Written by Tyler DiGiovanni | BSBM
Fact checked by Sam Coleman, Co-founder
FACT CHECKED
Stretching always seems like an afterthought rather than a priority, but it should be an integral part of your workout routine. It's more than a way to cool down after a workout; it can enhance flexibility, reduce the risk of injury, and help your overall performance. So, why wouldn't you want to spend some time at the start and end of your workout?
Quick Tips for Effective Stretching
- Warm-Up First: Stretching cold muscles can lead to injury. Always warm up before stretching.
- Don't Rush: Hold static stretches for at least 20-30 seconds to allow the muscle to relax fully.
- Focus on Breath: Breathing deeply can help you ease into stretches and improve their effectiveness.
Types of Stretching
There are several different types of stretching:
- Ballistic Stretching: It involves taking your muscles past their normal range of motion using momentum. This can actually lead to injury or cause your muscles to tighten up more than when you began. *Only some people should do ballistic stretching.
- Dynamic Stretching: Best for warming up, this involves active, controlled movements that take your joints and muscles through their full range of motion without going beyond. This can be as simple as arm swings or slow leg swings.
- Active Stretching: This involves firing up your muscles to get a stretch without anything helping you. Think of stretching your arms out to the side and then back to get a chest stretch.
- Passive Stretching: Unlike active stretching, this requires the help of something or someone to get your stretch in. Laying on your back and a partner lifting your leg to stretch your hamstring is an example.
- Static Stretching: Yes, this is different from passive stretching. Static stretching requires some effort, forcing you to go to your limit and then hold it. An easy example would be holding onto your foot when doing a seated hamstring stretch. This is our favorite for cooling down.
- Isometric Stretching: A different form of static stretching, isometric stretching requires resistance during a muscle stretch. For example, lie on your back and have a partner stretch your hamstring. While they are stretching you, you actively push against them.
For the sake of this article, we'll focus on our two favorite types:
- Dynamic Stretching
- Static Stretching
Dynamic Stretching Routines
Before jumping into any lifting routine you should make sure your body is primed and ready to perform. Utilizing dynamic stretches before getting into the main part of your workout can help you take it to the next level.
Dynamic Upper Body Routine
Prepping your upper body with dynamic stretches ensures your muscles are ready for action and doesn't take much time. Here are a few key moves:
1. Arm Circles: 1 Minute
How To:
- Extend your arms out to the sides and make small, controlled circles.
- Gradually increase the size of the circles, then reverse direction.
Why: To improve shoulder and chest mobility while increasing blood flow.
2. Torso Twists w/ Arm Reach: 1 Minute
How To:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
- Gently twist your torso from side to side while reaching behind your opposite arm in the same direction. Keep your hips stationary
Why: To activate and stretch the core, upper back, and shoulders while increasing mobility in the spine and shoulders.
3. Shoulder Shrugs: 1 Minute
How To:
- Lift your shoulders up towards your ears
- Then roll them back and down in a smooth motion (30 seconds)
- Alternate directions after 30 seconds
Why: To warm up the shoulders and surrounding muscles.
4. Cat-Cow: 1 Minute
How To:
- Get onto hands and knees
- (Cow) Inhale as you arch your back while dropping your stomach and lifting your head and chest
- (Cat) Exhale as you round your back while you pull belly button toward your spine
- Alternate in smooth motion for the entire time
Why: To enhance spine mobility and stretch the back which helps to prevent injury in both the upper and lower body.
5. T-Spine Windmills: 2 Minutes
How To:
- Get into a half-kneeling stance
- Place the hand of your forward leg)on the ground and extend the opposite arm overhead
- Rotate your torso and arm toward the ceiling, following your hand with your eyes
- Alternate sides after 30 seconds
Why: To improve thoracic spine mobility.
Dynamic Stretching Lower Body Routine
You're a fool if you're not doing some sort of dynamic stretch before getting under that squat bar. Getting your hips and knees limbered up for a lower body workout is an important step in avoiding injury. Check out these 7 dynamic stretches.
1. Leg Swings: 1 Minute
How To:
- Hold a stable surface for balance.
- Swing one leg forward and backward in a smooth motion
- 30 seconds per leg
Why: To enhance hip mobility and activate the hamstrings, glutes, and hip flexors, preparing the lower body for workouts.
2. Hip Circles: 1 Minute
How To:
- Stand feet hip-width apart, hands on your hips.
- Move hips in circular motion with
- Start moving clockwise for 30 seconds, then reverse
Why: To improve hip joint mobility and activate the surrounding muscles
3. Lunge w/ Twist: 1 Minute
How To:
- Step forward into a lunge
- As you lunge, rotate your torso toward the side of your front leg
- Alternate legs for duration
Why: To activate the glutes, quads, and hamstrings while improving hip and thoracic spine mobility.
4. Walking Leg Cradles: 1 Minute
How To:
- Stand tall then lift one knee toward your chest
- Grab your shin with both hands and pull your knee closer to your chest
- Hold for a briefly, then switch legs step forward and repeat
Why: To activate the glutes, hip flexors and external rotators.
5. Lateral Lunges: 1 Minute
How To:
- Stand feet wider than shoulder-width apart
- Shift your weight to one side, bending the knee while keeping the other leg straight
- Alternate sides in smooth motion for duration
Why: To improve adductor flexibility and engage the glutes and quads.
6. Dynamic Hamstring Stretch: 1 Minute
How To:
- Step one foot forward with the heel on the ground with toes pointing upward
- Hinge forward at the hips then switch sides.
- Alternate for duration
Why: To activate and lengthen the hamstrings which improves flexibility and prevent injury.
7. Bodyweight Squats: 30 seconds
How To:
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart
- Squat down by pushing your hips back while keeping your chest up
- Perform with controlled motion for duration
Why: To activate the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Also improves hip and ankle mobility.
Dynamic Stretching Full Body Routine
Sometimes, you need to get in and out of the gym. This full-body dynamic routine will get you ready for any workout quickly!
- Arm Circles: 1 Minute
- Leg Swings: 1 Minute
- Torso Twists w/ Arm Reach: 1 Minute
- Hip Circles: 1 Minute
- T-Spine Windmills: 1 Minute
- Lateral Lunges: 1 Minute
- Walking Leg Cradles: 1 Minute
- Cat-Cow Stretch: 1 Minute
- Jumping Jacks: 1 Minute
- High Knees: 1 Minute
Static Stretching Routines
You've done it! Made it through that grueling workout, but before you head for the shower, do your body a favor and get some static stretching in.
Static Stretching Upper Body Routine
Usually, you'll see someone doing a static stretch the day or two after their chest workout to try to relieve some of the soreness. But stretching after your workout can help relieve post-workout fatigue and actually increase recovery.
1. Overhead Triceps Stretch: 1 minute
How To:- Stand or sit tall.
- Extend one arm overhead then bend the elbow, reaching your hand down toward your back
- Use your opposite hand to gently pull your elbow down
- Hold for 30 seconds
- Switch arms
Why: To stretch the triceps and shoulder muscles which improves flexibility.
2. Cross-Body Shoulder Stretch: 1 minute
How To:- Bring right arm across your body at shoulder height
- Use your left hand to gently pull your arm closer to your chest
- Hold for 30 seconds
- Switch sides
3. Chest Stretch: 1 minute
How To:- Stand in doorway or near a wall
- Place your right forearm against the frame or wall with elbow bent at a 90-degrees
- Step forward with one foot, gently pressing your chest forward
- Hold for 30 seconds
- Switch sides
4. Lat Stretch: 1 minute
How To:- Stand shoulder-width apart
- Reach right arm overhead
- Grab your wrist with left hand and gently pull, leaning to the left
- Hold for 30 seconds
- Switch sides
5. Child’s Pose w/ Shoulder Stretch: 2 minutes
How To:- Get on hands and knees.
- Sit your hips back toward your heels while extending your arms forward
- Lower your forehead to the ground and stretch your arms out in front of you
- Hold for 1 minute
- Repeat
Why: To stretch the shoulders, lats, and lower back which aids in relaxation and lowers tightness.
Static Stretching Lower Body Routine
If you're not stretching post-leg day, then you need to seriously reevaluate your life choices. Do yourself a favor and at least hit these stretches before heading home:
1. Standing Hamstring Stretch: 2 Minutes
How To:
- Stand tall with feet hip-width apart
- Bend forward to reach towards your toes while keeping legs straight
- Hold for 30 seconds
- Alternate Legs
Why: To stretch the hamstrings which improves flexibility and reduces post-workout stiffness.
2. Quad Stretch: 2 Minutes
How To:
- Stand tall or use a stable surface for balance if needed
- Grab your right ankle with your right hand, bringing the heel toward your glutes
- Hold for 30 seconds
- Alternate legs
Why: To lengthen the quadriceps which relieves tightness.
3. Figure Four Stretch: 2 Minutes
How To:
- Lie on your back with feet on the ground in front of you
- Cross left ankle over right knee
- Reach through and grab back of the right leg
- Pull up towards your chest
- Hold for 30 seconds
- Alternate legs
Why: To reduce tightness in the glutes and hip external rotators.
4. Butterfly Stretch: 1 Minute
How To:
- Sit on the floor then bring the soles of your feet together
- Hold your feet and gently press your knees toward the ground
- Hold the stretch for 1 minute.
Why: To stretch the adductors and lessen DOMS.
5. Calf Stretch: 1 Minute
How To:
- Stand facing a wall with one foot forward and the other extended behind you.
- Press your back heel into the ground and lean into the wall
- Hold for 30 seconds per leg.
Why: To lengthen the calf muscles which helps to prevent tightness and improve ankle mobility.
Static Stretching Full Body Routine
After a full week of beating yourself up in the gym, everywhere is sore. A static full-body routine can help ease tension throughout all of your muscles and help you relax and recover.
- Overhead Triceps Stretch: 1 Minute
- Cross-Body Shoulder Stretch: 1 Minute
- Chest Stretch: 1 Minute
- Child’s Pose w/ Shoulder Stretch: 2 Minutes
- Standing Hamstring Stretch: 1 Minute
- Quad Stretch: 1 Minute
- Figure Four Stretch: 1 Minute
- Butterfly Stretch: 1 Minute
- Calf Stretch: 1 Minute
Implementation Tips
Incorporating these stretching routines into your workout regimen is simple. Account for an extra 5-10 minutes at the start and end of your routine. On a time crunch? Reduce rest time between sets. You really shouldn't be scrolling through Instagram anyway.
Upper-body routines should be done on upper-body workout days, and the same goes for lower-body routines. Have a routine that uses exercises from both columns? The full-body routines are perfect for you.
Before Workouts
Just like it's presented above, use dynamic stretches before your workout. On upper body days, feel free to add another shoulder stretch into the mix to get yourself prepped to put in some work.
Related: Top 10 Dynamic Bodyweight Exercises
Post Workouts
Can you guess what we're going to suggest? Nailed it. Static stretching. After a workout, a static stretch session can be a great way to catch your breath and gather your thoughts.
Related: 14 Best Cool Down Stretches
Wrap-Up
Stretching is one of the easiest things to do in the gym and offers amazing benefits. Do yourself a favor and carve out some time to ensure you're thoroughly warmed up and cooled down. Your body will thank you.
Tyler DiGiovanni
Author