Is Stretching Overrated? And Does Strength Training Make You Tighter?

We’ve all been told since we were kids that we should stretch to improve our flexibility & range of motion, and as physios we are always hearing clients say they need to do more stretching because their back or hamstrings (or whatever other muscle…) are too tight. Most people have also been told that doing strength training and lifting weights makes you tighter and less flexible. But new evidence is challenging these beliefs, supporting the idea that strength and resistance exercises provide the same benefits as stretching, i.e. increasing muscle length and flexibility, as well as increasing your muscle strength. So should we still be stretching? And does strength training make you tighter? Lets see what the research says.

Research On Stretching And Strength Training To Improve Flexibility

A recent systematic review and meta-analysis combined findings from 11 studies, involving 452 participants over 5-16 weeks. The results showed that both strength training and stretching showed similar improvements in flexibility and contributed to improved range of motion across various muscle groups and joints. The majority of studies tested flexibility of the hamstrings or knee extension range, although shoulder, elbow, and spine flexibility and range of motion was also tested.

So, Does Strength Training Make You Tighter?

The above results from a large number of of studies and participants show that not only is the idea that strength exercise make muscles tighter incorrect, but that strength and resistance training can increase your flexibility just as much as stretching can! You may find that straight after a strength exercise the muscles you’ve just worked feel a bit tight, but this soon resolves and over time your flexibility improves. So, how does this work? And do we still need to be spending time stretching?

How Can Strength Training Increase Flexibility?

The traditional belief that strength training reduces flexibility is out, but there is something we need to remember about how we do resistance training if we want to maximise our flexibility gains. What is it? It’s that we need to train through a full range of motion. Doing resistance exercise through a complete movement range is important if we want to improve our flexibility. So, that means not loading up with so much weight that we can only do half of our normal range of motion. For example, if we’re doing a squat exercise or a bench press we should be able to move the weight through a full range, e.g. thighs around horizontal for a squat, and moving the bar from just off our chest to full elbow straight for a bench press.

Get The Best Results From Your Gym Sessions

These results show that we can probably spend less time stretching, and more time strengthening through a full range. This is great news for most people because as physios we often have clients say “I know I should spend more time stretching, but I’ve only got a certain amount of time in the gym and I find stretching pretty boring so if something has to go it’s usually my stretching!”. Well, based on current research, this is actually the right thing to do! By doing more good-quality full-range strength training you get the best of both worlds – increases in both strength and flexibility. This maximises your benefits from your gym sessions, and many people find they are more motivated and consistent in their gym routine because they feel like they are working harder the whole session.

So Should You Still Stretch? Is There Any Benefit to Stretching Regularly?

It’s all about balance. Mixing a combination of strength training as well as stretching can give you a well-rounded approach to your training and ensure the niggles stay away. The important part of strength training to improve flexibility is working through a full range. A deep squat will lengthen muscles in your lower limbs such as your quadriceps, and an RDL will help lengthen the hamstrings that you continually try to stretch every day. This applies to your back and upper body too, where lifting weights was found to improve range and rotation through the spine and shoulders.

Perhaps one main reason why some people should still include some stretching in their program is because they enjoy it. Like many things in life, the things we enjoy are the things we tend to stick to. So if you love the feeling of a good stretch session, and maybe aren’t that keen on weight training, then doing some regular stretches is a great idea because you’ll look forward to your sessions and be more consistent with your training. But it’s also a great idea to make sure you include some regular weight training as well, even if you’re not really a “weights person”, because over time most people really feel and notice the benefits in flexibility as well as strength.

Strength Training Is Safe And Effective For All Ages Including Adolescents And Older People

Current evidence is strongly in favour of resistance training for all ages. An outdated belief was that adolescents/young people shouldn’t do weight training because their skeletal (bone) system wasn’t mature enough to take the load. However, beginning teenagers on a well-balanced and tailored strength training program has been shown to be fully safe and have many benefits including;

• increasing all-round fitness
• improved body composition (more lean muscle mass, less fat)
• burning more calories (which can offset increased sedentary screen time)
• increase bone strength
• improve mental health

Resistance training has also been shown to be safe and highly beneficial for older people. It is important to tailor the program to that person’s particular needs, fitness level, injury history and any other relevant medical conditions. The many benefits of strength training for older people range from falls prevention to preserving muscle mass, maintaining independence to increasing energy and vitality, helping manage weight and reducing pain and stiffness with many conditions.

The Benefits Of Strength Training Are More Than You May Think

We all know that strength training using resistance and weights increases strength, muscle size (hypertrophy) and sports performance. Many people may also be aware of the protective quality of strength training, reducing our risk of injury (you can read our blog on this subject). But strength training has also been proven to reduce the negative effects of common diseases such as osteoporosis, diabetes, cancer and sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass and strength as we age). Plus it has been shown to have many mental health benefits including managing depression and anxiety, increasing self esteem, improving sleep quality and enhancing cognitive function.

What Is The Best Strength Training Program For You?

So far we’ve talked about the many benefits of strength exercise for improving flexibility and many other things, but getting on the right strength program for you is critical for your success. When designing your strength program you need to take into account;

• your current strength and fitness levels
• your personal goals for your program
• any current or previous injury or medical condition
• the amount of time you have available to train, and your access to facilities and equipment
• your personal preference for the type of exercise you like and enjoy

Based on these individual factors your program can then be tailored to give you the maximum benefits while keeping you safe and motivated as you train. Many aspects of your program can be adjusted including the type and number of exercises, weight and repetitions, machines versus free-weights, session frequency etc.. And the fact that you can improve your flexibility whilst gaining all of these well-known benefits of resistance training means that you don’t have to set aside extended time each session to work on stretching!

Exercise Physiologists – Your Strength Training Experts

If you’re unsure of how to start or progress your strength training to improve range of motion and flexibility, or simply don’t know where to start when it comes to lifting weights, then we’re here to help.

Learn more about our exercise physiology services

Our Accredited Exercise Physiologists Chris and Zach work with clients of all fitness levels and abilities. Many of our clients had not had much exercise experience before starting with us, or had never really had much direction with their training, but now love their sessions because they are focussed, effective and safe. Exercise physiologists are university-qualified allied health professionals with advanced training in prescribing exercise programs for a range of clients including;

• people wanting to improve their all-round strength, flexibility overall fitness
• people recovering from an injury such as back pain, sports injuries, gym injuries and posture-related pain
• athletes, especially runners, who need a tailored sport-specific strength and conditioning program
• post-operative rehab for clients following knee surgery (ACL reconstruction, meniscal repairs…), spinal surgery, shoulder surgery (stabilisations and rotator cuff repairs), and total hip and knee replacements.
• people who need professional exercise prescription to manage medical conditions such as osteoporosis, osteopenia, diabetes and cardiac conditions
• those looking for an effective exercise program to manage mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety or PTSD

For more Information on exercise physiology click below to ask a question or book a session. Or call reception on 9280 2322 to speak to one of our exercise physiology team to see how we may be able to help you.

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