Stretching

[ieatyams]

I've been going to the gym for about 3 months now and I've been wondering should I be stretching before lifting weights. I warm up with 20-25 minutes of elliptical and then go on to lifting. I have stretched before lifting weights, but i feel like it does nothing for me. I normally don't have any pains or soreness the next day. So I'm wanting to know does it actually do anything for increasing the amount weight you can do or is it just so you don't pull a muscle.

[Hraklea]

My gym trainer/coach (I don't know how it is called in english) told me to do only cardio before, then cardio -> stretching after lifting weights. It works for me.

[Deleted]

25mins of cardio before lifting seems really long. Most only advise 5-10min of light cardio, and a warm up set with no weight on the bar on the heavier lifts such as Deadlift, Squat and Benchpress.

[ieatyams]

I'm a bit overweight so I'm doing the cardio for that too.

[Deleted]

[Masark]

You may find this question and answers informative.

To summarize:

Pre-workout stretching is very likely useless for preventing injuries and may actually slightly increase the rate of injuries.

Post-workout stretching may be useful, at least for runners, but evidence is limited.

Stretching regimes are probably an effective treatment for some injuries, such as plantar fasciitis.

[Tommy T]

For Cardio it's strongly advised.

For weight lifting however, it's not that effective and can actually stop you from working out to the max.

It's better to lift 50% of your maximum, then 90%, then 100%.

(E.G Your maximum bench press is 100kg. Do 2 sets of 10 at 50KG. Follow this up by doing 2 sets of 5 90kg. Then go into your workout.)

I never stretch before weight lifting and I have never had an injury. I find this works well for me, it might not for you. Best to experiment with different methods.

[gismo7354]

Before any workouts dynamic stretching is what you want to do. Do static stretching only after your workout. But generally I don't do stretching before workouts but almost always after.

[stuck4cash]

You may find this question and answers informative.

To summarize:

Pre-workout stretching is very likely useless for preventing injuries and may actually slightly increase the rate of injuries.

Post-workout stretching may be useful, at least for runners, but evidence is limited.

Stretching regimes are probably an effective treatment for some injuries, such as plantar fasciitis.

I've read this in multiple places as well. Stretching is more or less a myth.

Edit: Sources because I'm sure someone will ask for them:

http://saveyourself.ca/articles/stretching.php
http://www.mindthesciencegap.org/201...l-performance/
http://www.popularmechanics.com/scie...-myths#slide-1
etc, etc

[Deleted]

Stretching can actually increase your flexibility though, which can be useful on lifts where you're lacking range of motion due to not being flexible enough.

[Deldavala]

Stretching can actually increase your flexibility though, which can be useful on lifts where you're lacking range of motion due to not being flexible enough.

Thats about the only good reason to stretch if your focus is to be stronger. For most people stretching isnt needed to reach good form.

About the warm-up. If you are serious about your lifting you should not do cardio before a lifting session. It depletes your energy storage and makes the workout worse. Instead you should have a dynamic warm-up. There is several ways of doing this, but mine is currently 10x1 with only bar, 10x1 at 25%, 10x1 at 50%, 5x1 at 75% and then my workout.

[Projali]

Stretching can actually increase your flexibility though, which can be useful on lifts where you're lacking range of motion due to not being flexible enough.

If your ROM is impeded to the point where you aren't flexible enough to execute a lift properly (hip/ankle mobility for squats is a big one) then you should be working on mobility work and not just doing some static stretches prior to weighted lifts. Glenn Pendlay isn't going to evaluate someone who's got horrible overhead squat form and tell them to do a couple of 30-60 second stretches prior to some heavy 5x5s. He's gonna make the majority of their workout that mobility work.

Static stretching prior to weightlifting has the potential to reduce your work capacity.

[Grimbold21]

Ahhh number 4, still can't do it with my heels touching the ground

[Velaniz]

Fuck stretching. I find it always takes away from my reps =/

Light Cardio (though twenty-five minutes is far too much) and warm up sets before a workout should be more than sufficient. as someone who's been going to the gym for only 3 months, I doubt you'd even need the warm up sets. When you move on to heavy load movements like squats/deadlifts, and you're at a more advanced level, warm up sets without weight won't really cut it. Currently I find doing light sets that progressively get heavier work the best for me (Usually 30%, 60%, then my actual training weight).

[Kuniku]

I rock with light cardio warm up 8-12 minutes usually. Then hit the weights, usally I'll do 15-20 reps without any weights on the bar to get the muscles ready for the motion of the lift, then throw on whatever weight I want to lift - repeat through my entire work out. then I'll go over the the mats, properly stretch all the areas I've worked that day, and generally stretch everything else (more for a flexibilty thing for my jujitsu) and if I want to do a longer cardio thing I'll do it at the end (more often than not I'm dead to the world so don't bother - do more cardio outside of the gym anyway)

The PT I saw explained that you want to be using as much of your energy to lift as possible, so you don't want to 'waste' it doing excessive cardio before hand. Do your weights, see progress there and then burn anything you've got left in the tank on cardio (preferably HIIT IMO) at the end.

[Dtloweca]

Corrective stretches are imo important. Out of all the people in the little group of friends that I lift with I'm the only one without the issues lifting weights can bring on like poor posture and short shallow breathes just to name a few.

[Orlong]

I think stretching is a waste of time. Id rather just go right to the stuff that actually builds muscle

[Spectral]

I think stretching is a waste of time. Id rather just go right to the stuff that actually builds muscle

Unless something changed, aren't you the guy that hates all exercise and complains how unfair it is that some people can avoid being fat by enjoying running?

[Orlong]

Unless something changed, aren't you the guy that hates all exercise and complains how unfair it is that some people can avoid being fat by enjoying running?

Yep. I never said I exercised. I just gave my opinion on stretching. I feel it is a waste of time. If I was to work out I would just jump right in so my hour of workout time is maximized doing things that build muscle

[Hraklea]

I think stretching is a waste of time.

Stretching gives you flexibility, doesn't it? Sounds useful to me.