Should You Stretch Before or After Your Workout?

I get asked this question often, and if you train at Thrive, you already know we stretch our clients out before every session. “BUT, you’ll injure yourself if you stretch before.” NO, you will not.

However, If you have less than optimal mobility throughout your body, then I guarantee you that you will injure yourself. This is based on real life evidence based training with the highest level athletes, senior citizens, kids, and everyone in between for over 16 years. You want the secret to becoming the best athlete possible, it all starts with optimal mobility.

I suggest you start static stretching daily, and hold each stretch for :90 minimum, and ease into every stretch. Be sure to breathe deeply through every stretch, to allow your body and muscles to fully relax and absorb each stretch. If you’re performing light stretches in the morning or before bed, there is no need to warmup. However, for pre-workout stretches, I always suggest a short 5-10 minute full body warmup, ex: skierg, assault bike, jogging, rowing, dynamic stretches, etc.

If you’re unsure of how to stretch, please use these links below as a reference to start your journey. Some of these are more advanced than others, and there are many alternatives, variations, and progressions to build off of from here.

Thrive Static stretches

One of the great benefits of personal training at Thrive Training Facility in Ann Arbor with my team, is that you get stretched out thoroughly before every session. Not only does it feel amazing, it gets you ready to get after your workout with intensity, safely and effectively.

Stretching before a workout provides many benefits, such as:

1. Improved mobility and flexibility. Stretching helps improve the range of motion in your joints, allowing for better movement and proper use of muscle groups intended to train. If your mobility is not optimal, make that your #1 priority to build a solid foundation.

2. Injury prevention and rehab. By increasing mobility and warming up your muscles, stretching can help reduce the risk of injury during exercise or sports such as: overuse injuries, pulled muscles, non-contact injuries, and unwanted tendon/ligament tears.

3. Enhanced performance. Static and dynamic stretching before a workout can help improve blood flow to your muscles, enhance muscle activation, and prepare your body for the upcoming exercise or sport, leading to better performance overall.

4. Mental preparation: Stretching can also help you mentally prepare for your workout by allowing you to focus on your breathing and centering your mind.

If you DO NOT stretch pre-workout, there are high chances you’ll over train and overuse the wrong muscle groups, while creating and worsening current muscle imbalances, whether it’s through sports, your job, your posture, etc. Not stretching will quickly lead to injuries. 

Let me give you an example: you go out for a run or sprint for your sport without warming up, and you’re already a quad dominant athlete, meaning, you have tight and weak hamstrings from poor mobility so you overuse your quads instead. Since you’re quad dominant, your running form isn’t optimal and you heel strike when you run. That heel strike and lack of hamstring activation can quickly lead to a pulled hamstring.

Another example: You perform RDL’s to strengthen your hamstrings, but instead, you only feel them in your lower back and it doesn’t feel good. Instead of being able to properly hinge with optimal hamstring mobility, you bend over too far or round your back instead, leading to an unwanted back injury.

Last one: You bench press regularly and never stretch your shoulders. Eventually, your rotator cuffs get tight from lack of mobility and/or overusing one arm more, and now all of a sudden, bench presses, pushups, etc, all hurt your shoulder instead of training the intended muscle groups. 

Dynamic stretches are also very important for muscle activation and preparedness before a workout. Dynamic stretches, unlike the static stretches that you hold, are movement based stretches to warm you up and allow for better muscle activation. Here are quite a few calisthenic exercises and dynamic warmup videos for you to try:

Thrive Dynamic Warmups

Now that you’ve heard all of the amazing benefits of pre-workout stretching, I should note that post workout stretching is also amazing for you. Post workout stretches are designed to enhance your mobility even further, since your body is already primed and warmed up, and you’ll be able to push your stretches farther than you would pre-workout.

Stretching after a workout can offer even more positive benefits, including:

1. Reduced muscle soreness. Stretching after a workout can help alleviate muscle tightness and reduce the risk of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) by promoting blood flow to the muscles, and aiding in the removal of lactic acid buildup.

2. Enhanced recovery: Stretching can help promote muscle recovery by reducing muscle tension, preventing muscle imbalances, and improving circulation to deliver nutrients to the muscles.

3. Injury prevention: Regular post-workout stretching can help prevent injuries by maintaining muscle function, joint mobility, and overall flexibility.

4. Relaxation and stress relief: Stretching after exercise can provide a calming effect on the body and mind, helping to reduce stress and promote relaxation.

Remember to hold each stretch for about :90 and focus on breathing deeply to enhance the effectiveness of your post-workout stretching routine.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and it inspires you to start stretching daily. Getting older doesn’t make you stiff, getting stiffer makes you old!

• Amir Rad

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