It's been a commonly held belief that if you don’t stretch your muscles before working out, you are more likely to injure yourself. But the latest understanding of pre-workout routines challenges this previous assumption. Now, evidence suggests that static stretching (slowly moving your muscles until they start to hurt and holding the stretch for a few seconds) actually does not prevent injuries while working out at all. In fact, this kind of stretching could actually potentially hinder your strength and speed.
This is not to say that you shouldn’t stretch at all. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends stretching each of your major muscle groups for 60 seconds at least twice a week. This will help you stay flexible as well as maintain good posture.
Before your workout, dynamic stretches are found to be better than static stretches. For dynamic stretches, instead of stretching a muscle to the full extent of your ability and holding it for 15 to 30 seconds, you move a muscle group fluidly through an entire range of motion. An example of this would be a brisk walk or walking lunges before a run. Warming up before you workout using dynamic stretches can gradually increase your heart rate and help your blood start to flow to your muscles, which is much more beneficial than static stretching.
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