{"id":1834,"date":"2018-05-31T19:11:09","date_gmt":"2018-05-31T19:11:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.targitfit.com\/blog\/?p=1834"},"modified":"2018-06-12T16:34:08","modified_gmt":"2018-06-12T16:34:08","slug":"1834-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.targitfit.com\/blog\/1834-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Stretching Debate"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"05311801\"<\/a>Ever since junior high school PE class, the importance of stretching before exercise has been drilled into our heads. Some instructors say it\u2019s to warm-up your muscles and get blood flowing while others say it\u2019s to improve muscle elasticity and range of motion, and some will tell you stretching does both for the ultimate goal of avoiding injury. If you\u2019ve gone through life adhering to the pre-workout stretching rule, you probably feel that it\u2019s served you well. In general, stretching does increase blood flow and elongate the muscles. However, research has sparked a debate over when you should stretch and what types of stretches you should perform.<\/p>\n

The Research<\/h4>\n

In 2013, a study was published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research<\/a> which revealed that certain types of stretches performed before or during exercise actually weakened muscles. That works against you when your goal is to increase strength by upping the amount you lift. It needs to be noted that the offending stretches were static stretches\u2014ones in which you hold the stretch for up to 30 seconds. It\u2019s thought that elongating and relaxing the muscles hinders their ability to emit force, so you aren\u2019t able to lift as much after static stretching. That\u2019s not to say that you can\u2019t increase strength if you do a few static stretches before you lift. The study simply showed a weakening<\/em> of muscles that were statically stretched. That means you won\u2019t gain as much strength as you possibly could otherwise.<\/p>\n

Beneficial Stretches<\/h4>\n
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Image by Anabolic Aliens\/YouTube<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

So here\u2019s the thing: it seems that dynamic stretches don\u2019t affect muscle strength as static stretches do. In fact, a different study<\/a> also published in the JSCR compared the two types of stretches and found that the dynamic ones actually increase muscle power and enhance performance. That\u2019s better than good news for those who feel the need to stretch before a workout. It means you have options and the best one can help with those strength gains you\u2019ve been chasing.<\/p>\n

Just in case you\u2019re not familiar with dynamic stretching, it\u2019s the technique in which you move throughout the stretch rather than holding it. Some examples of dynamic stretches<\/a> include:<\/p>\n