Peter's Principles - Exercise
When to Stretch
Should you stretch before or after your workout and why? For years the conventional wisdom has been that stretching before exercise cuts the risk of injury. That may be true. But new studies are showing that stretching may cut down on performance as well!
Research shows that intense stretching before a workout decreases weight lifting strength and vertical jumping ability.
So, we're faced with a dilemma: do we stretch to prevent injury; or risk compromising the workout? The best advice is probably to warm up using low intensity exercise. Try stretching at the end of your workout when your muscles are warm and performance is no longer an issue!