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And in some cases, it may not be as beneficial as you think.
That said, there are some things we do know about stretching.
The basic functional units of muscle tissue are called sarcomeres.
Sacromeres are made up of fibers called contractile proteins.
Connective tissue in your muscles also stretches out along with these contractile proteins.
Between these muscle fibers, you have sensory receptors (basically nerve endings) calledmuscle spindles.
“They are what monitor the length and the tension of the muscle,” says Schroeder.
If the muscle is stretched too quickly, Schroeder says, the spindles will initiate the stretch reflex.
This causes the muscle to shorten and protect itself from being overstretched," says Schroeder.
If youve ever leaned into a stretch and been met with some resistance, youve experienced this.
You’re basically telling your body, Hey, I’m not trying to hurt youwe can relax.
Its job is to trigger aninversestretch reflex, which tells the muscle its OK to relax.)
Eventually, youll be able to lean deeper into that stretch.
Dynamic stretching is usually included in adynamic warm-upbefore a workout.
This is especially true if youspend a lot of your day sitting down.
The good news?Stretching can help remedy this.
Plus, stretching can be a good way to end a workout.
“It’s a nice way to psychologically finish a workout,” says Schroeder.
“The body’s coming back to homeostasis.”
“Is [static stretching] really necessary [for everyone]?
I’m on the fence about it, to be honest,” says Schroeder.
At least, not for every person doing every pop in of exercise.
“There’s really no evidence that shows stretching prevents or alleviates DOMS,” says Ramsey.
That said, gentle stretching may help you find some temporary relief.
“Stretching has been shown to maybe relieve muscle spasms or cramps,” says Nelson.
If some gentle stretching feels good, go for it, but don’t feel obligated.
