Real-world review
Should you stretch before running? I stopped
For months I stretched before every run. Then I read what the science actually says about static stretching. Spoiler: I stopped.
During my first months of running, I did the same ritual as everyone else: before heading out, I’d put a foot on a bench, pull on the calf, the hamstring, the quad, count to 20, and off I went. Because “that’s what I’ve always been told”. Until one day, I wondered where that reflex actually came from. And there, surprise.
What the science (actually) says
I dug into it, and the picture is pretty clear: stretching cold, right before exercise is not the magic move we think it is.
- It doesn’t prevent injury. A systematic review of clinical trials concludes that static stretching before exercise does not reduce injury risk. The thing we do “to avoid getting hurt” basically doesn’t do that.
- It can even slow you down. Stretching a muscle then asking it to be explosive is counterproductive: several studies show a temporary drop in strength and power after prolonged static stretching.
- And for running? On running economy, a dynamic warm-up does at least as well, often better, than a static stretching session.
In short, the move I performed religiously before every run was, at best, useless. At worst, it made me start a bit “switched off”.
To be fair, though: if you hold a stretch for less than 60 seconds, the negative effect on performance is minimal. And flexibility itself stays useful. The problem is timing and duration, not stretching as such.
What I do now
I replaced static stretching with a dead-simple dynamic warm-up, 5 minutes:
- 2-3 minutes of brisk walking or very slow jogging
- high knees, butt kicks, a few side steps
- 2-3 strides building up gradually
And that’s it. The body is warm, the heart has climbed gently, and I set off without feeling like I’ve “emptied” my legs before even starting.
Stretching, I save it for later: cold in the evening, or on non-running days, to work on flexibility calmly. There, it makes sense.
The verdict
I’m not saying “stretching is useless”. I’m saying that doing it cold, right before running, is giving yourself a clear conscience with no real benefit, and that’s exactly what I was doing. Since I switched to a dynamic warm-up, I start better, and I haven’t had more niggles. Quite the opposite.
Just goes to show: “we’ve always done it this way” sometimes deserves a fact check. A bit like the gear you buy because everyone has it, but that’s another story.