Fitness Fact or Fiction: Stretching is the Best Exercise Warm Up
One of the most common fitness myths I’ve seen involves stretching as an exercise warm-up method. Many people still incorporate static movements into their pre-exercise routine, but research suggests other methods are more beneficial. Let’s talk this myth out!
What Should a Warm-Up Do?
Generally speaking, an exercise warm-up should prepare your body for more intense or challenging movement and reduce your risk of injury. Going into a workout “cold” or without preparing your muscles and joints can reduce performance and potentially increase an individual’s risk of injury.
However, it’s important to note that not just any movement before exercise really counts as an effective warm-up. This paper does an excellent job of summarizing the purpose of warming up: “[t]he warm-up is designed to increase muscle/tendon suppleness, stimulate blood flow to the periphery, increase body temperature, and enhance free, coordinated movement.”
To put it simply, relying on static stretching to prepare you for your workout is fitness fiction. As we’ll discuss below, static stretching is most beneficial for lengthening muscles and tendons, which isn’t always optimal before exercise. Instead, dynamic movements that increase heart rate and put muscles through their appropriate range of motions without overlengthening them are key.
Including a Dynamic Exercise Warm Up
Based on the definition above, there’s more that goes into effectively preparing for your workout than toe touches and spinal twists.
This study compared the effects of a dynamic warmup, static stretching, and no warmup prior to a workout. The dynamic group (performing 10 repetitions of exercises including squats, push-ups, prone rows, and more,) experienced some performance enhancement in the activities used to measure results. Conversely, the static and no-warmup groups had similar results of no improvement, except in one area (the 5-step jump,) where the static group performed better.
Here’s another study comparing the effects of a dynamic versus static warm-up (the dynamic again includes 10 repetitions of exercises such as push up, squats, and shuttle runs), with the results showing “peak torque of the quadriceps increased 11.0%; broad jump increased 4.0%; medicine ball underhand throw for distance increased 4.0%; sit-ups increased 11.0%; push-ups increased 3.0%; the average time to completion of the 300-yd shuttle run decreased 2.0%; and the completion time of the 600-m run decreased 2.4%.” The static group experienced no such improvements, and in fact experienced diminished performance in the 600-m run and push-ups.
Across multiple studies, research appears to indicate that a dynamic warmup can improve exercise performance, while static stretching can result in no improvement or even a decline in performance.
The Takeaway
Dynamic stretching wins, but it doesn’t have to be complicated! A simple way to start is with 5-10 minutes of moderate cardio. Follow this up by taking a look at the exercises you plan on doing for your workout, and performing one set of each without any additional resistance or challenge. With this method, your heart rate is increased and your body temperature rises with the cardio, while the initial sets of your exercises prepare your muscles for working through those ranges of motion.
Static stretching still has its place, but it belongs in your post-workout and rest-day routines. Static stretching focuses on elongating muscles. It helps relieve muscle tension, which can help with muscle soreness and increase flexibility and range of motion. This method of movement requires a slower pace and patience, but it’s well worth the time!
If your warm-up/cool-down routine still seems a bit tricky to figure out, don’t hesitate to contact me or sign up for your free consultation! No matter your goals or abilities, everyone deserves a safe and effective workout routine from start to finish!
Photo by Jonathan Borba from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-stretching-on-ground-3076509/