When you go to the gym, you probably already have a training plan in mind. Maybe you’re doing a light jog on the treadmill or working on bicep curls on arm day. To get the most out of your gym session, first consider how you start and end your workout.
It takes time for your muscles to warm up, but stretching increases blood circulation to the area, increasing your range of motion and increasing flexibility. Increased flexibility improves performance, especially when performing movements that involve bending, contracting, and pulling. Stretching can also help reduce your risk of injury.
“Many people want to jump right into a workout, but stretching before and after is what makes the difference between today’s workout and the next one,” says personal trainer and director Whitney Hulin. . I train and get fit at WeGym in West Hartford, CT.
If you’re looking for better results or your fitness efforts have hit a plateau, try adding dynamic and static stretching to your next workout.
Dynamic and static stretching
Dynamic stretching involves moving your joints through a full range to increase flexibility, Hulin said. Static stretching involves holding the same position for a few seconds.
Static stretching can be done passively or actively. Active static stretching involves moving a muscle while using other muscles to maintain the stretch, such as using leg and core strength to lift the leg forward, Hulin said. Passive static stretching involves using gravity or other stretching tools to stretch your muscles. This technique looks like bending forward to stretch your hamstrings, allowing gravity to pull your upper body down.
What is the best stretch before training?
Researchers have produced conflicting results regarding the optimal stretching before training. For example, an oft-cited August 2003 study showed evidence that static stretches for warm-up worsen muscle performance, but a November 2019 review found the opposite was true: Targeted stretching has been shown to improve muscle strength and shape the average person.
More recently, researchers have been working on dynamic stretching warm-ups. An October study looking at athletic performance found that dynamic stretching is better before a workout than static stretching because it reduces the risk of injury. In April’s workout routine review, we found that dynamic stretching increased range of motion in the lower extremities and also improved lower extremity strength and power.
Physical therapist Dr. Mario Mejia recommended dynamic stretching before training to prepare the body for intense activity. The active movements of dynamic stretching mimic the same movements you put your body through when you exercise.
“I love dynamic stretching because that’s how you move,” said Mejia, who serves patients at Fox Rehabilitation in Rockville Center, New York. “If you’re healthy, you never really stop.”
Similarly, people who go to the gym don’t typically hold one posture. We often perform compound movements that require the movement of multiple joints at the same time, such as running or squatting. Dynamic stretching creates the range of motion necessary for these active movements, increasing neural activity in the muscles and preparing them for movement. Mejia recommended spending five to 10 minutes doing dynamic stretches before training.
Recommended dynamic stretching
One of Hulin’s favorite dynamic pre-workout stretches is what she calls the world’s best stretch. “This is one of my favorite ways to warm up. It’s versatile and also suitable for a variety of exercises,” she added.
Start in a standing position, bending at the waist and reaching your arms out to a plank position. Be aware of your core for stability and balance. Next, step to the side of one hand and lift the other hand off the floor, like a big runner’s lunge. Rotating your upper body creates a nice twist in your midsection with a dynamic stretch. Then return your hands to the floor, return your feet to a plank position, and return your hands to your feet to return to a standing position.
The second stretch Mejia recommends is alternating between forward and reverse lunges. Additionally, half-kneeling pinwheels help rotate your spine, increase core strength, and stabilize your hips and shoulders.
To make a half-kneeling windmill, you need to take a half-kneeling position with one leg behind you and the other in front of you. Hold the kettlebell in the same arm as your front leg and raise it above your head. Your line of sight should be above the kettlebell, not in front of it. Push your hips back on the same side you’re holding the kettlebell and lower your opposite forearm to the ground, then lower your knees and return to the starting position.
What is the best stretch after training?
Hulin says static stretching is the best way to return your body to a resting state after a workout. Cooling down after high-intensity activity helps your heart rate, body temperature, and blood pressure gradually return to normal.
“Stretching the muscles you just worked out brings blood flow back to those muscles and starts the muscle repair process,” she said. Additionally, Hulin emphasized stretching to target the muscles that are stressed during exercise.
Mejia adds that static stretching during cool-downs also increases muscle elasticity, reducing the chance of muscle soreness and stiffness. “During activities like running, your muscles contract and stretch for long periods of time,” he says. “Static stretching at the end of a workout stretches the muscle fibers from their origin to their attachment point.” Origin refers to the point where a muscle attaches to a bone that remains stationary during a contraction. The insertion refers to the site where the muscle attaches to the bone that moves during contraction.
Recommended static stretching
Pigeon pose is a static stretch that is highly recommended after training. Sit on the ground with your front leg bent 90 degrees at the knee and your back leg extended behind you. She says this is a great way to stretch your hip flexors and glutes.
Mejia recommended hamstring stretches, calf stretches, and standing quadriceps stretches. The quadriceps stretch targets your quadriceps and hip flexors by standing on one leg, grabbing your opposite leg and pulling it behind you while bending the knee of your other leg.
Static stretches should last for two to four sets of 15 to 30 seconds each, Mejia says. “This is enough to create a lengthening effect and improve range of motion.”
Jocelyn Solis Moreira is a freelance health science journalist based in New York.
