That’s the finding of one review of 10 small, admittedly inconclusive research studies into the commonly held belief that we should stretch before and after exercise. As we try to do in our gym.
Authors’ conclusions:
The evidence derived from mainly laboratory-based studies of stretching indicate that muscle stretching does not reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness in young healthy adults.
If you want to read the entire article, download it as a PDF.
Herbert RD, de Noronha M. – Stretching to prevent or reduce muscle soreness after exercise.
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD004577. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004577.pub2
Dave Adlard’s has been pointing out this self-evident truth for years. Think about it — how many good athletes do you know who often skip stretching before or after workout?
MANY. Especially after work-out.
Stretching before and after exercise not critical, … though I still do like to have gymnasts stretch end-of-training. I call it “flexibility improvement”.
And I like them to stretch each muscle at least once before training. Emulate this critter.
(via Gym Momentum – 10 FITNESS MYTHS DEBUNKED BY SCIENCE)
Gymnastics Coaching.com 