There are plenty of things you’ll happily make time for at the gym. An extra set of squats. Ten more minutes on the treadmill. A HIIT class that gases you out in the best possible way. Stretching, meanwhile, tends to be an afterthought – if it even surfaces at all.
Sure, you want to lift heavy and run fast. But all that strength and conditioning isn’t quite as useful if your body’s so stiff that putting on a shirt or tying your shoes becomes its own full-body workout. Moving well and feeling good matter, too – hence why stretching deserves more attention in your routine.
Why stretching matters
The obvious payoff of stretching is better flexibility and range of motion (ROM). But there’s another benefit that’s less discussed: you can also get more comfortable using that range. Just because you can technically touch your toes, for example, doesn’t mean your hamstrings won’t scream at you the entire way down. Regular stretching can improve what’s known as stretch tolerance, says Dr Domenic Angelino, chief exercise scientist at FitCraft, allowing you to move into deeper ranges with greater ease.
Stretching can also complement your existing training routine, both before and after exercise. Angelino reminds us that dynamic stretches, which involve moving through your joint’s full ROM repeatedly, are great for warming up as they take joints and muscles through ranges similar to what you’re about to ask of them. Static stretches – where you settle into a position and hold it – are better suited for after training or a standalone flexibility session.
“Essentially, stretching matters in that it helps increase your range of motion to accommodate whatever activities are involved in your life,” Angelino says. That matters in the gym, but also everywhere else: when you reach in a cupboard overhead, twist around for something behind you, and get down on the floor. In short, a handful of stretches done consistently can allow you to go about your life with less effort and stiffness — and reduce the likelihood of your body putting up a fight every time you ask it to move.
A full-body dynamic stretch routine
Zaki Afzal, a sports PT and founder of Optimize Physical Therapy and Performance, designed a full-body routine to do before cardio or lifting. The sequence combines dynamic stretches with mobility drills designed to loosen stiff joints and tight tissues. “This whole routine is built to get the stuff that gets tight from sitting and training to actually move,” he says. It takes about 10 minutes, requires almost no equipment, and hits most of the places that tend to get cranky and creaky from workouts and daily life.