The conventional wisdom on stretching has shifted considerably over the last two decades, and a lot of people are still operating on outdated advice. The image of an athlete holding a deep hamstring stretch before a run or a game was standard practice for years. The research has largely moved on from that picture, and understanding why changes how you should structure your own stretching before and after training.

Static stretching, the kind where you hold a position for 15 to 60 seconds, is not the best choice before a workout. Multiple studies have shown that prolonged static stretching immediately before exercise can temporarily reduce force production and power output. In practical terms, holding a quad stretch for 45 seconds before a heavy squat session or a sprint workout is working against you. The muscle is being asked to generate maximum effort shortly after being held in a lengthened, relaxed state, and the neuromuscular response is slower as a result.

What works better before training is a dynamic warm-up. Leg swings, hip circles, walking lunges, arm rotations, and movement-based drills that take your joints through their full range of motion under light load prepare the body for the demands ahead without the performance drawbacks of static stretching. The goal before a session is to raise body temperature, increase blood flow, and wake up the neuromuscular system, and dynamic movement does all three more effectively.

After a workout is where static stretching earns its place. Your muscles are warm, blood flow is elevated, and the tissue is more pliable than it will be at any other point in the day. Holding stretches for 30 to 60 seconds in the major muscle groups worked during the session, hamstrings, hip flexors, quads, chest, and shoulders depending on the training, supports flexibility over time and helps the body begin the transition out of the elevated state that hard exercise produces. It is also one of the more accessible tools for managing the tightness and restriction that accumulates during heavy training weeks.

Mobility work, which sits somewhere between dynamic and static stretching and involves controlled movement through a range of motion with active muscle engagement, can be used both before and after training and on recovery days with good results.

It’s best to move dynamically before you train, and stretch statically after. If you’re unsure where to start, a five minute dynamic warm-up before and ten minutes of static stretching after is enough to make a real difference. Build it into your routine and it becomes automatic.