The Truth About Stretching: What Does the Science Say?

[@eurasianjes]

Thank you for not just saying "studies say" but actually showing which studies you are referring to. I've struggled with hearing on this topic from several others that i do trust but found difficult to verify. I come from a hyperflexible background and for some time I've suspected that my running recovery and training adaptation has not been served well by deep stretching. My hips will always be my weak point because I'm too flexible on my external rotation there.

[@Tritiuminducedfusion]

Always love to hear this as someone who's rarely stretched my whole life.

[@Will-PJ]

Just read the first section of your "Science of Running" Book and I am loving it! Hoping to reach my maximum potential in the next decade and your content is very helpful, coming from a biochemistry background myself, the terminology you use is very familiar and a pleasure to read!

[@ricklee9527]

Great book .. learned so much from the book! I have so many notes and highlights in the book .. my go to reference book!

[@RonnyC98]

Would love a topic about getting back into exercise after a flu, covid and why heart rate is way higher coming back despite the same feeling of perceived effort for easy runs.

[@davidstraney4748]

I always say, the romanian deadlift is the best hamstring stretch! Great video mate!

[@reality-basedfitnessrehab3611]

Great video, and always helpful when the nuance, context, and relevance for a specific type of athlete/person is included. There’s way too much black and white (good vs bad) thinking on these topics! And anecdotally, my twin brother and I were the worst at those sit and reach tests 😂, but we were always the fastest kids in our class and school from junior high and then into high school!

[@andytv22]

I hope you know Steve i love the education you give. I often recommend these video's to my athletes to watch so they understand where I am coming from with our training.

[@SteveMagness]

Glad it's helping! THanks for sharing.

[@ecosimo]

Always looking forward to your videos. As a scientist myself, I appreciate your scientific and evidence based approach to your videos. Fabulous work!

[@SteveMagness]

Thank you very much!

[@jaymills1720]

Great topic and video !

[@SteveMagness]

Glad you liked it!

[@FitnessArchitect0]

This was very interesting. Ive never been able to touch my toes all my life yet I’ve always been a relatively fast runner compared to my teammates who could. Also never thought that dynamic warm ups opened up our flexibility neurally rather than muscularly but it makes sense! Would love to learn more about the neural side of training and how training that affects performance. Thanks again Steve!

[@maromi1077]

I have always been pretty inflexible and couldn't touch my toes. I pretty much got to the same point you did when trying to touch my toes, but just out of boredom I followed along when you did the quarter squat. I actually said "oh my god" out loud because I was so shocked that I could now touch near my ankles! I've never gotten that far before. Thank you for showing this trick!

[@SteveMagness]

Haha! Told you it works. Pretty wild.

[@kevinburola889]

Steve , I love these video your putting out as they very informative and cuts out a lot of nonsense. I would like to make a request if possible, for you to make a video on “low intensity fills the heart chamber but high intensity may not”. Much more complex than that but is this statement true? A video on this would be great.

[@SiSwitzer]

Super interesting! I stretched for years in order to help me through aches and pains from my work (construction) and it never really did much apart from acutely. Having just started running 6 months or so ago, I started doing bodyweight strength and mobility work and it’s very helpful indeed! My body feels loads better in general but I feel like it’s helped my running too! Going to start weighted strength training soon, do you have any videos on weights for runners? Great informative video as always Steve! Thanks!

[@SteveMagness]

Thanks! That sounds like a good plan. I don't have any videos on lifting yet, but will make some in the future.

[@joneaton3366]

Thanks 👌 you just saved a lotta time in my life now that I'm gonna cut out most of my stretching 😊

[@RatelHBadger]

I'm a huge advocate for dynamic stretching for mobility, and as a pre activity warmup. I have for a long time had terrible back hips knee ankle and calf issues, from years of playing sports like field hockey where there is a lot of short bursts of speed followed by sudden stops and direction changes. To the point where in 2015 I had a massive injury in a "social" 6-a-side soccer game. Where the rehab physio said I had 2 options, get into a rugby game and break a leg literally, and go down the replacement joint route, or give up sport forever. Instead I turned to DDP-Yoga, as a mix of yoga/pilates and bodyweight calisthenics for about a year. Nothing else just gradual increases in intensity. I haven't played a full "season" of hockey since, but since taking up distance running as a sport 18months ago, whenever I feel particularly stiff after a hard workout, or if I wake up and no matter what I do to warmup my body just doesn't feel "good" enough to run. I'll do a DDP-Yoga session instead and that gets me sorted for tomorrow. Then after a big half marathon race, I'll just do daily DDP-Yoga sessions for a week or so, to get all the kinks out, before starting my next training block.

[@TKruns365]

Great info as usual, Steve. Any data supporting the benefits of massage therapy? Seems like many of the professional men and women runners utilize this modality in their training. Personally, it's been a part of my routine for years and I find it beneficial. Just curious if there's been any research on it. Thanks!

[@streetscholar1986]

I always failed the stupid vsit as well ! I feel better about it now :) thanks.

[@mikegburnside]

Thanks for the video. Gets me thinking. The Hurdle Stretch; orthodoxy gets some exercises enshrined just like the sit and reach lol. Two words from your video: panacea and nuanced. As usual, biomechanics and conditioning are so complex, and naturally we all would like simple solutions; turn-key solutions--which do arise and propel the evolution of sport and conditioning. IMO

[@BoroLewis]

What about cool down/warm down post exercise, does static stretching again cause more bad than good? Whats the advice post effort?

[@SteveMagness]

Post effort it's fine. There's not really any data linking it to improved recovery or alleviating soreness. But it's not harming post effort.

[@joneaton3366]

I'd say concentrate mainly on the warm then dynamic movements.

[@DR_1_1]

Before exercising it's good to warm up, stretching should not be too extreme (risk of injury). Otoh after the effort stretching is favorable since it prevents muscles from shortening.

[@LeoShoSilva]

Nice talk, many thanks.When you say performance do you mean racing, training or both

[@jamesbailey5008]

I'm like you very inflexible but can run well. The stretches I need to do are never the old school stretches like the hamstring stretch but all hip opening stretches for range of motion

[@trbeyond]

Great video. Are there any studies that looked at 65+ age and injury prevention?

[@nelsonly9383]

Hey Steve! Just stumbled upon ur content and absolutely love it. Cant wait to see what else u got coming. I would love to pre order ur book as I am very interested in that bonus coaching ebook as I myself am studying to become a coach now. Im from Australia so I think that may be why I can pre order in that target link. Is there any way for me to still order the book and get the bonus ebook? Ive already preordered the book on audible.

[@SteveMagness]

Yep! Just fill out the for since you bought the audible version. www.stevemagness.com/win-the-inside-game/

[@nelsonly9383]

Just filled it out! Thanks for such a quick reply.

[@owenbrown1901]

Dan John taught me a similar trick to instantly increase toe touch length, basically 20 toe touch reps while squeezing a ball between the knees. Make sure to touch toes every rep, even if knee bend is required. Works on everyone I’ve tried it on. Although after watching this video not sure it has any use!

[@adayexpired6370]

Was opposite for me. Used to be super flexible as an elementary school kid. Splits, could rest the back of my head on the soles of my feet, zero problem with sit and reach. Also took me more than twice as long to do a mile…. And the 200+lb kid and I would be dead last whenever we had to do laps. Lol… can still kick over my head at age 52. And still probably takes me double Steve’s time to run a mile. lol. 😣

[@trainwellracewell]

I do very little stretching and don’t feel that it’s hindered my running over the years

[@jaymills1720]

Steve I believe research shows more weight lifting equals better stretch ability I’d imagine that would help distance runners?

[@SM4724_]

I feel like there is a lot of contradictory research with stretching. I have always felt my performance is better with a dynamic warm up, incorporating limited static stretching, holding less than 10 sec per muscle. It seems that many of the best athletes are in tune with their bodies enough to find what works best for them through being introduced to a wide range of stretches and movement. We are all individuals and need to be our own experiment, what works for me doesn't guarantee it will work across a general population, and there will always be exceptions.

[@igorbaglay9064]

Does stretching help prevent cramps? I think all agree that stretching provides relief, but for the prevention it's not obvious.

[@teenakowbel4655]

A lot of the comments below are not catching the "To a degree" ... I struggle with muscle spasicity due to a neural conditions and if I dint stretch I tear muscles. So no stretching can lead to injury whereas over stretching impairs performance. So like everything its about balance in your training. Yin yoga states holding stretches increases tendon strength and I use this post run stretching for recovery; thoughts?

[@SeventyTimes]

Hey Steve, what is your opinion on using the treadmill for workouts?

[@WildOutdoorLiving]

I relate so much to the Presidential Fitness test experience. Pushing 35 now, I do think that mobility is an important part of life... but I still cant touch my toes haha.

[@Shevock]

Sit and stretch box!

[@jacobmatthew5298]

Excellent! Confirming what I believed to be true. A Scottish KZbinr says he never foam rolls and neither do his team mates… Any thoughts on foam rolling?

[@user-yl7lz1hm6r]

Ryan Thomson?

[@JohnBirtchetSharpe]

I have been overly flexable from a young age (started martial arts when I was very young until age of 26) as I am getting into my later 50's I am getting niggles all the time regardless of the weight room work. So you might correct with the research on over flexability. I was told by a physio a couple of years ago to stop static stretching

[@hikerJohn]

I have more flexibility after a 500 mile hike but it returns to normal withing a few months. It's cold this morning so I'm about 8" short of touching my toes but by the end of the day I might be able to touch them

[@zaviwaher9536]

What about for things like post injury range of motion? I dislocated an ankle many years ago and full range of motion never came back even with quite a bit of physio. Recently I been thinking on trying to work on getting more of the range back again, I run a lot more now and always get small problems on that side

[@FEWGEE1]

I never stretch before or after a run, and it's never caused me any problems.

[@jochippyy]

You've never had an injury?

[@FEWGEE1]

@jochippyy not yet, luckily. I listen to my body and how it's feeling. I just warm up/down with a brisk walk and jog.

[@thatwolfyouknow8598]

So yoga is not just fancy stretching, but am I going to ruin my running economy if I also love yoga?

[@JamesJones-ct9nm]

Could this also be that people with longer legs compared to their upper body were worse at the sit and reach test but better at running?

[@SteveMagness]

No. Other research has used a variety of lower limb flexibility tests that would minimize the impact of longer legs. Same correlation holds. Stiffer = Better Economy.

[@runmyhearout16]

How often should we workout as highschoolers who are relatively fast if ur done with base building( tempo threshold and longruns) . Ive seen that grant fisher would still do a tempo day, threshold day 6xk @t, and a day with hills during the szn after base bulding rarelty working on speed(400s etc) and vo2 stuff. Is this best?

[@1foot-in715]

From experience, when I started stretching, it caused pain when running, and then when I stopped, no pain. I never stretch before or after running. From what I've heard, you're hyperextending what ever your stretching which is not natural range of motion .

[@yankhofreemansomanje6433]

Interesting. I stretch a lot but only after a long run or a complex and demanding workout. I sleep better after and there's literally no stiffness

[@davidmclucas2970]

I have heard that Kipchoge can not reach down past his shins

[@FunkZoned]

How to you stretch a muscle?

[@delxinogaming6046]

Strength training has more impact than stretching for both performance and injury risk

[@TheWolfAkella]

🙏🏽

[@ulfeliasson5413]

I think I destroyed my psoas from stretching too hard. Been limping for 5 years. Guess you learn the hard way

[@sammiller1003]

Been static stretching after running for 25 years. Known plenty of runners faster and more resilient who never stretch. If I ever try to stop doing it I get niggles creeping in and get super tight so I keep doing it. I also get keloid scars so my hypertrophic scarring could occur in muscles/connective tissue tissues after activity, or so I have wondered. The placebo effect is also very real. And in my case if you stop a self restorative activity you believe in and dont replace it with something else you lose that placebo effect. I will keep stretching!

[@idkanaccountname]

Did that study take limb length into account?