Will Static Stretching Make Me Weaker?
January 8th, 2010
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by Mike T Nelson · Filed Under: Mobility · athletic performance
Will Static Stretching Make Me Weaker?
Yes! Next question?
“But I love to do it and it feels good. Plus my strength is not going down, so you are full of crap”
I get lots of these emails. Literally I do.
This is not really even debateable in my opinon. From the latest study below, the authors state:
“There is an abundance of literature demonstrating that a single bout of stretching acutely impairs muscle strength, with a lesser effect on power.”
Of course static stretching is not going to make your knee cap shoot across the room or make you instantly as weak as a kitten; but I don’t feel it is an optimal way to increase strength and movement efficiency.
If I Don’t Static Stretch, Can I Move Like Crap?
Most don’t want to give it up since they assume their movement will get worse. I agree that athletes of all types need to move well and movement quality is of high importance, I just don’t think static stretching is the best tool. I would much rather have athletes do dynamic work and joint mobility work (like Z-Health).
What About Long Duration Static Stretching?
An even worse idea! Yes, I understand the proposed concept of very long (5-20 minute) static stretches to reset muscle length, but there are much better ways to do it. What is the cost of this practice? Who in their right mind is even going to do it beyond the most motivated athletes? Many barely warm up as it is in most gyms.
I stole this one from my buddy Frankie, “Drugs make you feel good too, but I would not recommend them.” So just because something feels good does not automatically mean it is good for you? How do you determine if an exercise is good for you? I would go with some form of biofeedback.
Comments? What do you think?
Rock on
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REFERENCES
Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2009 Dec 18. [Epub ahead of print]
To stretch or not to stretch: the role of stretching in injury prevention and performance.
Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, New York, USA.
Stretching is commonly practiced before sports participation; however, effects on subsequent performance and injury prevention are not well understood. There is an abundance of literature demonstrating that a single bout of stretching acutely impairs muscle strength, with a lesser effect on power. The extent to which these effects are apparent when stretching is combined with other aspects of a pre-participation warm-up, such as practice drills and low intensity dynamic exercises, is not known. With respect to the effect of pre-participation stretching on injury prevention a limited number of studies of varying quality have shown mixed results. A general consensus is that stretching in addition to warm-up does not affect the incidence of overuse injuries. There is evidence that pre-participation stretching reduces the incidence of muscle strains but there is clearly a need for further work. Future prospective randomized studies should use stretching interventions that are effective at decreasing passive resistance to stretch and assess effects on subsequent injury incidence in sports with a high prevalence of muscle strains.
Comments RSS 
Is this only in reference to before a lifting session? Is it still detrimental if done on a recovery day or several hours after a work out?
Most studies are done pre training.
Post training is the only time that static stretching MAY be ok. Again, if I had a choice I would still do mobility training. I have not personally done any static stretching for 2+ years and I have not found a need to have any of my athletes use it either. Again, n= handful of anecdotal proof. heheh
Thoughts?
Thanks for the comment!!
Rock on
Mike T Nelson
Hey Mike,
Are you familiar with this:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/phys-ed-how-necessary-is-stretching/
As a runner, I think the idea of tighter hamstrings storing elastic energy thereby leading to more economical running is quite fascinating.
I think we’re just going to have to agree to disagree on this one Mike. I posted a reply to you at my blog, but I repeat it here.
As I said in my blog post, if you do a lot of tension-killing stretches directly prior to an activity that requires tension, then you’re a fool. But, just like a PLer who would do supplemental workouts for tricep strength, why wouldn’t an athlete that could benefit from more mobility spend some time doing some static stretches in front of the tv, for example?
Btw and Fwiw, the title of my blog post was actually inspired by a CF video that Kelly Starlett (sp?) made a while back. Your post has essentially the same title.
I’ve been following the arguments on this for a while. I used to do mobility work before a session and static poses afterwards … more out of habit, than ‘actual testing’ regarding its benefits …
I tried doing mobility stuff at the end of the training session for a few months and that felt good … but I didn’t notice any real difference over time (compared to static poses).
Anyway, what do you think of the idea of finishing a session with mobility/stability exercises … eg. slow, light (16kg) windmills and arm-bars. You still get that ’stretch’ feeling but under tension.
Cheers
Hi there Greg!
Yes, there are some pretty cool studies looking at that and one I read awhile ago measure it in-vivo even if I remember right. I think it could apply to pretty much all soft tissue and not just hamstring.
Thanks for the comment!
rock on
Mike T Nelson
Hi there Boris! Thanks for the comment here and I look forward to more feedback and expertise from you in the future!
Yes! If all my athletes did more mobility work I would be doing cart wheels down the hall. Most do a very good job with this, but I would have them do mobility work vs static stretching as I feel it is a better use of their precious time.
Funny that I had the same title as I have not seen that video. I did a search and found it, but since I am not a crossfit member I could not see it. Was he saying to not static stretch? If so, I like him already–hahahha.
Rock on!
Mike T Nelson
I will let you in on a secret.
The best way to finish up a session is to work the OPPOSITE mobility work of what you did. So if you did bench press only, I would work on mobility work out to the side or more behind you. Since you do MMA, do your mobility work the opposite. So if you stand with your right arm in front and right leg in front, go left leg in front, left arm up and do mobility work from that position. This will work to re-balance the body.
There is a great MMA product coming out soon too. No idea on the release date yet though, but I have seen it and it is amazing. (full disclosure, I helped with some of the research on it , so I am biased of course).
Rock on
Mike T Nelson
Hey thanks for the tip Mike … I’ll incorporate the principle ASAP
BTW I don’t do MMA, I do muay thai … similar, but different
Cheers.
Sounds great man! Sorry to insult you and call you a MMA person—I got it now!
Rock on
Mike T Nelson
Would you recommend Static Stretching over the foam roller? I don’t think I am grasping the benefits/consequences, all I know is static stretching seems to be the new “craze” at the fitness club.
Thanks for stopping by Anna
No, I would not recommend static stretching over a foam roller, with a foam roller or even by itself.
I am not interested what the latest craze is. I could care less. I only care about results and how to get better results in less time at a lower cost (side effect)
Do a search for “static stretching” on this site and you will find plenty of info.
rock on
Mike T Nelson
J Sci Med Sport. 2009 Nov;12(6):657-61. Epub 2008 Sep 3.
Negative effect of static stretching restored when combined with a sport specific warm-up component.
Taylor KL, Sheppard JM, Lee H, Plummer N.
Department of Physiology, Australian Institute of Sport, Australia. kristie.taylor@ausport.gov.au
There is substantial evidence that static stretching may inhibit performance in strength and power activities. However, most of this research has involved stretching routines dissimilar to those practiced by athletes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the decline in performance normally associated with static stretching pervades when the static stretching is conducted prior to a sport specific warm-up. Thirteen netball players completed two experimental warm-up conditions. Day 1 warm-up involved a submaximal run followed by 15 min of static stretching and a netball specific skill warm-up. Day 2 followed the same design; however, the static stretching was replaced with a 15 min dynamic warm-up routine to allow for a direct comparison between the static stretching and dynamic warm-up effects. Participants performed a countermovement vertical jump and 20m sprint after the first warm-up intervention (static or dynamic) and also after the netball specific skill warm-up. The static stretching condition resulted in significantly worse performance than the dynamic warm-up in vertical jump height (-4.2%, 0.40 ES) and 20m sprint time (1.4%, 0.34 ES) (p<0.05). However, no significant differences in either performance variable were evident when the skill-based warm-up was preceded by static stretching or a dynamic warm-up routine. This suggests that the practice of a subsequent high-intensity skill based warm-up restored the differences between the two warm-up interventions. Hence, if static stretching is to be included in the warm-up period, it is recommended that a period of high-intensity sport-specific skills based activity is included prior to the on-court/field performance.
Thanks Peter!
Awesome study!
They did show that this effect was erased by specific warm ups then. So why would you spend 10-15 min doing something that has a negative effect?
Thoughts?
Rock on
Mike T Nelson
In terms of the whole static stretching and needing to do it. Have we all forgotten that under anesthesia or in a coma we can do the full splits with ease? Just ask an Anesthesiologist.
As Pavel stated in his book Relax Into Stretch, our muscles are already more than flexible enough to go through each joint’s full range of motion.
So why can’t we? Simple, the brain will do anything it can to protect your joints from a perceived threat. That threat is the threat of taking a joint into a position that the brain thinks it will get injured in.
When I see someone who can’t touch their toes, or can’t hit a 3/3 on a Functional Movement Screen and then all I do is have them hit a couple of R-Phase drills and now they can palm the floor and hit a 3/3 on the FMS, I wonder who would want to subject themselves to months and months of slow and uncomfortable stretching? Who I ask?
Want to kick over your head? Quit stretching and practice kicking. You get better at what you practice. Your brain starts to perceive the movement as safe and thus gives you back your strength and mobility. Unless of course, you practice into startle and then you will often take away strength and mobility.
There is no arguing with science. These things are very easy to demonstrate.
Thanks for the comments Brian! Great have your input here.
I agree with 95% of what you said. If mobility drills (like Z-Health) work without static stretching, why static stretch?
Taking a limb into an end range of motion and waiting for it to get WEAKER sounds like less than optimal idea to me.
Do you know of a source of splits under anesthesia? I did a little poking around and I can’t find it. I agree that you will most likely see a huge increase in ROM, but that will vary from person to person based on their soft tissue structure.
Others do MUA (manipulation under anesthesia), so they would be the docs to ask. One reference below, but I only have the abstract and I am not sure what they did to see the huge range of motion difference.
You can see huge range of motion change by NOT working on the shoulder too!
Before anyone asks, I think manipulation under anesthesia is a horrible idea. Pain is most cases is there for a very good reason. Yeah, let’s knock your ass out so that you can’t feel any pain and then take your “frozen” shoulder through a whole range of motion to rip scar tissue and everything else there. What? This normally has to be done a few times too. Yikes. Anyone can tell you that it is a bad idea and an absolute last case idea. I wonder about promoting pain long term also. Any time you override the body’s safety mechanisms, there is a very high cost to be paid.
Out of all the “bum shoulders” I have seen, it is extremely rare that any exercise is done on the shoulder. Most times I find thoracic, opposite hip, opposite foot/ankle, cervical and same side wrist joint mobility work help a ton.
Thanks Brian!
Rock on
Mike T Nelson
J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2009 Oct 16. [Epub ahead of print]
The outcome of examination (manipulation) under anesthesia on the stiff elbow after surgical contracture release.
Araghi A, Celli A, Adams R, Morrey B.
Center for Orthopedic Research and Education, Sun City West, AZ, USA.
HYPOTHESIS: We have used a technique of elbow examination under anesthesia in select patients after surgical release to assess the smoothness of the articulation, evaluate stability, and to stretch the flexion and rotation arcs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study comprised 51 consecutive patients who underwent an examination under anesthesia between January of 1996 and December of 2001. RESULTS: The examination occurred a mean of 40 days after surgery. Forty-four patients with a minimum of 12 months follow-up revealed a mean pre-examination arc of 33 degrees , which improved to 73 degrees at the final assessment. Three patients had no appreciable change (<10 degrees ) in the total arc, and 1 patient lost motion. Four patients underwent a second examination under anesthesia at a mean of 119 days after the first examination. The average pre-examination arc of 40 degrees increased to 78 degrees at the final assessment (mean improvement, 38 degrees ). The only complication was worsening of ulnar paresthesias in 3; with 2 resolving spontaneously, and 1 patient requiring anterior ulnar nerve transposition. CONCLUSIONS: Examination (manipulation) under anesthesia can be a valuable adjunctive procedure to help regain the motion obtained at the time of surgical release. Because this was not a controlled series, additional studies might be conducted to refine those not benefiting from this procedure. In our series no permanent complications were noted. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, Case Series, Treatment Study.
Hi Mike,
I agree, we need to let our safety mechanisms work and reeducate them when they are not working appropriately, i.e. restoration, rehabilitation, reeducation
Doing any kind of manipulation under anesthesia also does not promote any motor learning or brain education (map clarity) so even if it did improve someone’s ROM wouldn’t it increase their risk of injury as they now have a joint that can go further than their brain knows how to control… Which I would argue is another nail in the coffin of static passive stretching; active stretching is a whole other animal which I am not discounting at all.
As far as having a joint’s full mobility under anesthesia I am referring to joints that do not have some form of massive tissue altercation such as massive scar tissue or massive remodelling (Wolff’s and Davis’ Laws) those would potentially cause the body to work different. But then again, those new limits would be the body’s new natural full ROM, right? Whether that means the splits or not is another story.
For references I’ll site Page 39 of Pavel’s Relax into Stretch. I have verified this with several of my clients, one who is a very accomplished Orthopedic Surgeon (who got his mind blown away by Z-Health by the way!), another is an Anesthesiologist and also a handful of med. students who have personally been in the OR and seen patient’s legs being moved out of the way anywhere they needed to be.
Once again, scar tissue and other mechanical changes to a joint can change what the “natural” ROM is.
As you and I both know, neurological mobility restrictions can sometimes be fixed nearly instantly while soft tissue and bone restrictions take a longer time as Wolff’s and Davis’ Laws must play their hand. But even then, I am no longer a fan of using painful soft tissue work to remodel tissue, active movement and load are the best tools that I have seen. I know you are with me Mike, this is for the other readers
Thanks for the great post Brian and helps flush out the main points for others here.
Short version
If you are near CO, go see Brian!
If you are in the St Paul Minnesota area, drop me a line and we will get you sorted out ASAP
Rock on
Mike T Nelson