The "Roads Scholar": Should You Stretch Before or After Running?

To stretch pre-run or post-run, that is the question - Hamlet (if he had been a runner)

I was recently asked: “Can you settle this controversy?  Are you supposed to stretch before or after you run?  All my running friends swear by before, but everything I read says after!”   As this is a recurring question, I thought it would be beneficial to shed some light on the issue.

Her running friends were wrong!  As early as 1999, research reported in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine concluded that “stretching before exercise does not reduce the risk of local muscle injury”. This article was written ten years ago! News sure travels slowly!

Why?  Holding a stretch in an elongated position bears no resemblance to what happens to a muscle during running.  In running, muscles undergo rapid shortening and elongation, where the elongation is rarely (if ever) to the same extent as during the stretch. If some of our members’ childhood dreams of becoming ballerinas had been fulfilled, static stretching would then mimic the activity in question. 

Since then, research has shown conclusively that pre-run stretching temporarily weakens muscles, resulting in decreased running speed.  In fact, some studies even link pre-run stretching with an increased incidence of injury.  Many runners believe that including stretching in their warmup would prepare their muscles for running faster and reduce the likelihood of injury.  Pre-run stretching actually has the opposite effect. What a revelation! Interestingly, a study of Honolulu Marathon finishers conducted by Dr. David Lally (University of Hawaii-Manoa) demonstrated that male runners who were pre-run stretchers were more prone to get injured than women pre-run stretchers. It appears that stretching a “cold” muscle and testosterone do not go well together.

Although evidence is not yet conclusive, post-run stretching seems to help reduce the incidence of injury.  The reason why is not yet clearly understood.  When reviewing the various relevant research studies, Dr. Owen Anderson concluded: “stretching most likely plays its best roles in the post-workout, post-race stages.  Such stretching seems to prepare muscles for the periods of quiescence which follow exertions, and research has also noted that post-training stretching can actually boost the rate of intake of carbohydrate into muscle cells, an effect which would enhance glycogen storage and provide the energy needed for repairing muscle fibres after strenuous efforts.  It is extremely unlikely that such stretching would harm running economy during subsequent training sessions.”

At this point, I admit that my assertion that it did not matter when a runner stretched (please see my March 8^th post “The Roads Scholar Says Post Run Nutrition Improves Performance”) needs to be modified.  We see that the ideal post-workout routine includes some light stretching, quickly followed by refuelling (as described in the March 8^th post). 

    

The Roads Scholar trains and coaches runners in Toronto, Canada, primarily with Marathon Dynamics, a Toronto-based training organization. incorporating the latest running-related research into his coaching and writing, he debunks many myths that are counterproductive to training, helping women of all ages increase their enjoyment and fulfillment of competitive, recreational running.

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