3 This free online book - yes, it’s a short book, about 34,000 words - is a readable review of the key arguments and concepts and some of the most interesting evidence, actively maintained since the mid-2000s. I am hardly the only person to notice that stretching may not be all it’s cracked up to be, 2 and there’s plenty of science on this. I still get just as sore, whether I stretch or not. I play sports the same way with or without it. I am just as stiff and inflexible and full of “knots” as I have ever been. I do it because it feels nice, but I don’t believe the habit is doing much more for me than a daily back scratch. I stretch almost every day - hamstrings, lumbar erector spinae, and especially the deep gluteals are my favourites. Stretching is a waste of time for most people… unless you just enjoy it, of course. 1 Most stretching is simply a waste of time, its reputation completely undeserved.
It’s also easily achieved with other kinds of exercise that are more beneficial for fitness in other ways: strengthening can also improve flexibility. Stretching’s primary goal - flexibility - does not have any clear value to anyone, not even most elite athletes, let alone the average fitness nut. In fact, stretching is not an important part of fitness and wellness. And yet they still do it, counting on the benefits.Ĭan all these people be barking up the wrong tree? Yes. For many others, athletes and couch potatoes alike, stretching is also a bit of a drag: a duty that weighs on the conscience, one more thing to make time for. It’s simple, it feels good, and we believe - or hope - that it prevents and treats injuries. Stretching is a pleasant ritual for many people, myself included.
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