The Flexibility Delusion – Do You Really Need to Stretch?

“Did you stretch before?”  – “Did you try just stretching it out?”  – “I just need to be more flexible”

Just stretch it! Sound familiar? Of course it does, because you’ve either said it or had it said to you hundreds of times. You know, because animals stretch and this yoga guru on Instagram has awesome flexibility, so shouldn’t you try to be…flexible?

This knee-jerk answer has been around for years, mainly because it’s easier to repeat things than it is keep learning and evolving with science. The average person will tell you that they “really need to work on flexibility,” but if you ask them why, they don’t really know. So what is this need based on and is it worth chasing?

What if I told you that static stretching could lead to transient decreases in performance, sucks as a warm-up, doesn’t help with muscle soreness, doesn’t actually change the muscle, and doesn’t always lead to lasting, usable changes in range of motion? You might be thinking, “Well, then what the hell is it good for?” Keep reading.

There’s nothing dangerous about static stretching (to an extent), and it certainly has a time and place, but it doesn’t do what people think it does either. So hang tight.

Let me also say that if you are paying to go to a “stretch therapist,” you are wasting precious time and money that could be spent more productively elsewhere. This is yet another passive modality sold to consumers who are always looking for a new “fix.” Before you go tugging on your tight hamstrings all day, consider some of these things.

What is Flexibility?

In simplistic terms, flexibility is the range of motion your joints can move through. However, this doesn’t necessarily consider the quality of that movement or what it takes to get there. It also ignores the importance of control or stability in certain positions. It’s just a simple measure of, how far can this move?

Great, now, does this matter? Is there a set amount? How much is enough? What is it based on? Or is it simply an idea based on old adages, confirmation bias, and subjective opinion?

Ask some high-level gymnasts or dancers how their increased flexibility has prevented injuries. Ask people who are hyper-mobile and dislocate their shoulders, how they like having such amazing flexibility. Ask the person who simply lays down and gets stretched how that is transferring to dynamic movements.

The answers will be messy.

I worked with almost an entire school of Irish Dancers who came to me after more than half of them were sustaining hip labral tears, fractures, and other hip/ankle/knee injuries. At the time, they were just doing their sport practice (which was way too much) and getting stretched out weekly by a stretch therapist. Yet, nothing was getting better. As a matter of fact, things were getting worse…

I did nothing magical other than tell them to stop/limit the excessive stretching, better control weekly volume, and include some generic strength training to bring stability back into a world only focused on flexibility. Most of them fought me on the stretching at first, but slowly they started to notice how much better they felt by doing less. This did affect them mentally and they’d often say, “I feel like I need to stretch or I’ll lose my flexibility.” Yet when I asked them if they had noticed any functional decreases in performance since doing less stretching, then answer was always, “no.”

What Determines Your Flexibility?

In Mel Siff’s “Supertraining,” he outlined what determines flexibility as:

• Structural or architectural limitations of the relevant joint (Flexibility is joint specific)
• Mechanical properties of the muscles and other soft tissues of the joint
• Neuromuscular processes that control muscle tension and length (Your brain)
• The level of non-functional muscle tension in the same or other muscles
• The pain threshold of the individual in approaching end range (aka stretch tolerance)

He also goes on to say, “There is no real need to prescribe separate stretching exercises or sessions, since logically structured training should take every joint progressively through its full range of static and dynamic movement.”

What does all of that mean? Simply that there’s a lot that controls how much “flexibility” you have and can achieve. And while stretching used to be touted as a way to help lengthen muscle, recent findings suggest this increased range of motion may be due largely to a “modification of sensation.” If your program is well-rounded and has you working through full ranges of motion, you likely don’t need to incorporate additional stretching into your program.

*If you want to actually change the length of the tissue, consider eccentrics – How I Program Eccentric Training Pt. 1

Should You Stretch? Well, it depends what you’re trying to do.

1.) Static stretching before exercise doesn’t increase performance. It may, however, decrease performance.

In, “Does Pre-Exercise static stretching inhibit maximal muscular performance? A meta-analytical review,” the authors concluded that “the usage of static stretching as the sole activity during warm-up routine should generally be avoided.”

In, “Static Stretching Alters Neuromuscular Function and Pacing Strategy, but Not Performance during a 3-Km Running Time-Trial,” found that the static stretching group led to a “significantly lower velocity in the first 100m” and “drop jump height decreased.”

In, “Effects of static stretching on 1-mile uphill run performance,” the authors found that “static stretching decreases performance in short endurance bouts while increasing GCT (ground contact time).”

Because pre-event static stretching can reduce speed and force output, it’s best to choose a different option to “warm-up.” Your warm-up can be very general, the goal is to raise core body temperature, increase blood flow and prepare for upcoming movements. Walking, Jogging, Active/Dynamic Warm-ups are good examples.

2.) Static stretching doesn’t appear to enact any real change to the tissue itself. This is important.

You feel “tight” so then you stretch a bit and you feel a little better. Sooner than later, you feel tight again and repeat this scenario – over and over. But do you ever stop and ask why this “tight” muscle isn’t getting better even with all the stretching? Shouldn’t it feel less tight?

As I mentioned earlier, flexibility is joint dependent and there’s a few factors that govern our accessible movement – most notably, the brain. For example, sometimes you may have a decreased range of motion in one joint to make up for a lack of stability in another. This is a protective response. Stretch it all you want but until this range of motion feels “safe” to the brain, good luck.

So if you want to change the length of a muscle and develop usable, controllable ranges of motion, try eccentrics or training through these full ranges of motion.

3.) Static stretching doesn’t decrease soreness, increase recovery, or decrease injury risk.

In “The Effectiveness of Post-exercise Stretching in Short-Term and Delayed Recovery of Strength, Range of Motion and Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials,” the authors examined 21 studies (11 RCTs, 10 meta-analysis), and found that compared to passive recovery (doing nothing), stretching had the same affect on recovery or DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).

In, “Effect of Stretching on Sport-Injury Risk,” the authors conclude that, “Limited evidence showed stretching had no effect in reducing injuries.”

Lastly, in “A Large, Randomized, Prospective Study of the Impact of a Pre-Run Stretch on the Risk of Injury in Teenage and Older Runners,” the authors find “no statistically significant difference in injury risk between the pre-run stretching and non-stretching groups.”

This does NOT mean stretching can’t be used or may not offer some benefits.

Stretching can increase flexibility and could help reduce pain in the short-term. Although, we aren’t sure if it’s the stretching or just general movement, considering walking also has pain reducing effects.

In, “Can apparent increases in muscle extensibility with regular stretch be explained by changes in tolerance to stretch?” 20 individuals with “limited” hamstring flexibility underwent 20 minutes of daily stretching for four weeks.

What they found was, “The intervention did not increase the extensibility of the hamstring muscles (mean change in hip flexion was -1 degree, 95% CI -4 to 3 degrees) but did increase subjects’ tolerance to an uncomfortable stretch sensation (mean change in hip flexion was 8 degrees, 95% CI 5 to 12 degrees). These results highlight the importance of distinguishing between real and apparent increases in muscle extensibility when assessing the effectiveness of stretch, and indicate that whilst a four-week stretch program increases subjects’ tolerance to an uncomfortable stretch sensation it does not increase hamstring muscle extensibility.”

The question then becomes, do you need more and why?

Now, it may seem like I am not a fan of stretching, but that isn’t the case. I am a proponent of movement, and I want people to move in ways that make them feel better. I believe this is important.

I never want to eliminate a potential tool. I use dynamic stretching in warm-ups, mobility drills in select spots, have used PNF stretching in certain circumstances, and might even hit a tri-planar hip flexor stretch for myself time to time.

I only wrote this article so you have a better understanding of what’s actually happening when you stretch and can make better decisions moving forward. If you like it; use it. If you have a sensible program and want to skip it, more power to you.