularly stretches held for long (30s+) durations before exercise, can temporarily reduce maximum strength and power. Dynamic stretching does not appear to negatively affect strength and power.

The Evidence-backed benefits of stretching

Stretching has real benefits. Probably, the main reason people perform stretches is to improve their range of motion, and there is good evidence that it works toward this goal. Combining stretching with strengthening exercises can reduce muscle imbalances and improve posture, which is the basis for many physical therapy and athletic training interventions.

While acute static stretching can produce a transient drop in maximal strength and power. The chronic practice of stretching across a lifetime is associated with better strength and power performance. Perhaps most surprisingly, chronic stretching even has cardiovascular benefits, including lower resting heart rate and reduced arterial stiffness.

How and when to stretch

Stretching to improve and maintain range of motion is helpful. As mentioned earlier, the ACSM recommends stretching at least twice a week. Beginning your exercise session with a general warmup followed by some dynamic stretches is a good way to improve movement quality during your workouts.  Static stretching, to work on increasing your range of motion, is best employed after you have exercised.  The increased body temperature from performing muscular work will allow you to perform static stretches more easily, and the potential for a transient drop in strength and power from performing static stretches is moot because you are finishing your workout.

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