Static stretching gets a bad rap in the world of Strength, mainly due to several studies that found it to reduce speed, strength, power & athletic ability when done before competition or training.

A large portion of the fitness community took this information & ran with it... Its a very simplistic way to look at it & doesn’t tell the whole story, so heres the caveats.

Firstly, If you don't have the mobility to achieve the ROM needed to perform a movement in the first place, the effects of static stretching will actually assist in your lifting rather than hinder it.

Secondly, Duration is important! Sub 30 second stretches show no decrease in performance prior to competition.

Thirdly, Timing of the stretch also needs bringing into account, as studies usually look at the immediate response of the stretch... how often do you hold a prolonged stretch then perform immediately?

So, what would my recommendation be? Don’t fear static stretching!!!

In terms of performance, if you have underlying mobility issues, hit the problem area with a stretch in your warm ups, but keep it below 30 seconds & do it 5 minutes+ before you perform. In short, deal with your mobility issues at the start of your warm up, you’ll be fine & you’ll have no negative effects.

For general mobility, do it after a session, or at home & hold the stretch for 30+ seconds (although if your starting from nothing you’ll get a benefit from less). If your unsure where to focus, I’d recommend anywhere that causes you significant problems. If your generally tight, just focus on your Shoulders, T-Spine, Hips & Ankles as improving these areas will improve ROM & comfort in most movements.

Real problem areas may need more work than just static stretching, these usually need to be taken case by case, but a general rule to build a plan would be to roll, stretch and strengthen the problem area daily.

Adam Johnston, 22nd July 2020