February 27, 2024 – For many, stretching is the fitness equivalent of awkward small talk. It's the opening act, what you tolerate because it is going to soon be over.
Others have challenged the practice and suggested this Stretching is not necessary at all. Some Research found that stretching before exercise can even have negative effects and weaken muscles hinderperfomance.
To put it bluntly, nobody seems particularly enthusiastic about touching her toes.
For this reason, a study from 2020 was published Movement and mortality was such a headache. The study found that stretching is clearly related to a lower risk of all-cause mortality in American adults. This applies to other varieties of exercise after checking.
The finding gave the impression to be a coincidence until a study from 2023 I discovered just about the identical thing.
Among Korean adults, those that stretched at the least five times every week had a 20% lower risk of death in the course of the follow-up period than those that didn't stretch in any respect. That was easy higher than the chance reduction observed with high volumes of aerobic exercise and resistance training.
How can that be? It seems that stretching is related to several health advantages that you simply may not expect.
The surprising advantages of stretching
When we discuss stretching we normally mean static stretching – Assuming and holding a position that engages a muscle with the goal of improving mobility around a joint.
It doesn't should be an enormous challenge. “Research shows that stretching can increase flexibility initially point of discomfort,” said David BehmPhD, a sports scientist on the Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada who has published dozens of studies on stretching over the past quarter century.
This brings us to the primary advantage.
Stretching Benefit #1: More Strength
At first glance, flexibility training and strength training have little in common. In the previous you stretch the muscles, within the latter you contract them.
But in each cases, Behm said, you're putting tension on muscles and connective tissue. Voltage prompts proteins called integrins, which send and receive signals across cell membranes. These signals are the beginning of a cascade that results in protein synthesis. That is how muscles get bigger and stronger while you lift weights.
This mechanism could explain it small gains in muscle strengthAnd Size that comes with static stretching, Behm said.
But can you actually try this? Stretch your way muscle growth? Theoretically yes. But strength training is way more time efficient, he said. Studies Those who show a rise in muscle mass typically have had a single muscle (normally the calves using a special device) stretched for greater than half-hour per session, 6 days every week for six weeks. And that's only for one leg.
However, stretching could also be a better method for some people – Research has identified that you simply're more than likely to learn from stretch-induced strength gains in the event you're older and more sedentary.
Stretching Benefit #2: Your arteries won't get as stiff
“Most people don’t think about the cardiovascular benefits of stretching,” Behm said. There are some big ones.
If your body isn't moving well, it's not unreasonable to assume that your blood isn't flowing well. This is definitely the case: an absence of flexibility is related to it arterial stiffness.
Stretching shouldn't be just related to improved arterial function but in addition with a discount in resting heart rate and blood pressure, in addition to increased vasodilation (when blood vessels dilate or dilate, causing blood pressure to fall).
Improvements in mobility may also not directly affect the health of your heart and blood vessels.
“Studies show that runners are more economical when they are more flexible,” said Behm. If your movement is more efficient, you're more likely to do more of it. Doing more would in turn result in improved fitness.
Stretch Benefit #3: Improved Performance
Research on whether stretching improves athletic performance is uncertain, he said Joe Yoona sports massage therapist in Orlando, FL, and creator of Better stretching.
“But I have always believed that if you can improve your range of motion and get into the positions required for your sport, you are likely to perform better and reduce your risk of injury,” he said.
It's value noting that some research over the past 30 years has shown a connection Perform static stretching before the exercise with a lack of strength, power and/or Speed.
But consider this: In a 2016 report, Behm and his co-authors showed that performance is more than likely to occur two situations:
- When participants did extremely long stretches (at the least 60 seconds per muscle)
- When researchers tested participants' strength, power, or speed immediately after stretching
According to Behm, avoiding these problems is straightforward: stretch each muscle for lower than 60 seconds and mix static stretches with more energetic warm-ups.
“Stretching can affect your performance, but only if you do it wrong,” he said.
Stretching Benefit #4: Fewer injuries
When you stretch, the muscle where you are feeling tension is probably the most vulnerable. “That’s usually where injuries happen,” Behm said.
Greater flexibility in these areas allows your muscles to securely generate power over longer distances. For an athlete, this implies fewer injuries during explosive movements or changes of direction.
For non-athletes: Flexibility reduces injuries by improving balance. Better balance reduces the chance of falls and helps reduce the damage in the event you do fall.
Reap the advantages of stretching
Stretching exercises, like cardio or strength training, will be as complex as you need to make them. But Yoon supports an easier approach.
“You see this flashy stuff online,” he said. “But when you see these trainers in real life or book a session with them, they go right back to basics.”
Ideally, Yoon says, a flexibility routine trains all the body. But if the stretch is simply too much for you, he recommends starting with one or two stretches for probably the most problematic area.
For example, if you've gotten a stiff back, try the next Puppy pose at the least once a day, but twice is healthier. Hold the position for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, Yoon said. Even in the event you mix it with a dynamic movement like that Cat cowThe two exercises would only take a number of minutes a day.
“There is a misconception that you have to do a lot to be successful,” Yoon said.
Consistency is way more vital than volume. Yoon recommends “a little bit every day – the minimum viable dose.”
As a bonus, stretching an area like your upper back will likely help your shoulder move more easily, Yoon said. The same goes to your lower body: stretching your hips must also profit your knees and lower back over time.
And due to a phenomenon called non-local flexibility transfer, Lower body stretches should help make your upper body more flexible, at the least temporarily. Shoulder stretches may also help your hips develop into more mobile immediately.
“It’s all connected,” Yoon said, taking us back to where we began.
If stretching exercises can indeed reduce mortality risk, it is probably going resulting from interconnected pathways quite than a single mechanism.
Most obviously, stretching makes you more flexible, which makes movement easier, improves balance, and reduces the chance of falls and other varieties of injuries. It may also result in small improvements in strength. Less obviously, stretching improves several things affecting your heart and blood vessels, including blood flow.
“There seems to be a global effect in everything we do,” Behm said. “Whether you're stretching or strength training, the message is sent throughout your body.”