Stretching Leaves You Weak

To stretch or not to stretch: that has been the question for several years now, as study after study indicates one answer, then the other. Now comes Gretchen Reynolds of the New York Times with a report on the latest studies. One, in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, found that stretching before lifting weights can leave you with less strength during your workout. Another, published in The Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, reviewed 104 existing studies, a sufficient number to come up with persuasive evidence. Reynolds writes that the study found that static stretching reduces strength in the stretched muscles by almost 5.5 percent, with the impact increasing in people who hold individual stretches for 90 seconds or more. While the effect is reduced somewhat when people’s stretches last less than 45 seconds, stretched muscles are, in general, substantially less strong. What to do, instead of stretching? Reynolds suggests that we “warm-up dynamically, by moving the muscles that will be called upon in your workout. Jumping jacks and toy-soldier-like high leg kicks, for instance, prepare muscles for additional exercise better than stretching.”