A warm-up is better than passive stretching before playing sports

How to stretch properly, before or after a sports session? Advice from Doctor Martin Ducret.

Questions regarding stretching are often controversial in sports circles for several reasons. On the one hand, because science has not yet given all the answers to these questions, and on the other hand, because there is not just one type of stretching but several and we We don’t all react the same way when we make them. There is one statement that is nevertheless agreed upon, which is that it is not recommended to do passive stretching before a sports session. This type of stretching as a warm-up can reduce sports performance and promote the occurrence of injuries.

Passive stretching is the most popular type of stretching which involves stretching the muscle when it is at rest. For example, passive stretching of the quadriceps, the muscle in front of the thigh, corresponds to tensing this muscle for 30 to 40 seconds by bringing the heel to the level of the buttock.

These passive stretches are not recommended before a sports session: it is preferable to warm up to put your body in the best sporting condition. And this thanks to stretching and dynamic exercises such as hopping on the spot, butt heel movements, knee raises or even arm windings and neck rotations. These movements are effective for warming up the muscles and joints before a match or sports training.

Should you stretch right after your workout or allow some time to pass? A widespread theory states that the practice of a sporting activity, especially when it is intensive and prolonged, is responsible for muscle microlesions, and that performing stretching after sport increases these microlesions, therefore the risk of injury. It is therefore better to favor short passive stretches, that is to say less than 30 seconds, to promote muscle recovery and reduce muscle tension.

Then, later, two hours later or ideally the next day, for the other stretches, you must choose the type of stretch according to the benefit you are looking for. If you want to gain flexibility, you should favor passive but longer stretches, from 30 seconds to a minute. And then, if it is to gain joint mobility, we must encourage dynamic stretching, that is to say stretching with repetitions of muscular movements.

It should be noted that stretching should be done gradually and smoothly, bilaterally and that it should not be painful, or very slightly. You should feel muscle tension. For more details regarding stretching and how to perform them correctly, it is advisable to contact a physiotherapist or sports doctor.