Stretching: Best before or after Exercise?

Most people know that “warming up” before exercising or playing a sport is important.  But many either skip it, or simply don’t know how to do it effectively.  Historically, static stretching (think of the standard bending, stretching, and long holding of a muscle group in a stretched position) was thought to be the best way to prevent injuries.  However, more and more evidence suggests that it gives no injury prevention benefit, and may actually hinder performance.

A recent systematic review compared nine modern warm-up strategies to a “normal” routine of static stretching.  The results of all of them again were that static stretching doesn't work as well.

In truth, most of us are weekend warriors that don’t have the time or resources to go through vigorous protocols.  We simply want to have fun and try not to get hurt.  My recommendation would be to skip the static stretching.  Instead try starting with some jumping jacks, twisting your torso left and right, or swinging your legs back and forth.  Follow that with about 5-10 minutes of light simulation of whatever you may be doing.  If you’re about to play tennis have an easy rally with your partner while slowly sliding left and right, if you’re about to run then walk or lightly jog the first 1/4 mile, or if you’re playing basketball then shoot the ball a few times and slowly jog to get your own rebounds.  

What’s most important is to get a good amount of blood circulating to your muscles and soft tissues to get them warm and keep them properly nourished.  Once you start to break a bit of a sweat, your core temperature has risen and you’re probably ready.  If there is a place for static stretching, it is probably after the workout is over.  And don’t forget to drink plenty of water too.  

If you have questions or comments, please feel free to  comment below!

Contributed by: Kenneth Q. Hoang, DC