“Don’t forget to stretch!”
If you’ve done sports, spent time in the gym, or even just been to P.E. class, chances are you’ve heard about the many benefits of stretching.
It warms you up, cools you down, helps you feel limber, and promises fewer injuries and better performance.
What if I told you that a lot of what most people believe about stretching is based more on habit than hard evidence?
A new consensus statement of international research experts, published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science, challenges many of those old habits and myths.1
In this article, I’ll break down their findings into easy-to-understand and actionable, practical recommendations.
What Is Stretching?
Stretching is a form of exercise where you lengthen a specific muscle or group of muscles. It’s like your muscle is a rubber band, and you’re trying to make it more pliable and able to extend further.
Static Stretching
Static stretching involves moving into a stretch and holding it still for 20–30 seconds or longer.
Dynamic Stretching
Dynamic stretching involves moving your muscles and joints through a full range of motion, like leg swings or arm circles, to wake them up.
PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) Stretching
PNF stretching is a more advanced variant that involves contracting a muscle, relaxing it, and then stretching it even more.
There are other types, too, like ballistic stretching (bouncing movements, which most people shouldn’t do when stretching but can benefit some sports) and active stretching (you only use your own muscle power to hold a stretch).
But static, dynamic, and PNF stretching are the three main types and the ones the new review focused on.
What Stretching Is Good For
While stretching has probably been overrated for many things, it’s not useless. In some areas, it holds its own.
Flexibility & Range of Motion (ROM)
The expert panel confirmed one of the most well-known benefits of stretching: it improves your flexibility.
Stretching is very effective for improving your range of motion (ROM), both immediately afterward and for long-term flexibility gains.
Immediate Benefits
The panel recommends at least two bouts of stretching for 5 to 30 seconds.
Any stretching technique, static, dynamic, or PNF, will get the job done.
Lasting Benefits
To improve your flexibility long-term, you should go for static or PNF stretching.
To get the best results, aim for 2–3 sets held for 30–120 seconds per muscle, ideally daily.
Importantly, while stretching works, there is no evidence that it is the best way to improve flexibility. Lifting weights with a full range of motion is at least as effective.
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Muscle Stiffness
If your muscles feel tight, you’re experiencing the definition of muscle stiffness.
Stretching is a proven way to acutely and chronically reduce muscle stiffness.
But less stiffness isn’t always better.
Some stiffness is actually good for performance for athletes in sports that require explosive power (jumping, sprinting, and weightlifting, for example). It helps with energy storage and release.
What Stretching Doesn’t Do
Myth-busting time.
The expert panel poured some cold water on a few of the most popular reasons people stretch.
Injury Prevention
This might be the toughest pill to swallow for many, including athletes and sports coaches, who have spent a lot of time and energy stretching in the hope that it will prevent injuries.
The panel does not recommend stretching as a general strategy for injury prevention.
While there’s some evidence that it might reduce muscle injuries, a potential increase in bone and joint injuries could cancel out that benefit.
In short, the science doesn’t support stretching as a shield against injury. Strength and stability training are more effective.
Post-Exercise Recovery
Quick question: how many times have you heard that you should stretch after a workout to ward off muscle soreness?
According to the evidence, it’s not really doing anything.
The panel found that stretching doesn’t meaningfully reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) or speed up your strength and ROM recovery.
It doesn’t hurt, so if it feels good and helps you wind down, go for it. But don’t expect post-workout stretching to actually help you recover faster.
Posture
Many people turn to stretching (your hip flexors say hello), hoping to undo the damage of sitting all day.
Unfortunately, the expert panel, in 100% agreement, concluded that isolated stretching is ineffective for improving posture.
The real key to improving posture? Strength training for weak muscles. Not random stretching.
The Gray Area: Where Stretching Might Help
Not everything about stretching is black and white.
Here are the topics where the answer is “It depends.”
Stretching Before a Workout
The experts recommend avoiding static stretching for more than 60 seconds right before you need to be strong or explosive.
Doing so can temporarily reduce your force production.
Basically, it can make you weaker for a few hours. Not exactly what you want before a deadlift session.
The smarter alternative is to do short-duration static stretches during a dynamic warm-up or stick to dynamic stretching like leg swings and arm circles.
If you stretch before training, that is. You don’t have to.
Stretching for Strength and Muscle Growth
This might come as a surprise, but research shows that chronic stretching (and a lot of it) can build a little muscle and strength.
But the dose is massive. We’re talking at least 15 minutes of static stretching per muscle daily for at least 6 weeks.
And it’s doubtful if it’s very effective if you are already lifting.
The panel doesn’t recommend stretching to gain strength and muscle mass. Resistance training is far more effective.
However, it could be useful for people who are unable to do traditional weight training.
Vascular Health
Some preliminary studies have shown that stretching might be beneficial for the vascular system (arterial stiffness, heart rate variability, and endothelial function).
However, it’s too early to say how effective it really is. Even so, the experts recommend 15 minutes of static stretching per muscle, 5 days per week, as an alternative for those who can’t do traditional exercise.
Final Rep: Stretch with a Purpose
These recommendations don’t mean you should stop stretching.
It means you should start stretching with a clear purpose.
Know why you are doing it.
- Want to be more flexible? Stretch away.
- Warming up for a workout? Keep your stretches short and dynamic. If you do them at all.
- Trying to prevent injuries, recover faster, or fix your posture? Your time is better spent on other things like a well-designed strength training program.
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