Stretching exercises during strength training

Why are stretching exercises so important during strength training?

Whether strength athletes should stretch their muscles before, during, or after strength training is controversial or unknown. Yet strength training can be made much more effective through stretching exercises. But before you start stretching your muscles, you should know a few basic facts about the subject. Even stretching on the weight bench needs to be performed correctly so that it actually has a positive impact on your workout. Incorrectly performed stretching has counterproductive effects because the muscles relax afterward, which compromises their readiness for optimal performance during strength training.

Are stretching exercises important or not?

Why muscle stretching among strength athletes remains a subject of debate even among experts is hard to understand. Properly executed stretching before or after workout sessions on the home gym can make muscles less prone to injury. According to proponents, ligaments and tendons also benefit from regular stretching. However, several sports science studies now suggest the opposite of these findings. According to them, tendon and muscle protection from stretching before or after workout blocks is considered minor at best. To explain why muscle stretching in strength sports is nevertheless important, we need to clarify more precisely what is meant by it. In addition, we must examine the effects of differently executed stretching exercises performed before or after strength training.

To experience the optimal mobility of a joint, it must maintain its full range of motion. This means that even in unusual postures, under strain, or during specific movement patterns, no blockages should occur in the movement sequence. If the strained muscles, ligaments, or tendons are not flexible enough, the joints can become blocked in their mobility. Secondly, it is also the bones, joints, and cartilage themselves that can cause blockages in movement during training. They may lack full joint rotation, desired suppleness, or necessary flexibility if no stretching exercises were performed beforehand. Therefore, before every workout, it is important to optimally prepare the muscular system, ligaments, and tendons through a short stretching routine. Even during the workout session, athletes should stretch the muscles that are currently not being trained.

Stretching with different methods

The flexibility of muscles and joints can be improved through various methods. Muscles can be stretched dynamically or statically. In static stretching, the athlete slowly bends in one direction and holds this position for a certain period of time. This is therefore also referred to as a held muscle stretch. In dynamic muscle stretching, the athlete bounces several times in the direction in which the muscles are to be stretched. In addition, active and passive dynamic exercises can be distinguished from one another. In active dynamic stretching exercises, athletes actively exert force themselves to stretch their muscles. In the passive form, a training partner helps carry out the muscle stretches. The athlete remains passive, letting the training partner or trainer decide how far the muscles are stretched and how long the stretch is held.

The duration for which a mobility exercise is performed can vary. Short stretches last no longer than ten seconds. This allows the muscular system to be stimulated and activated. However, for stretching exercises lasting between ten and fifteen seconds, muscle tone is reduced. As a result of the longer stretch, the muscle relaxes and slackens. Before and during strength training, it is therefore more advantageous to keep muscle stretches short and within the ten-second frame. This is because short stretching exercises contribute to a positive effect on the subsequent strength workout, improving muscle building alongside flexibility.

Timing is a crucial factor when stretching

Observation has shown: Targeted flexibility training is beneficial for strength training. However, for an effective stretching exercise, timing is just as important as proper execution. The ideal times to use the weight bench for stretching exercises are

• before the workout
• during the workout session
• and after weight training

It is important to realize that stretching exercises must be performed for different durations at each of the mentioned times. Among sports scientists, some experts consider stretching exercises so important that they dedicate a separate workout session to them.

Performing stretching exercises before your actual workout helps your muscles better cope with the upcoming strenuous exertion. Short and dynamic stretching exercises lasting a maximum of ten seconds are most effective before a workout session. However, after training on the home gym, static stretching exercises make more sense. These should be held for longer than ten seconds. Static stretching allows the worked muscle groups to relax again after strength training.

What are the benefits of stretching in between?

Including stretching exercises during a strength training session is a more recent trend. Between individual exercise sets on the home gym, athletes can stretch their muscles on the weight bench in order to work on building muscle more effectively afterwards. The only thing to keep in mind is that the stretching break should not cause the muscle groups that are going to be trained further to slacken or relax completely. It is more about loosening up tense or strained muscles that have already been trained. Therefore, if possible, athletes should only stretch muscles during training that they worked on the previous day or in exercises already completed during that session. In addition to home gyms or weight benches, vibration trainers, softballs, exercise mats, or dumbbells can also be used for stretching exercises. Many stretching exercises can be performed using just body weight, without any additional equipment.