What stretches should I do before a workout?

What stretches should I do before a workout?

Stretches that move, like leg swings and arm swings. Do them after a few minutes of light movement.

The NHS warm-up takes at least 6 minutes, and longer if you feel the need. It has no held stretches at all. The NHS puts those in the cool-down after a workout.

Think of it as a rehearsal. You run the moves at half speed before the real show.

A rehearsal doesn’t promise a perfect show. It does help. Across 32 studies, warming up improved performance in 79% of the measures tested, with little sign it did harm.

Try the three parts before your next session.

Is it bad to hold stretches before a workout?

Not if you keep them short. That timer is 60 seconds a muscle.

A review in healthy, active people found holds of 60 seconds or more cut performance by about 4.6% straight after. Under 60 seconds, the dip was about 1.1%.

The dip also seemed to fade when people did moving warm-up work after the stretch. So the same review suggests stretching, then more active moves, before you start.

Another review of 104 studies saw the smallest effects with holds of 45 seconds or less. Its advice: don’t make held stretches your whole warm-up.

Keep your favourite stretch. Hold it for 30 seconds, then move on.

What is a mobility warm-up?

It takes your joints through their full movement, without holding still. Coaches call these dynamic stretches.

Brian Mackenzie, a UK athletics coach, describes them as slow, controlled movements. He picks moves that suit your sport.

Keep each swing smooth. A review found fast, bouncy stretches help less than controlled ones.

Hips feel tight every day, not just before training? See our hip mobility exercises or upper and mid back stretches.

Does stretching before a workout prevent injury?

Stretching alone probably doesn’t. A review of 25 trials with over 26,000 people found no clear benefit from stretching for sports injuries.

Strength training did far better in the same review. It cut sports injuries to less than a third.

A structured, exercise-based warm-up can help too. In football, the FIFA 11+ warm-up cut injuries by 39% in amateur and semi-professional players. That’s football only.

The NHS lists not warming up, tired muscles and playing sport as common causes of sprains and strains.

So warm up, and build strength work into your week. Our beginner gym plan shows how.

How do I warm up before lifting weights?

Warm up the muscles you’re about to use. Jesse Irizarry, a strength coach writing for Stronger by Science, finds moves that copy your training are often the best use of time.

On leg day, that could mean easy squats with little or no weight before your real sets. He also warns against a warm-up that takes more than half your session.

Going for a run instead? The NHS suggests 5 to 10 minutes of brisk walking or gentle jogging first. Our Couch to 5K plan builds it in.

Sore a day or two later? See muscle soreness and progress.

When to speak to a GP

The NHS says to ask a GP before you start if you’re unsure an exercise suits your fitness, or you’re pregnant or recently gave birth. The same goes if you have a health problem, injury or symptoms, or feel unwell. Ask too if you had a recent heart attack or operation, or have any other concerns about your health.

• Call 999 if you get sudden chest pain or discomfort that does not go away. It can feel like squeezing, pressure, burning or indigestion.
• Call 999 if pain spreads to either arm, your neck, jaw, stomach or back, or you have chest pain and feel sweaty, sick, light headed or short of breath.
• Call 999 or go to A&E after an injury if you heard a crack, it has changed shape or points at an odd angle, it’s numb, tingling or has pins and needles, or the skin around it has turned blue or grey or feels cold.
• Get help from 111 after an injury if it’s very painful or getting worse, or swelling or bruising is large or getting worse. The same goes if you can’t put weight on it or walk more than a few steps, it feels very stiff or hard to move, or you have a very high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery.
• See a GP if you think you have a sprain or strain and it’s getting worse or not feeling better after treating it yourself.

Done with your session? See what to do after a workout.