Stretching Before or After a Workout: What Actually Matters
Before a workout, use movement-based (dynamic) stretching as part of a warm-up, and keep any static holds short, around 30 seconds or less per muscle. Long static holds of a minute or more on the same muscle just before strength or speed work can slightly reduce performance for a short while. After a workout, static stretching is fine and a good time to work on flexibility, because you are warm and there is no performance to protect. But stretching does not reliably prevent next-day soreness, and its effect on injury risk is less clear than most people assume. Timing matters less than whether you do it consistently and why.
Why the old advice changed
For decades the standard routine was to hold a few long static stretches before exercise: touch your toes, pull your heel to your bottom, hold for a minute. Research from the late 1990s onwards found that long static holds immediately before exercise could reduce strength and power briefly, which led to the opposite advice: never stretch before training.
The picture is now more balanced. A widely cited systematic review by Kay and Blazevich (2012, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise) found that holds shorter than about 60 seconds per muscle had small or negligible effects on performance, while longer holds were more likely to cause a measurable drop. The effect is also smaller when stretching is followed by a proper active warm-up. So a few short static stretches before lifting will not ruin your session. Several minutes of long holds on the muscles you are about to load is the thing to avoid.
Three types of stretching, in plain terms
| Type | What it is | Best used |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic | Controlled movement through range: leg swings, walking lunges, arm circles, world’s greatest stretch | Before training, as part of the warm-up |
| Static | Moving into a stretch and holding it, usually 20-60 seconds | After training, or as a separate flexibility session |
| PNF / contract-relax | Stretch, contract the stretched muscle against resistance for a few seconds, relax, stretch further | For specific range goals, ideally coached; not right before heavy lifting |
Ballistic stretching, bouncing at the end of range, has largely fallen out of use for general training and I do not use it with clients.
Before training: what to do instead of long holds
The aim before a session is to raise body temperature, take joints through the range you are about to use, and rehearse the movements. Dynamic stretching does that. A practical pre-session sequence, about five to eight minutes:
- Three to five minutes of easy cardio, such as the air bike or a brisk walk, until you are slightly warm.
- Leg swings, front to back and side to side, 10 each leg.
- Walking lunges with an overhead reach, 6 each side.
- A deep squat hold with elbows pushing knees out, breathing slowly, 20 to 30 seconds. This is a short static hold, which is fine.
- Arm circles and band pull-aparts, 10 to 15 each.
- Then lighter warm-up sets of your first exercise.
If one area is genuinely stiff and limits your position, a short static stretch there, 20 to 30 seconds, is reasonable. Tight calves limiting your squat depth is a common example. We cover the warm-up itself, set by set, in how to warm up before lifting weights, so this post will not repeat it.
After training: what stretching can and cannot do
After a session, static stretching is a sensible time to improve flexibility. Muscles are warm, you have time, and the slight short-term performance dip is irrelevant because you are done.
What it will not do is stop you being sore. A Cochrane review by Herbert, de Noronha and Kamper (2011) found that stretching before or after exercise produced very small reductions in delayed-onset muscle soreness, too small to matter in practice. Soreness is mostly driven by unfamiliar work and the lowering part of exercises. It eases as your body adapts, not as you stretch.
On injury, the evidence for routine stretching preventing injury in general gym training is weak and mixed. A good warm-up, sensible progression of load and decent technique are more important. Stretching has a place, but it is not insurance.
How long and how often to stretch for flexibility
If your goal is more range in a particular area, say hamstrings or hip flexors, frequency and total time matter more than timing. A reasonable approach that matches mainstream guidance:
- Hold each stretch for 30 to 60 seconds in total, done as one hold or split into two or three shorter ones.
- Stretch the target area most days of the week, or at least two or three times.
- Go to a point of mild tension, not pain. Breathe slowly; on each exhale you can usually ease a little further.
- Give it several weeks before judging it. Range improves gradually.
The NHS guide to flexibility exercises is a good, simple set to start with. The UK Chief Medical Officers also recommend activities that improve balance and flexibility for older adults, alongside strength work.
One honest caveat: for many people, feeling “tight” is not purely a length issue. It can be a lack of strength or control at the end of range. That is why strength training through a full range often improves flexibility more than stretching alone. Our piece on tight hamstrings explains this using one muscle group as the example, and mobility vs flexibility covers the distinction properly.
Common mistakes
- Long holds on the muscles you are about to load heavily. Save them for after.
- Stretching instead of warming up. Static stretching on cold muscles is not a warm-up. Move first.
- Forcing range. Pain, sharp sensations or tingling mean back off.
- Skipping the cool-down entirely because “stretching does not help soreness”. A few easy minutes and some stretches are still a reasonable way to come down from a hard session, and a good habit if flexibility is a goal.
- Stretching a joint that already moves too much. Some people, often those who are naturally hypermobile, benefit more from strength and control work than from more stretching.
If you have a recent injury, joint replacement, a hypermobility condition, or are pregnant, check with your GP or a physiotherapist first before starting a stretching programme. During pregnancy, hormonal changes make joints looser, so pushing range is not the goal.
How I use stretching with clients
In a coached session at The Highgate House, the first ten minutes are a warm-up built around what we are about to do: the air bike, then dynamic drills, then the first lift with light weight. Static stretching comes at the end, aimed at one or two areas that limit that person, not a generic routine. A desk worker with stiff hips and thoracic spine will get a different finish from a runner with tight calves. If you would like that kind of tailored plan, the page on personal training in Highgate sets out how private 1-1 sessions work, and you can always ask what a first session with a Highgate personal trainer would focus on for you.
Questions we get asked
Is it bad to stretch before lifting weights?
Short static stretches of about 30 seconds per muscle, followed by an active warm-up, are unlikely to make a noticeable difference. Long holds of a minute or more on the same muscle can reduce strength briefly, so leave those for after.
Does stretching after a workout reduce soreness?
Not by a meaningful amount, according to a Cochrane review. Soreness fades as your body adapts to the training.
Should I stretch on rest days?
Yes, if flexibility is a goal. A short session of gentle stretching or mobility work on rest days is an easy way to add frequency.
How long should I hold a stretch?
For flexibility, around 30 to 60 seconds in total per stretch, most days. Before training, keep holds to around 30 seconds or less and pair them with movement.
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