Is Stretching at the Gym Harmful or Helpful?

Stretching is something we all do at some point, even if you aren’t following any sort of training plan. Maybe you stretch as you get out of bed in the morning, or twist your hips around to loosen up a tight back - we all know stretching, while slightly painful, often makes us feel a whole lot better immediately.  However, when it comes to working out, and optimizing your strength, performance, and recovery, is stretching helpful or harmful? As with many things, the answer depends on the context, but the way that I see most people stretching in the gym is incorrect, and is only hurting their progress rather than enhancing it. Let’s look at the right way. Static vs. Dynamic StretchingNot all stretching is created equal, so let’s first define our terms. Static stretching is the traditional stretching we all know. Leaning forward to grab your toes, trying to stretch your arms and shoulders out after a long drive, a deep hamstring or butterfly stretch - think about the stretching where you find a tight spot, and hold it there. Dynamic stretching involves movement, so you’re reaching the furthest point in your range of motion, but rather than holding that point and continuing to push, you’re moving the joint around. Swinging a leg back and forth, arm circles, these things where you’re constantly moving during the stretch would be considered dynamic stretching. The Most Common Stretching Mistake The single most common stretching mistake we see in gyms is people doing long, static stretches before a workout. And why not? This makes sense, it feels good, and it probably feels like you’re loosening u p and getting ready to workout if you do static stretching before your workout. Yes, you’re loosening up your muscles, but not in the way you want. Muscle tissue is very elastic, similar to a rubber band, so when you stretch it, it wants to get back to it’s normal position. As you lift weights, your muscles stretch and then return to the starting or contracted position with each rep. Think of the elasticity of your muscles sort of like shooting or snapping a rubber band - as soon as you pull back and let go, that band is moving fast.When you’re working out, your muscles are stretched at the bottom of a lift, and while strength is the primary factor that moves you back to your starting position, the elasticity and stretch reflex of your muscles also plays a big role. If your muscles have a good stretch reflex, that will aid you in lifting more weight. To feel this in action, try doing some calf raises on a step, first bouncing up and down on your toes, and then doing them with a 3-4 second pause at the bottom. Which one feels more difficult?That slow, controlled movement is going to be harder, as you’ve taken out the stretch reflex. You don’t spring back as you normally would, rather your muscle is stretched, loose, and now you have to rely solely on your own strength to get back to normal. Let’s get back to the rubber band example; this time imagine trying to shoot a rubber band across a room, but after you pull it back and line up the shot, you hold it there for 20 seconds before letting go.Now that you’ve stretched the elastic, it’s probably not going to go very far at all. This is what happens when you do long, deep stretches before working out - it might feel good, but now your muscles have lost some of their “snap,” and you won’t be able to lift as much weight as when the muscles are still very elastic. How to Stretch CorrectlyThis isn’t to hate on stretching; there’s a time and place for it, and after your workout, doing some of those deep stretches can feel good, get some blood flowing, and help your recovery. You just don’t want to be too loose before you workout, so it’s best to save the deep and slow stretching for after, when your muscles are still warm, but you’re in the cooldown phase. As for stretching before a workout, some kind of dynamic stretching as part of a warm up routine is going to be your best option. Leg swings, skipping, shoulder rotations, these things will still get your muscle moving through a full range of motion, get you loosened up, and get some blood flowing, but because you aren’t holding any stretch in one position, you won’t lose the elasticity of your muscles.The exact mobility routine and dynamic stretches you use should be individual to your needs, but rest assured, dynamic stretching before a workout will be better than static stretching just about every time.