Stop Wasting Your Time With Leg Stretches
Do this instead for better results!
If there’s one thing that baffles me as a kinesiologist, it's our obsession with static stretching. Sure, it may feel good and bring about temporary health benefits, but it’s nowhere near as productive as strength or mobility training. If you’re tight for time, I’d go as far as to say skip static stretching altogether and try the exercises below instead.
I know this may come as a shock to you, but hear me out. While static stretching won’t necessarily harm you if done correctly, there are far better uses for your time. There are three key reasons as to why this is the case…
MYTH #1 — Static stretching lowers injury risk.
There is no scientific evidence to show that stretching will have a preventive effect on injury. Even if static stretching did improve elasticity (which it rarely does), there’s no link to it reducing harm to your tissues!
If you’re committed to doing static stretching for prolonged periods at a painful threshold, then yes, you may experience increased flexibility. But even if you get there after months of training, your gains are far more likely to be due to neural effects than muscle fiber adaptations. Yes, that’s right — static stretching rarely lengthens muscle…
