You might be stretching the wrong way, scientists say
A new wave of research is showing what the old gym myths about stretching got wrong—and what you really need to do to reap its benefits.
You probably know it’s important to incorporate stretching into your fitness routine, but you may be confused about the best approach. After all, even fitness experts haven’t always seen eye-to-eye on the subject. Some experts recommend stretching before a workout, others say it’s more effective to stretch after. Complicating matters, there are so many different ways to stretch—including static stretching, dynamic stretching, and passive or assisted stretching.
“Stretching is arguably one of the most misunderstood aspects of exercise,” says Cedric X. Bryant, a physiologist and chief executive officer at the American Council on Exercise. “Myths persist because so many people are stuck in the past with old gym science that gets passed down.”
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That may be on the verge of changing, thanks to a consensus statement from a panel of international experts on sports and movement that was published in the December issue of the Journal of Sport and Health Science. In addition to agreeing on definitions for various types of stretching, the panel debunked several common beliefs about stretching.
They also highlighted what a new wave of scientific evidence is revealing about stretching—and made practical recommendations. Among the intriguing findings: you don’t need to hold a stretch for as long as you may think and not everyone is suited to the same types of stretching.
Here's a closer look at common myths about stretching and the truth behind them.
Myth: Stretching before exercising will reduce your risk of injury.
Fact: Stretching does not reduce overall injury risk, according to the new international experts’ consensus. In fact, static stretching—holding a particular position to the point of feeling a stretching sensation or mild discomfort—could actually backfire if you do it before a workout.
“Cold muscles are stiff and you could hurt yourself,” explains David Behm, research professor at the Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada and a member of the panel. “Everybody should stretch a warm muscle.”
The key is to warm up with five to 10 minutes of light jogging or another gentle aerobic activity then do dynamic stretching—which takes your joints and muscles through a full range of motion that simulates the activity you’ll be doing—at a slow to moderate pace. For example, you might do leg swings before running or forward and backward arm circles before swimming.
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“Muscles often move three-dimensionally so stretching a muscle in multiple planes is of optimal benefit,” says Fabio Comana, an exercise physiologist at San Diego State University.
Myth: It’s best to hold a stretch for at least 30 seconds.
Fact: Experts recommend holding a static stretch for 10 to 30 seconds, then repeating the stretch two to four times. An exception: Adults over 65 may benefit from holding a stretch “for 30 to 60 seconds because their connective tissue and muscles respond more slowly,” says Tracy Bonoffski, an exercise physiologist at the University of North Carolina Charlotte.
What’s more, the duration of a static stretching session doesn’t need to be long to be effective: In a review of 189 studies, published in a 2025 issue of the journal Sports Medicine, researchers found that four minutes of static stretching improves flexibility in adults and there’s no additional benefit to doing more.
Myth: If you don’t stretch regularly, your muscles will shorten.
Fact: While it’s true that stretching regularly can improve your range of motion and reduce muscle stiffness, as the international panel noted, your muscles cannot physically shorten if you don’t stretch. “When you stretch, you’re not physically lengthening your muscles,” Bonoffski says. “You’re changing the brain’s ability to tolerate a greater range of motion.”
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So if you don’t stretch, “that tightness you feel is more neurological in nature,” Bryant says. “It means your nervous system is in protective mode”—perhaps to prevent your muscles and joints from getting injured.
Myth: Bouncing while you hold a stretch can improve your flexibility.
Fact: Bouncing while you stretch is called ballistic stretching, and it can often be counter-productive. If you do it when your muscles are cold, for instance, it could lead to muscle strain or tendon injury. “Bouncing could cause muscles to contract, rather than relax,” says Mariam Zakhary, a sports medicine physician at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. “You want controlled, dynamic movements to improve flexibility.”
An exception: ballistic stretching can be helpful for highly trained athletes such as sprinters, jumpers, and other people who are used to explosive movement—that is, if they have prepared their muscles well with a proper warm up and dynamic stretching first, Bonoffski says.
Myth: Stretching before you work out will prevent sore muscles afterward.
Fact: “There’s no evidence that delayed onset muscle soreness [DOMS] is decreased because of stretching,” says Behm. DOMS, which refers to muscle discomfort and fatigue that typically develops 24 to 48 hours after vigorous exercise, is caused by microscopic tears in muscle fibers. Stretching before exercising won’t prevent that phenomenon; it’s a natural response to a hard workout.
But stretching after a workout can help alleviate muscle soreness, especially if it’s paired with use of a foam roller, a cylindrical tool made of dense foam that allows you to apply pressure to your sore muscles. “Foam rolling does seem to have a positive effect on DOMS—it moves fluid and inflammation away from the area,” Behm says.
Myth: Everyone benefits from the same type of stretching.
Fact: There’s no one-size-fits-all approach on this front. “We’re all physiologically different—there are a lot of subtleties to stretching so you have to figure out what works for you,” says Comana.
Indeed, certain approaches are better for some people than others, depending on what type of exercise they’re doing, as well as their goals, age, and fitness status. For instance, assisted or passive stretching—which involves having a trained professional physically guide you into deeper stretches to improve your range of motion—is especially beneficial for older adults and people with mobility limitations, Bryant says.
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For most people, dynamic stretching is recommended before playing sports or doing high-intensity exercise, whereas “static stretching is better after a workout because the tissue is warmer and more compliant,” Comana says. “That’s when you’re going to get a bigger bang for your buck.”
Myth: Holding a stretch steady is the best way to improve balance.
Fact: A study in the December 2025 issue of the Annals of Human Biology compared the effects of static stretching and dynamic stretching for improving balance in healthy adults. Although it might seem that holding a stretch is ideal for boosting balance, the researchers found that dynamic stretching was more effective.
“Dynamic stretching is better for balance because you need sensory information to improve your detection and reaction to movement,” says Behm. In other words, balance depends on neuromuscular coordination and dynamic stretching helps you build that.
Myth: You can’t stretch too much or too often.
Fact: Overdoing it with stretching can irritate your muscles, ligaments, and joints and possibly increase your risk of experiencing muscle tears. “If you go to the point of maximum discomfort [with stretching], you’re putting a lot of stress on that muscle and you can cause some microdamage that needs 48 hours to recover,” says Behm.
Plus, excessive stretching “can create hypermobility in the tissues and joints, which can compromise stability,” says Comana. This can potentially set the stage for muscle weakening and joint injury.
“Stretching is somewhat deceptive in that it seems so harmless,” Bryant says. To keep it in the healthy zone, here’s a good rule of thumb to follow: Stretching should produce mild discomfort, not significant discomfort or outright pain, Bryant says. “The more-is-better mentality tends not to be beneficial in any fitness endeavor.”
