Plus, stretching is even great for stress relief. Try these 16 static stretches that … I had been anti-stretching for at least a … So after your next workout, take a few minutes to rid the lactic acid and stretch. Aim to hold each stretch for a minimum of 20-30 seconds, breathe comfortably, with deep breaths in through your nose, and out through your mouth. The effects of static stretching on running economy and endurance performance in female distance runners during treadmill running. Maybe you've heard that stretching before a run is a big mistake. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 25(8), 2170–2176. Back in the day, athletes primarily did static stretches before exercising. The study was the first to link pre-run static stretching with impaired neuromuscular function and pace strategy in long distance runners. Dynamic stretching, on the other hand, is stretching that involves movement. Many runners dedicate at least 10 minutes to static stretching before running, but continue to stretch before each run because the soreness or cramping comes back. Static stretching is an important part of any workout routine. The Stretching Saga comes down to this: whether to do static stretching or dynamic stretching before exercising. It is different to dynamic stretching and, although sometimes overlooked, it offers many benefits. But it wasn't always like that. Oddly, it still divides many runners now. The goal of dynamic stretching is to “wake up” the muscles. Indeed, studies show that static stretching—holding a muscle in an elongated, fixed position for … “Static stretching has also been shown to lead to a decrease in force production, power performance, running speed, reaction and movement time, and strength endurance.” The good news is that dynamic stretching does not elicit the same effects as static stretching and in fact has been shown to increase running performance . “Regular stretching alone cannot prevent injuries, make you run faster, or correct poor posture. the best stretches for runners to warm up and cool down There are many benefits to stretching before running: it prepares your body for the workout to come and increases joint flexibility. Hip swings and leg kicks are a couple of dynamic stretches. The goal of static stretching is to increase flexibility. The Take Home Message. Static stretching Stretching is an important part of your running training as it can improve your range of movement and help to prevent injury so it is hard to understand why many runners neglect it. Below you will see a picture from a 2007 handout I would give for talks about running injuries and stretching. Static stretching and injury risk in runners. Static Stretching After Running. History has shown a huge flip-flop on the statics vs. dynamic stretching topic in recent years: I'll call it, The Stretching Saga. A static stretching routine after your training run or distance race should be a fixed part of the whole physical activity after a cool down period.