A few weeks ago, one of my athletes told me about her pre-training routine. She would stretch when she woke up, then have breakfast, get ready, go to her workout and, before starting, stretch again. She asked me if that was a good idea.

When I’m in my coach role, I try to stay away from my own beliefs as an athlete (as an athlete, I basically never stretch). But as a coach I told her: “Stretching twice sounds like too much,” especially since there wasn’t much time between one session and the other. So my recommendation was simple: “Just stretch once when you’re at the park before you start your workout.”

This week I also started coaching a new athlete who’s a beginner, just getting into running. In her plan I included some dynamic warm-up drills before running, with the goal of preparing her body for the new stimulus. What caught my attention was her feedback. She told me (her exact words): “The activation/stretching before helped me a lot — I felt my body responded well.”

If there’s a topic that creates confusion among runners, it’s this one:

Should I stretch before and after running?

The short answer: it depends…

After those conversations, and realizing I didn’t have a clear, well-grounded answer, I had no choice but to dive into the research — studies, meta-analyses, technical blogs. And the more I read, even though there isn’t one absolute answer, the clearer it became: what most people are doing doesn’t really match what the most recent science is showing.

Go to any gym or park and you’ll see the same thing:

• People stretching their hamstrings, reaching for their toes (static stretching).

• Others grabbing their ankle to “activate” the quadriceps (static stretching).

• Runners who believe that if they don’t stretch, they’ll get injured.

• And the classic: “If I don’t stretch, I won’t be able to walk tomorrow.”

The funny thing is that these rituals come from decades ago, when it was believed that lengthening the muscles before and after exercise was the best way to prevent injuries, reduce soreness and improve flexibility.

But… newer evidence is telling a different story.

After reviewing six solid studies, here’s what I understood:

1) Static stretching BEFORE running… doesn’t really help.
Research shows it doesn’t improve performance, doesn’t reduce injury risk, and can even decrease muscle reactivity in high-intensity efforts.
In simple terms: it relaxes you — it doesn’t activate you. And that’s not what you want before running.

2) Static stretching AFTER running… also isn’t a game changer.
There’s even less evidence of benefits here.
It doesn’t speed up recovery. It doesn’t reduce DOMS. It doesn’t improve strength or short-term mobility.

A recent meta-analysis (2025) put it very clearly:
“The effects of post-exercise stretching on recovery and performance are limited.”

3) So what DOES work before running? Dynamic warm-up.
This means moving, activating, preparing.
Exercises where the muscles go through range of motion in movement, not held in static positions.

Evidence suggests this can:

• Improve the feeling of lightness

• Delay fatigue

• Prepare your technique

• Activate the neuromuscular system

Nothing magical — but far more useful than static stretching.

4) The best runners in the world are NOT the most “flexible.”
This is something I also learned during my studies at UESCA.
Muscles and tendons that are overly flexible can lose stiffness, and that stiffness is part of what allows you to bounce, run fast and maintain good running economy.

Having a certain level of stiffness is not bad.
It’s part of being efficient.

5) You don’t lose range of motion by not stretching — you lose it by not using it.
This is key.

Strength training through a full range of motion can improve mobility just as much — or even more — than stretching.

Yes, that’s exactly what multiple studies show.
And it matches what I’ve seen in strength athletes who have great mobility without doing any traditional “stretching” routines.

🎯 So… what’s our position at The Journey 100?

After reviewing the evidence and combining it with real coaching experience, this is the position we take (until new data proves otherwise):

✔ Static stretching before running is not necessary.
It doesn’t activate you and may relax the muscle too much.

✔ Static stretching immediately after running is not necessary.
There’s no clear evidence it helps recovery or prevents injury.

✔ We favor dynamic warm-ups.
Active mobility + progressive movement = better preparation to run.

✔ We work on range of motion inside strength training.
Squats, lunges, pushes and pulls done properly → real, functional mobility.

✔ We use dedicated mobility sessions separate from running.
Not as filler. Not as punishment. Not as tradition.
But as short, focused, purposeful training.

For us, a runner’s mobility means being: mobile enough to move well, stiff enough to run efficiently, and strong enough to stay injury-free.

And of course — if stretching before and after every session makes you happy, you can still do it.
The most important thing is that you enjoy the process.

⚡ A quick dynamic warm-up you can use before running:

1️⃣ High knees march – 30 seconds
2️⃣ Walking butt kicks – 30 seconds
3️⃣ Front leg swings – 10 per leg
4️⃣ Lateral leg swings – 10 per leg
5️⃣ Hip circles – 20 seconds
6️⃣ Low skips – 20–30 seconds
7️⃣ (Optional) Easy strides – 2 × 15–20 seconds

That’s it.

Warm, activated, and ready to run without losing muscle reactivity.

Everything is evolving.
What we thought we knew… might no longer be true.

At The Journey 100, we want to bring that updated knowledge into your training — no myths, no outdated routines, no doing things just because “that’s how it’s always been done.”

If you want to train with a modern, evidence-based methodology tailored to you, send me a message and let’s start your journey with The Journey 100.

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📚 Studies and references used

• Warneke et al., 2025 – Acute and Chronic Effects of Stretching on Running Economy

• Behm et al., 2021 – Effects of Static Stretching on Performance

• Kay & Blazevich, 2012 – Effects of Static Stretching on Strength and Power

• Afonso et al., 2021 – Post-exercise Stretching and Recovery: A Systematic Review

• Zhang, Chen & Xing, 2025 – Post-exercise Stretching vs No Stretching

• Meta-analysis – Resistance Training vs Stretching for Range of Motion

Leer este artículo en Español: ¿Debo estirar?…. Les confieso que me mandaron a leer e investigar, GRACIAS. Lo que dice la ciencia