Static stretching during warm up: Research vs. real world sports (part 1)

Static stretching  (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

For years athletes have performed  traditional warm up routines comprised of cardio activity, static stretching, then dynamic activities prior to practice and competition.  Static stretching was previously considered  “stretching”, while dynamic exercises were distinguished as “strengthening” movements.

Static stretching, deemed to be a safe way to loosen tight muscles, is performed by holding positions at the end of a range of motion.  Dynamic stretching exercises are coordinated movements created by muscle contractions and momentum that extend opposing muscles toward the end of a range of motion. 

Research over the last decade has raised questions as to the value of preactivity static stretching, suggesting that it has not been shown to prevent injuries or increase flexibility, and even may weaken muscles, thereby reducing strength and power.  In light of this research,  some coaches and athletes have eliminated static stretching from their warm up routines.  However, others have retained the traditional progression from static to dynamic stretching in preparation for sport performance.

A recent article in the Yale Daily News  cited Stretching: The Truth, which described a California State University professor's discouragement at seeing athletes on campus warming up before practice, noting one dangerous mistake after another as he watched them hold static stretches.  But Yale's Sports Medicine Center Director, Dr. Peter Jokl, stated that the idea that "traditional stretching may not be good for you" is "overdramatized". 

Dynamic stretching (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

In Running Journal, Pete Rea, coach of more than 30 post collegiate distance athletes, shared that world class distance athletes fall into both pre-run stretching camps.  He reported that only two of his own athletes completed their entire careers without injury, and neither ever stretched.  

Maryville's martial arts expert, Brad Hatcher, is aware of the research, but continues to practice static stretching with long-duration holding periods prior to sport-specific warm up activities.  He says that the explosive nature of martial arts impacts the entire body, including the neck and spine, not just the primary muscles targeted in studies. 

Assisted stretching (AP Photo/Luis Benavides)

But how does this preactivity stretching research square up with real world athletics?  A consistent key difference is exercise order.  Studies typically introduce static stretching immediately prior to various tests of maximum effort that represent aspects of sport performance.  In the real world, few athletes would blast into high gear with maximum effort immediately after static stretching without first performing dynamic, lead up activities. 

Then why aren’t more studies testing the traditional warm up order of static, then dynamic stretching?  Mainly because experiments must be carefully controlled so that the effects of static stretching on performance testing can be attributed to static stretching only, rather than to something else that may interfere, such as time lapses or dynamic activities.

Another difference is that stretching bouts used in some studies have been substantially longer in duration than the typical 10-15 second hold times used by many athletes during warm up. 

Because of differences that may exist between research conditions and athletics, sport scientists often submit that their findings may not directly apply to the complexities of sport performance.

Regardless of differences between research and sports, the controversy has certainly challenged experts to re-examine their views of preactivity static stretching.  Perhaps coaches in some sports find that preactivity static stretching has little or no positive impact on sport performance, prompting them to eliminate it.  It may also be that the wisdom gained by coaches and athletes through experience ultimately dictates their decisions as to the best practices in their respective sports.  For some, this practical wisdom may override what studies are popularly believed to have shown.