Skip The Stretching And Crush Your Workout!

First Things First...

The stretching I'm discussing in this post refers to pre-workout stretching, and not yoga or stretching that takes place as part of therapy or rehab.

Why don’t I need to stretch before my workout?

Stretching a) is not what most people think it is, and b) doesn’t do what most people think it does.

Muscles are not rubber bands- they cannot be stretched beyond their length when relaxed. Muscles can only be shortened through contraction.

That muscles have a certain range beyond which they cannot be moved is protective: the “stretch reflex-” an involuntary contraction triggered at the extreme end of a muscle’s range- comes into play to prevent injury to joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles. What you’re doing by stretching is actually trying to desensitize the nervous system into allowing a wider range of motion than it feels is safe. And the negligible benefit is hard-won: to gain even a few degrees of extra flexibility requires hours of daily stretching over years. Add to this cost-benefit analysis the fact that stretching increases the risk of injury, reduces strength, and may result in the further injury risk through lower joint stability, and it’s clear that stretching before a workout is simply not worth doing. The best way to increase one’s flexibility is to become stronger, which will tell the nervous system to dial down its sensitivity.

What about that guy/girl I saw doing splits on youtube?

Joint flexibility is largely determined by genetics, and those that are more flexible tend to gravitate towards activities that favor increased flexibility- dance, martial arts, yoga, contortionism, etc.- in the same way that those favored with the genes for height often become basketball players. So, attempting to become as flexible as a circus performer is equally pointless as to trying to become as tall as a basketball player- it's your genes.

It should also be mentioned that there are numerous published studies indicating that stretching actually reduces flexibility. Think about it: stretching beyond what is safe is very likely to damage the tendons and ligaments of a joint, and the nervous system will then counter this with an increasingly sensitive stretch reflex.

But I need to warm up!

There is also a widespread belief that stretching “warms up” the targeted musculature. This is as pointless as “trying to cook a steak by pulling on it,” as one researcher has put it. Heat is generated through metabolic activity, which means muscle contraction. Stretching places a “cold” muscle in its most-relaxed position, and attempts to contract it in that disadvantaged state- it’s difficult to envision a more direct way to injure oneself. The correct way to warm up before an activity is to perform a less-intense version of that activity: walk, then jog before running; skate easily around the rink before the hockey game; cycle lightly before the spin class (of course, if you're doing a spin class, you're not really "saving time," right?)

Doesn’t stretching reduce my risk of injury?

Pre-workout stretching absolutely does not prevent injury: there are numerous published studies from sources such as the CDC showing no improvement on rate of injury, and there is even one study from 1994 that showed an association between stretching and an increased rate of injury at the Honolulu Marathon. Consider also the well-known fact that most sports injuries occur during practice, a not-insignificant portion of which is dedicated to... wait for it... stretching.

Won’t stretching make me stronger?

Stretching has also been shown to reduce strength, in that it decreases one’s neural control over a muscle, thereby weakening its contraction force. This effect has been observed with stretches lasting as briefly as 30 seconds, with a reduction in strength that can persist as long as an hour. A study of trained runners who stretched before a time trial found they became less efficient and covered less distance.

But I like to stretch!

This says nothing about the efficacy of stretching. I’ve heard this argument used in favor of eating a poor diet, performing ineffective forms of exercise, and engaging in risky behavior.

The bottom line is, Timesaver Strength is trying to, well, save you time- both in the sense that the workouts are designed to minimize wasteful activities, and in the sense that I want you to spend as little time being injured as possible. Proper strength training will go a long way to improving your flexibility to its maximum allowed by your genetics, without wasting time trying to hurt yourself.

Most people are confused about how to get in shape. At TimeSaver Strength, I've created a simple, super-efficient program that condenses an entire week of workouts into just a few minutes so you won't waste time doing things that don't work. Schedule a free consult with me now!