From yoga to stretching: we take a closer look at stretching exercises

Stretching is very trendy. Whether as an accompaniment to strength training, endurance sports or ball sports, as a sport in its own right or as a therapeutic approach: it seems like you can't do without stretching if you put on your sports clothes or if you want to live a healthy and, above all, flexible life.

The thing is, stretching is your stretchy term. There is static stretching, for example when you pull your heel towards your butt while standing and thus “stretch” the thigh muscle, but there is also active or dynamic stretching through movement, for example in yoga or functional fitness . And stretching is not always as useful and healthy as some people claim.

That's why we took a closer look at stretching and stretching. Which full-body stretching exercises are the most effective , what about stretching before and after a workout? In particular: How useful is stretching before or after strength training or running and sports in general? And of course it's also about the time when we don't train. How can stretching exercises, for example from yoga, help and prevent pain in the hips, shoulders or back ?

Questions about questions. The answers are in our story. Stretch briefly again – and then you can get started.

Static stretching and dynamic stretching: the subtle difference

During static or passive stretching, a muscle is stretched until a feeling of stretching occurs or the pain threshold is reached (the stretching pain). Then this position is held for a certain period of time.

With dynamic or active stretching, on the other hand, you carry out a controlled movement that goes through the range of motion of the respective joint. The stretching here takes place through a movement that is as natural as possible.

Does stretching affect muscle length?

No. Basically, it is important to know that the muscle cannot “shorten”, as the saying goes. The muscle is always the same length and is connected to your bones at both ends. But what can happen: If the muscle is constantly in a contracted or pressed position (i.e. approximately), it blocks you and you feel stiff. Stretching exercises before or after a workout are intended to promote mobility by helping to bring the muscles into a stretched position - so you can use your full range of motion.

Our body is a master at conserving energy . To put it simply: If we don't use the range of motion of our muscles (and joints) (the so-called range of motion or ROM ), the body will “remember” this at some point.

For example, if you sit a lot, your hip flexors "shorten" because the body learns that you don't need full ROM often. By limiting your range of motion, the body can conserve energy and your nervous system remembers that this position is normal for you. Stupid for you: It feels like muscles are “shortened”. Not a feeling, but a fact: the hip flexors are starting to cause problems. You get back pain. Your mobility has decreased. Often the vicious circle: Since regaining your ROM costs you so much energy and can often be painful or at least strenuous, you may not even try methods for stretching the hip flexors - such as yoga or simpler dynamic hip stretching exercises .

Stretching before and after a workout: is it necessary?

The big controversial question. While it was considered certain for decades that static stretching was ideal as a warm-up before exercise and for prevention and regeneration after exercise, the situation today, numerous studies later, is different. Studies have shown that you reduce the risk of injury little or no at all by stretching before a workout. You also can't avoid muscle soreness by stretching after a workout.

In addition, long static stretches in particular (i.e. if you hold a stretched position for longer than 60 seconds) can slightly increase the risk of injury . Not to mention that, especially in weight training, stretching beforehand can actually reduce performance. The situation is hardly different when it comes to active stretching. Here too, one cannot speak of a positive effect per se from dynamic stretching before or after exercise.

Should you still stretch at all? Of course, if the framework is right. On the one hand, you can do stretching itself as a sport: whether you do it as yoga stretching exercises or take a look at Kinstretch : Stretching as a sport is sweaty, makes you fit and increases your mobility enormously. But we'll get to that again in a moment. Basically, stretching is ideal for training flexibility and range of motion.

Where else should you stretch beforehand? For example, whenever you want to target muscle groups or perform movements that do not correspond to your ROM. This is the reason why many acrobats, ballet dancers or martial artists stretch extensively. Certain poses or kicks are so unusual that we hardly do them in everyday life or through normal training - in order to increase our mobility in this case, we can stretch. In other sports, however, stretching before exercise can be a hindrance because you reduce muscle tension and thereby slow down the muscles.

And what about after the workout? Stretching straight after exercise is usually not a good idea. Here, relaxing or simply waiting until the muscles loosen up again (for example after weight training) are the better alternative. You can also first ensure that you optimally supply yourself with carbohydrates, protein and minerals - essential for regeneration and building and maintaining muscles. Our Recovery° Drink , our delicious protein products and of course our efficient Zero Calories ° tablets can help you with this. Where do you find all of this? In the Dextro Energy* online shop !

Back to the topic: You should under no circumstances stretch after exercise if you have sore muscles or even minor muscle injuries.

Basically, sport is exercise. And exercise is stretching. Always. So if you have used your full range of motion while jogging, running, strength training, ball sports or swimming, you are already well stretched and don't really need to add extra stretching after exercise. In short: you have to move more to become more flexible.

Stretching before or after exercise: Sometimes useful, sometimes not so much.

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Stretching before and after exercise: advantages and disadvantages

So after we've looked at when stretching makes sense and when you can leave it alone, here's a clear list with the most important advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages

• Stretching increases the range of motion of your joints, i.e. your range of motion (ROM).
• Stretching generally increases your mobility.
• Stretching helps relieve muscle tension.
• Stretching can help your body get used to rare or unusual movements (keyword: breakdancing, ballet or kickboxing).
• Stretching exercises can prevent one-sided strain caused by sport and activate rarely used muscle groups - for example in cyclists.
• Stretching can help with problems with the neck and back, shoulders and hips, the problem areas in a modern, too sedentary society (more on that in a moment). In general, stretching, such as daily Liebscher-und-Bracht exercises or stretching exercises in yoga, can help manage pain.
• Stretching exercises can have a positive effect on our mood and provide mental relaxation.
• Active stretching (such as stretching exercises in yoga) is strenuous and burns calories - a sport in its own right.
• Studies suggest that stretching can help relieve headaches and promote better sleep in certain target groups.
• If done correctly, the risk of injury with slow stretching exercises is negligible.

Disadvantages

• Overstretching can lead to injury. Especially if you don't warm up before stretching.
• Stretching, and especially whole-body stretching exercises, can lead to an exaggerated body awareness and hypersensitivity to even the smallest ailments.
• Stretching before running, jogging, strength training and other endurance and strength activities can reduce muscle tension and therefore have a negative impact on performance.
• Stretching after exercise can intensify the symptoms if you have sore muscles or (minor) muscle injuries.
• If you don't like stretching or stretching, stretching exercises can lead to mental stress, incorrect exercises, and an increased risk of injury.
• Whether after strength training or before a soccer tournament: the effectiveness of stretching exercises is often overestimated. They neither significantly reduce the risk of injury nor can they help enormously with regeneration. Warming up is much more important!
• The effect of stretching on posture is often greatly overestimated - if the stretching is not disciplined, regular and intensive, the effect is rather small.

Stretching before and after strength training

Whether before or immediately after intensive strength training or weight lifting: stretching is not a particularly good idea here. On the one hand, stretching before strength training reduces muscle tension, on the other hand, muscle damage can be increased after training. But: Stretching unused muscle groups is always a good idea.

Stretching before and after running

Stretching can reduce muscular performance - and thus our speed and explosiveness. Although the effects on performance are more likely to be observed in top professionals, you can still consider warming up before running and, if so, doing active stretching . And after running or jogging? The same applies here: your muscles are warm, your body is “stretched”, no extra effort is necessary.

Stretching in everyday life can help against many problems

When it comes to sports, stretching is definitely a topic worth discussing. Things look completely different in our everyday lives. The following applies here: stretching is good. It can help increase your range of motion , maximize your mobility and prevent or combat numerous ailments. Science agrees that stretching can help with chronic back pain , tennis elbow, muscle pain from sitting and working at the computer for long periods of time, and many other ailments.

Stretching can also improve blood flow - and thereby help nutrients etc. get to where they are needed more quickly.

Stretching exercises such as yoga or other active stretching methods can maintain or even improve mobility, especially as we age .

For example, one study found that regular stretching can increase flexibility by up to 2.4 degrees per muscle group.

What methods can you use to stretch?

Above all, active stretching through movement is very, very advisable if you complain about physical complaints or want to improve your range of motion and mobility. Here you use your body's ROM, so you get it used to movement (again). So you do active stretching through movement. Therefore, you can stretch by doing weight training , running, swimming, functional fitness , Kinstretch , or other activities that involve movement. Again, there are no better full-body stretches than exercise. Yoga should serve as a special example here. This Indian art, which is thousands of years old, combines so many positive aspects that we would like to call it the queen of active stretching .

Stretching with yoga: versatile, relaxing and sustainable

Do you want to stretch holistically, gain strength and stability and also do a lot of good for your head and soul?

Then yoga is a pretty good idea. Yin yoga in particular, with its calm stretching exercises, is perfect for relaxing, healing stretching sessions that can do so much more for you. The reason: Yin yoga exercises (the asanas) go deep into the connective tissue, and the yoga stretching exercises for the back, neck, shoulders, hips, etc. are easy for beginners to do. Fear of contact or extensive prior knowledge are therefore unnecessary.

Yoga is one of the best ways to stretch.

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Yoga can generally help with hip pain and many other “diseases of civilization” . In a professional studio or with digital guidance at home, you can feel into yourself mindfully and at your own pace, tackle and resolve blockages and learn a lot about relaxation and mental resilience.

Because yoga has a major impact on our psyche in particular through conscious breathing and the newfound body awareness. And because stress and other negative mental factors can quickly affect our enjoyment of movement and thus also our “stiffness”, yoga is perfect for reducing stress , improving mood and restoring balance between body and mind. This is not wishful thinking, but scientifically proven .

The mobility flow (i.e. flowing exercise sequences) of yoga further supports the relaxing aspect. You can use yoga to stretch your shoulders or back while increasing your body's overall mobility. You'll see: The oh-so-harmless yoga can even lead to sore muscles the next day - precisely because you're using muscles that have been "switched off" for years. We remember: Our body wants to save energy. If you don't move, we stiffen because our limited range of motion is sufficient. At least that’s what our nerve cells think. (Yin) Yoga can help to break down these blockages with stretching exercises and mindfulness training and allow us to regain the full ROM of muscles and joints.

By the way, you can find more information about yoga here in our own Dextro Energy* story.

* contains carbohydrates

Zero Calories°: applies to the prepared drink.

Recovery° Drink: °Proteins contribute to maintaining muscle mass.

A varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important.

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IMAGE CREDITS

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