Stretching exercises will bring much more benefit not before, but after strength training.
Stretching exercises will bring much more benefit not before, but after strength training. Sports medicine specialists from the University of Zagreb (Croatia) noticed that athletes who limited themselves to stretching during the warm-up lost more than 5% of muscle strength *. In addition, it was more difficult for them to recover from stress. Sports physician Richard Cotton explains that the extra stress caused by stretching fatigues the muscle and can weaken it. He advises leaving stretching for last, but before starting a workout, give preference to exercises to warm up the muscles — running, jumping, squats.
* The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2013, vol. 27, № 4.