To Stretch or Not To Stretch?

This is probably one of the most common questions I get from clients. Or, more likely, it’ll come in the form of a statement, as in:  “I know I should probably stretch after our sessions.  Right?”

Not surprisingly, the answer is: It depends on the context (betcha weren’t expecting that one). 

If this were the 1970s, extortations of stretching, warming up, before and after exercise might have ensued.  However, it’s 2008, and we know better now.  We know that stretching prior to exercise does little to nothing, since cold tissues don’t stretch, and you’re likely to overstretch and compromise joint integrity in doing so.  We also know that stretching after exercise is pretty useless as well, at least for the benefits often stated: injury prevention and decreased soreness.

So what is stretching good for?

Well, if you’re like this person, probably nothing.

However, if you’re one of these guys, then yes; you should stretch. 

 

Confused?  Don’t be.  Here’s why:

In the sports depicted above, greater-than-normal ranges of motion (ROM) are required.  If you didn’t have the excessive joint mobility required to succeed at these sports, you can’t play the game well.  Is it beneficial for long-term joint health?  Probably not (definitely not if sufficient strength isn’t developed in the muscles that surround those joints).

If course, the weightlifter in the above example shouldn’t stretch before his max attempts.

How else may stretching be beneficial?  Injured individuals may benefit from stretching as they experience a “true” shortening of muscle and connective tissue, as a result of the injury.  This is an adaptive response, meant to protect you from greater harm (e.g., you blow out one of your lumbar discs; your lower back muscles instantly seize, effectively ”locking up” your back, preventing further movement, and further injury).  Or, in cases of trauma, the scar tissue that replaces healthy tissue is more fibrous and much less elastic, so stretching is necessary just to maintain normal ROM.

Note that this adaptive shortening is different from the “tightness” most people feel as a result of inactivity (i.e., weakness).  What seems like “tight hamstrings” isn’t tightness as a result of shortening, but results from something else.

Summary:

• If your goal is fat loss, general health, or muscle gain, then you don’t need to stretch.
• You should stretch if a) your sport demands high (read: greater than normal) levels of flexibility, or b) you’ve sustained an injury and are trying to return to “normal” ROM.