Sport · Mobility

Stretching: before, after, or not at all?

4 Min. read YUTHI Redaktion

Stretching before exercise protects against injuries and muscle soreness — for decades this was the rule in school sports. Neither has been confirmed. What stretching can actually do, and when it makes sense.

Two types that are often confused

Static stretching means: take a position and hold it for thirty to sixty seconds until you feel a pull. Dynamic stretching means: moving through the range of motion in a controlled way — leg swings, arm circles, lunges with trunk rotation. Both are called "stretching" in everyday language, but they work differently.

This difference explains most of the confusion around the topic. The critical study findings of the last twenty years relate almost exclusively to long static stretching immediately before physical exertion. For dynamic stretching in the warm-up, the opposite applies — it prepares you.

What long stretching before exercise does

Behm and colleagues summarised the evidence in 2016. Their finding: static stretching for more than sixty seconds per muscle group measurably reduces maximum strength, jump power and sprint performance immediately afterwards — by a few percent. The effect lasts around ten to twenty minutes and is greater the longer the stretch.

The explanation lies in muscle-tendon stiffness. Stretching temporarily reduces the stiffness of this unit, and it is precisely this stiffness the body needs to transfer force quickly. For thirty seconds or less, however, the disadvantage is small to undetectable — if you like a brief stretch, there's no need to stop.

Injury protection and muscle soreness

The large review by Lauersen and colleagues from 2014 compared which measures actually reduce sports injuries. Strength training reduced the risk considerably, as did multi-component programmes. Stretching showed no demonstrable protective effect. The result was clear enough that the old school sports rule has not been tenable since.

For muscle soreness, the finding is even clearer. A Cochrane review by Herbert and colleagues evaluated studies on stretching before and after exercise: symptoms were about one point lower on a hundred-point scale the following day — a difference no one notices. Anyone stretching to prevent muscle soreness is stretching for the wrong reason.

What stretching can actually do

Increase mobility — and reliably so. Regular static stretching measurably expands range of motion when practised over weeks. This is not a side effect, but the actual purpose, and it is valuable for many sports and for everyday life.

A second finding is noteworthy: Afonso and colleagues compared strength training and stretching directly in 2021. Strength training through the full range of motion improved mobility just as well as stretching. So anyone performing deep squats, deadlifts and overhead presses with good form is already working on their mobility — while also building strength.

The practical breakdown

Before training: warm up instead of stretching. Five to ten minutes of easy cycling, walking or jogging, then dynamic movements for the muscle groups that are about to work. This raises muscle temperature, improves motor control and prepares the joints — without dampening strength.

After training or on rest days: stretch statically if you want to work on mobility. Two to three times per week, two to three sets of thirty seconds per muscle group, to a clear pull but not to pain. For acute injuries, fresh muscle tears or joint problems, this is a question for physiotherapy — this content is not a substitute for treatment.

How the YUTHI app helps you

Mobility changes slowly, and that's exactly why you barely notice progress without measurement. In the app you log stretching sessions as a separate session and record measurable values — how far you reach in a forward bend, how deep your squat goes, how far your shoulder rotates back. After eight weeks you see a line instead of a feeling.

Vito and Vita put it in context rather than giving blanket stretching advice. If you do long static stretching before a strength session, they point out the performance loss. And if your goal is mobility, they show you that strength training performed cleanly through the full range of motion does the same job.

Continue in the app

That was the snapshot. The app turns it into daily support.

Measure every day instead of calculating once: Vito or Vita puts your numbers in context, builds you a weekly plan and speaks up when something stands out.

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