Should You Stretch Before Or After Weight Training

It’s no secret that regular stretching helps increase your flexibility, range of motion, and blood flow to your muscles — but when is a good time to stretch during your exercise? Should you stretch before or after weight training?

This has been widely debated in the fitness industry for years and the answer is different depending on the type of workout. For weight training specifically, the answer may surprise you: It’s actually best to save the stretching for after your workout.

Let’s take a closer look at why that is. This article will explore the different types of stretches, which one works better for weight training, and exactly why it’s better to wait till after your workout.

The debate explained

It’s a question hotly debated: Should I stretch before or after my workout if I want to prevent injury and soreness?

Previously, experts argued it was important to stretch before a workout to encourage blood flow to the muscle group and prevent injury.

Your muscles are made out of groups of small fibers, which can tear if they’re strained during exercise. These experts believed that stretching would make your muscles more flexible and less likely to tear.

But recent studies have now shown that stretching a healthy muscle before your workout doesn’t prevent injury or soreness, and it actually has little benefit. They actually found that stretching a cold and tight muscle can increase your risk of injury instead.

Dynamic vs static stretching

In any case, regular stretching is still recommended to improve your flexibility. And experts agree it’s recommended that stretching your major muscle groups at least twice a week for every hour of exercise is beneficial.

But which type of stretching should you do? We’ll focus on the two most common types of stretching in this article: Dynamic and static stretching.

Dynamic stretching and examples

Dynamic, as the name suggests, includes active movements that make you move your muscles. The objective is not to hold the position, but rather to perform movements targeting specific muscle groups for several repetitions. Movements should still feel controlled though, so avoid bouncing or throwing your body around.

This type of stretch should copy the movements you will make during your weight training session and get the blood flowing. Some examples of dynamic stretches include:

Related: What Type Of Stretching Should Runners Perform and When?

Static stretching and examples

On the other hand, static stretching involves holding a specific position for a specific length of time. The objective here is to move a joint as far as it can go and stretch the muscle that way. As with dynamic stretches, your body should be warmed up before you start and movements should be controlled.

With static stretches, movements are repeated two to three times each to increase flexibility. Some examples of static stretching include:

Static stretching before exercise has fallen by the wayside in recent years because it was found to have detrimental effects if implemented before a workout.

These days, it’s recommended to incorporate static stretches as part of your cool-down routine after your workout instead.

Related: Best Post-Run Static Stretches For Runners

Stretching for weight training

If you haven’t guessed yet, it’s recommended to do static stretching after your weight training if you want to reduce soreness and speed up recovery time.

And that’s because during weight training, your muscle fibers shorten and tighten so stretching afterward will help them return to their normal state.

Plus, you’ll already feel more flexible because of the increased circulation to those muscles you trained during your session so you’ll get the most out of your static stretches now.

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What to do before your workout instead

Instead of static stretching, try a gradual and active warm-up to get the blood flowing to the muscle groups and joints you plan to train during your session. You can incorporate some dynamic stretches here, plus a short walk or slow jog — and it can be as short as 5-10 minutes.

For example, if you’re planning to focus on your lower body, then incorporating walking lunges, squats and leg swings with a brisk walk can be much more effective than a hamstring or quadriceps stretch.

Remember to increase the pace of your warm-up gradually to give your heart and muscles enough time to respond to the increasing intensity of the exercise. It’s also important to do your dynamic stretches after you’ve warmed up your body with a walk or slow jog.

Related: Should you do cardio before or after weight training?

In summary

It’s important to incorporate both a warm-up and cool-down period during your workout to reduce your risk of injury and soreness. And it’s beneficial to stretch twice a week for every 60 minutes of exercise that you do.

For weight training, a warm-up that incorporates some dynamic stretches is recommended, while a cool down with static stretches is best saved for after your workout.

Related: Is Running Bad For Your Knees? 

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References

https://www.modernsportsphysio.com/Sports-Activities/Weightlifting/Stretching-Guide-for-Weight-Lifting/a~2936/article.html

https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/how-to-stretch

https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-stretching#types

https://www.fit19.com/blog/is-stretching-before-or-after-working-out-better#:~:text=It’s%20best%20to%20stretch%20after%20weightlifting%20to%20reduce,and%20speed%20up%20recovery%20time.&text=The%20main%20goal%20of%20resistance,injuries%20such%20as%20pulled%20muscles.

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