When should static stretching be performed during flexibility training?

At present, the general consensus among sports academics and front-line coaches is that static stretching is most suitable to be arranged in the relaxation phase after strength training and special sports, or in a separate flexibility training period without other sports arrangements. It is not recommended to do it in the warm-up session before formal exercise.

In the early ten years, the saying "warm up first with static stretching" was widely popular in fitness circles. However, in the past decade or so, a large number of studies and front-line practices have verified that long-term static stretching for more than 30 seconds will reduce peak muscle strength by 10%-30%, which has a particularly obvious impact on sports that require explosive power and power output. I encountered a real example when I was leading a high school track and field team. There was a child who practiced 100 meters and used to stretch the hamstrings on the back of his thigh for 2 minutes before he warmed up. During that time, the 60-meter test was always 0.15 to 0.2 seconds slower than his best time. Later, we He replaced all the static stretching in the warm-up with dynamic activations such as high leg raises, back kicks, and walking lunges. After the training, he arranged 5 minutes of static stretching to relax. Within a week, his test scores returned to normal levels, and were even 0.08 seconds faster than before.

Of course, this does not mean that static stretching is absolutely forbidden before exercise. It is divided into items and needs. For example, in sports such as gymnastics and figure skating that require extremely high joint mobility, many athletes will do short-term static stretching for 10-15 seconds before competition to open the restricted joints first, and then perform dynamic activation, which can avoid injuries due to improper movements. If ordinary fitness people have old problems caused by sitting for a long time, such as the iliopsoas muscles being so tight that they can't squat deeply, they can also stretch the iliopsoas muscles for 10 seconds during the warm-up, and then immediately do a few sets of clam poses or hip circles. This will not only increase the range of motion, but will not affect the subsequent strength output.

If you have no intention of doing strength or running and jumping exercises, but you just want to stretch your waist and legs that have been stiff for a day after get off work, then it is absolutely fine to do static stretching directly. It is like relaxing the muscles that have been tight for a day. Hold each group for 20-30 seconds. Don’t hold your breath. Slowly stretch until you feel soreness and then stop. On the contrary, it is more comfortable than doing dynamic stretching and is less likely to be strained. By the way, don’t pursue stretching as long as possible. I’ve seen people stretch their hamstrings for 2 minutes, but the muscles become stiff and there is even a risk of slight strains. For ordinary enthusiasts, holding each set for 20-30 seconds and repeating 2-3 sets is enough.