I would have to argue that stretching before a workout is not necessary. In fact, stretching cold muscles can lead to minor sprains and tears in the muscles. However, it is important that every workout begin with a warm-up and end with a cool-down period consisting of some type of cardiovascular activity lasting 5-10 minutes, just enough time to increase your heart rate and get the blood flowing. The time in between your warm up and cool down should be used to practice specificity depending on the sport that is being practiced. Stretching before a workout can actually make your performance suffer and cause the nervous system to react and tighten the muscle. Exercise guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine advise against stretching before workouts or competitions! If stretching is required for your workout/sport such as Yoga, use short durations, no longer than 30 seconds. Your cool down session should consist of low-intensity cardiovascular activity, followed by stretching to help reduce lactic acid accumulation, which will in turn decrease soreness and aid in recovery.
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