Muscle stretches are a huge part of most workout routines, mostly as a component of a warm-up. Key reasons for their inclusion include injury prevention and performance optimization. However, there's a confusion about their relevance and significance as a form of physical exercise.
Are stretches really necessary, or another waste of time based on unfounded beliefs?
This article aims to provide evidence-based answers to this key question. We'll first set out to look at the basics of stretching, before diving into an in-depth look at the efficacy of stretching techniques and their implications to everyday practice.
The Basics
Let’s start with a few basic concepts to lay the ground-work for understanding answers to the question above.
Stretching exercises have one common goal, and that is to improve a key component of physical fitness, known as Flexibility. In case you’re unaware, Flexibility refers to the ability of your joints and related soft tissues (i.e. muscles, tendons) to move through a range of motion. Limited flexibility comes with increased risk of injuries, and compromised physical performance.
Muscle stretching primarily aims at reducing muscle tightness and restoring optimal muscle length, thus improving joint range of motion. Effects are not limited to muscles only. Stretching may also help with reducing tightness and restoring normal tissue length in other relevant structures within and around the joint such as Ligaments and Tendons.
Types of Stretching
Stretches are split into three main categories. Let’s take a quick look:
Static Stretches
This is probably the most popular type of stretching due to its simplicity and efficacy. In basic terms, it involves holding the stretch in a target muscle group over a period of time, typically between 15 seconds-1 minute. This is achieved by maintaining a specific position devised to apply an optimal stretch to the target muscle group.
Dynamic Stretches
This type involves applying short, quick stretches to a target muscle group. Dynamic Stretches in themselves can be split further into two categories, depending on the range of movement:
- Active: Essentially the basic dynamic stretch, where you move your limbs through the whole range of a specific movement.
- Ballistic Stretch: Involves bouncing movements at full range of a movement. However, this is strongly discouraged as it intrinsically comes with increased risk of muscle injuries.
Pre-contraction Stretching
This is an unconventional but highly effective form of stretching, commonly used in physical rehabilitation settings to restore normal range of motion. In basic terms, it involves activating the target muscle group through various techniques before it’s put into a stretched position.
There is a number of techniques which take stretching efficacy to a whole new level i.e. Hold-Relax, and contract-relax techniques. The downside is that these can be tricky to properly execute on your own. Chances are you’ll need someone who’s trained and well-versed in these techniques to help you grind it out with good results.
Are These Stretching Techniques Worth It? What's Collective Research Evidence Saying?
It’s a no-brainer that regular stretching improves joint flexibility, whether it’s done as a part of a workout routine or a standalone daily physical activity. This is evident in the current research literature looking into the efficacy of stretches on flexibility and physical performance. A 2023 scientific review, published in the Journal of Sports Medicine, looked at the effects of various stretching techniques on joint range of motion. After a rigorous analysis of over 43 studies, the researchers observed small magnitude improvements in range of motion following a single bout of stretching. This generally agrees with previous systematic reviews on the subject carried out over the past decade.
The Positive effect on Range of Motion means improved flexibility, which should translate to lower risk of injury and better performance. However, this view should be treated with caution. Based on the majority of studies, stretching shouldn’t be treated as the ultimate measure against potential injuries, especially during high-intensity physical exercise.
Research reviews investigating effects of muscle stretching on injury risk continue to show no convincing evidence to support the use of stretching routines for injury prevention. A 2023 review, published in the Journal of Sports Medicine, provides one of the most recent research efforts on the subject. The researchers set out to investigate potential effects of dynamic stretching on injury incidence in athletes and discovered that though dynamic stretching improves range of motion, there is no clear evidence suggesting the same effect on other relevant factors and injury prevention as a whole.
These findings are similar to earlier studies looking into effects of Static stretching on overall risk of injury. A 2008 study done by scholars from the University of Western Cape looked into the effect of stretching in sports injury prevention. In conclusion, the authors observed that stretches do not “give a practical useful reduction in the risk of injuries”.
This shows that though there are observable effects on joint range of motion, their magnitude isn’t big enough for a meaningful impact on the injury risk profile. However, this doesn’t mean that stretches should be thrown out the window. They are still a great way of addressing both subtle and pronounced flexibility limitations which may potentially impact on exercise performance.
So, What’s the Best Type of Stretching? When Should You Stretch?
Prolonged Static stretches have long been labeled as a counter-productive intervention before high-intensity exercise due to their negative effects on muscle strength and power. This is based on various research findings spanning the past two decades.
However, recent evidence suggests that static stretches shouldn’t be completely thrown off the menu. It all depends on the stretch duration. Studies indicate that static stretches have a negative impact on muscle strength and general performance when the stretch duration goes beyond 60 seconds. Two major research reviews, conducted in 2012 and 2016, show that static stretches held for less than 60 seconds do not have substantial effects on muscle strength. In other words, the effects are not big enough to affect a muscle's performance during high intensity physical activity.
When it comes to dynamic stretches, it turns out to be a positive story. Unlike static stretches, studies seem to be in their favor when it comes to effect on muscle performance. A 2018 literature review, published in the journal of Sports Medicine, looked into immediate effects of dynamic stretching on flexibility and exercise performance. In the end, researchers labeled dynamic stretches as a better alternative to static stretches on the basis that they are less intruding on muscle force generation.
This leads us to a single conclusion:
Both stretching methods can be slotted in at the beginning of workouts for purposes of optimizing flexibility. However, you'll need to be careful with static stretches, anything beyond 60 seconds in terms of stretch duration can have detrimental effects on muscle strength, and thus exercise performance. However, dynamic stretches should be the first choice if you're looking for an optimal stretching method before an intense workout as they essentially obliterate chances of stretch-related muscle strength losses.
Looking to exploit the benefits of this stretching technique? talk to one of our experienced trainers in the experts section.
At the end of the workout, stretching can help with addressing the risk of post-exercise muscle tightness, thus preserving overall flexibility. There’s a belief that stretches can help with offsetting muscle soreness, but scientific research is still yet to prove its validity.
Bottom line
Stretches are a highly effective way of optimizing joint flexibility before exercise, to optimize exercise performance. Dynamic stretches provide a better overall alternative to static stretches as they are not associated with negative effects on muscle strength and performance. However, static stretches provide an easier-to-execute alternative that essentially obliterates undesirable effects associated with static stretches. That's only the beginning of the story though. Just like any strength training workout, you hot to do it the right way. Different muscle groups have different optimal movements or positions for the best results.
