Stretching: to do or not to do

Training
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I’ve heard two schools of thought around stretching and I’d like to get the folks at TrainerRoad to dig into it scientifically if they could and maybe do a post about it.

My question is pretty straightforward: after a hard workout should I stretch immediately or wait …how long … next day, two days, until not sore???

Please advise us with the latest science:)

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Hey @shanemario!! That’s a great question!!

The debate around post-workout stretching is ongoing, and research is mixed, however I can give a few pointers :slight_smile:

  1. Stretch Immediately After Exercise – This view suggests that stretching post-workout can help prevent stiffness, improve flexibility, and promote recovery by increasing blood flow.
  2. Wait Until Later – Some research suggests that stretching immediately after intense exercise may not be beneficial and could even worsen muscle soreness due to microtears in the muscle fibers. Instead, this approach favors stretching after a few hours or even the next day when the muscles are less inflamed.

What Science Suggests:

  • Static stretching right after a hard workout: It may not significantly reduce soreness (DOMS - Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) and might not be the best way to speed up recovery.
  • Dynamic stretching before workouts: This is more effective for performance benefits.
  • Post-workout cooldown: Light movement (like an easy spin or walk) is often better for promoting circulation than static stretching.
  • Stretching later: A few hours after or the next day may be more beneficial when the muscles are not in an inflamed state.

So When Should You Stretch?

  • If flexibility is a goal, stretching when your muscles are warm (a few hours later or the next day) is generally better.
  • If you’re sore, gentle movement (like an easy ride or mobility work) may be a better recovery tool than stretching immediately.
  • Experiment with what feels best for your body—some people respond better to stretching sooner, while others prefer later.
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I pick the not at all option

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lol I hear ya. I was watching a fitting vid from tristantake video with one of the performance coaches from the UAE who now works for Bora Hansgroh (sp) And he made mention of how tristan‘s hamstrings were impeding a performance boost because they were so tight. The idea was if he could rotate his hips a little further forward, he would become more comfortable on the bike and therefore put out more power, but he needed to work on his flexibility in order to do that. this got me thinking because my hamstrings, though I can touch my toes and put my hands flat on the floor they are very tight. And my hips are a lot less flexible than they were when I was 19 playing soccer competitively and could practically do the splits and lay my chest flat against my legs.
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It’s worth noting that static stretching can temporarily increase range of motion but there are other strategies that can be better for long term boosts in flexibility like full range of motion calisthenics and weight lifting. I’ve never been more flexible than when I was doing heavy deep squats and heavy RDLs.

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lol I wouldn’t call hands flat on the floor “tight” by any means. You may just feeling a stretch at that point of hands on the floor, leading to the “tight” sensation. It’s good to acknowledge the difference between tight and a stretch.

Based on your hamstring flexibility, then I really don’t think that gaining more flexibility is going to benefit you as much as strengthening would.

I do personally think that doing a post ride mobility routine helps me cool down better and makes my joints feel better the next day.

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Hamstring tightness. I copied this off the web. My fitter had told me the same thing. It’s an Imbalance issue.

*“ Your hamstrings feel tight because they are already pulled long.

So instead of stretching them out further, we need to address the postural distortions and muscular imbalances that cause our hamstrings to be overstretched, such as Anterior Pelvic Tilt and tight hip flexors.

We need to focus on returning our hamstring to their optimal length through addressing muscular imbalances and stability issues.

This often means we need to address hip flexor tightness and glute underactivity. It may even mean addressing lat tightness as well because of the impact our lats can have on our lumbo-pelvic-hip complex functioning through our thoracolumbar fascia.

This means that instead of spending a ton of time stretching our hamstrings we actually need to be doing the following things…

  1. Foam Rolling Hip Flexors And Lats
  2. Stretching Hip Flexors And Lats
  3. Activating Our Glutes And Abs. *”
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