Static Stretching in a Warmup – Does it Help?

Whether or not you should stretch in a warmup before main exercise has been a topic of debate for some time now. For decades, it was thought necessary to prevent injury and to help effectively prepare the body for exercise. More recently, it has certainly lost popularity to what it once was, with dynamic type exercises taking preference for many warmup activities.

Because there it potentially still some doubt as to whether warmup stretching is useful, and why or why not, I wanted to delve into the scientific basis behind this topic.

Firstly, it is important to note that ZERO evidence exists confirming that static stretching in a warmup can help to prevent injury – there is absolutely no evidence to suggest this in any way. Because of this, many clubs, teams, and individuals have opted to exclude static stretching from their warmups.

However, this isn’t to say that static stretching can have no benefit at all in a warmup. Should you be feeling excessively tight or uncomfortable in any areas, such as the hips, glutes, quads, hamstrings, groin, lower back, calves, or anywhere else, then stretching can absolutely be beneficial and can help release tension and tight fascia. There is nothing wrong at all with stretching tight areas in a warmup to help the body feel and move better. Go for it.

The one factor to be aware of when stretching in a warmup is the time that you perform each stretch for. Research does show that holding static stretches for multiple sets of 45s or more at a time can result in decreased force output in certain muscle groups for up to 2 hours, which ultimately could result in decreased performance for the upcoming exercise session. As such, it is best to keep stretch times in warmups to 20-30s per stretch, to be on the safe side.

In summary:

• Static stretching in a warmup does NOT reduce injury risk.
• Static stretching in a warmup can be beneficial in releasing tension and reducing tightness, to assist with feeling and moving better for the upcoming session.
• Static stretching for multiple sets of 45s or more can reduce force output in certain muscle groups for up to 2 hours, so it best to avoid static stretching for 45s or more in a warmup.
• Keep static stretching time in a warmup to 20-30s per muscle group.