Should you stretch before a workout? There was a time when stretching felt mandatory, and I felt the need to tell you guys that it’s OK not to. But the pendulum has now swung the other way, and influencers are telling you that stretching will kill your gains—but that’s not really true either. Let’s break down the pros and cons of stretching before a workout, so you can figure out what you should actually do next time you go to the gym.
Stretching can increase your range of motion temporarily
Stretching increases your short-term range of motion, as you’ll notice if you try to touch your toes 10 times in a row. Your first attempt might not get your hands very far toward the ground, but by the 10th you’ll be reaching a lot lower than you did at first.
You can also increase your long-term range of motion by stretching. Your pre-workout stretches can contribute to that, although it’s good to also do some stretching and other flexibility work after your workout (or as its own workout) if that’s your goal.
NewMe Fitness Stretching Workout Cards $19.97 at Amazon $20.96 Save $0.99 Get Deal Get Deal $19.97 at Amazon $20.96 Save $0.99As I’ve discussed before, stretching does have a small, temporary effect where it decreases the amount of power you can get out of the muscle that was stretched. But, to be clear, this requires you to do some pretty deep stretching of the exact muscle the strength exercise will work, and to do it right before the strength work. If you do that, yeah, you might notice you can’t lift quite as much.
Stretching isn’t necessary to prevent injury
There’s an old myth that stretching prevents injury. It’s been pretty thoroughly debunked, so if you’re only stretching before workouts because you think it’s necessary to stay safe and healthy, you can skip this part. We all have limited time in the gym, so it’s probably better to use this time for a few stretches that help prepare you for your workout, and then get on with the rest of the day’s training.
Instead, try dynamic stretches. I’m secretly convinced the benefit of these is just that they get you moving, not that they incorporate a stretch. Jogging with high knees and butt kicks is a dynamic stretch, but regular jogging is probably almost as good. You can also do any other kind of gentle movement that helps you feel less stiff. A yoga flow, like a sun salutation, is a good way to run through warmup movements for all your body parts.
What to do before a workout
So, figure out if there are movements that could benefit from some extra range of motion in a given body part. Some workouts might not need mobility work, and that’s OK—for example, if you’re doing bench press and bicep curls, you might be fine without any stretches in the warmup. (That said, some stretches for your back might help you get a stronger position in the bench press, which in turn stabilizes your shoulders. Just saying.)
For these workout-specific stretches, it’s okay to do static stretching (in which you hold a position for several seconds). It’s also fine to do dynamic stretches if you feel those work better for you, or even to foam roll for mobility. Figure out what works for you.
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