Should I Stretch Before or After a Workout?
Fallon O.
Elements Westford
“I tell all of my clients to stretch before and after. It’ll keep them from getting sore. Not being sore at the gym will give you a better workout, and if your muscles are stretched properly there’s less chance of an injury.”
Jules C.
Elements Carmel Mountain
“It’s always preferable to stretch a warm muscle rather than a cold one. Heat allows a muscle to relax more fully as evidenced by having more flexibility after a yoga session than when you started it. Or, to put it in massage terms, heat packs or hot stones used on a client allow a therapist to go deeper into a muscle because it is more relaxed.
“A final point on this is that stretching actually decreases the strength of a muscle as it is the polar opposite of the contracting that your muscles must do when you work out.”
Angel W.
Elements Florence
“I tell my clients to stretch before and after the workout. Preparing the muscles is just as important as the recovery.”
Meredith M.
Elements Timonium
“You want to warm up the muscles before a workout with a combination of stretching and cardio. So arm circles at a faster pace will stretch the muscles but warm them up at the same time. Dynamic stretching is what I call it.
“After a workout static stretching is important because this is your cooldown period. So you want your heart rate to continue to come down but still stretch your muscles.”
