The Stretching Myth That’s Holding You Back — and What to Do Instead

Are You Still Stretching Like It’s 1995?

Photo by Dane Wetton on Unsplash

I did it wrong for 15 years.

All the gym gurus and fitness coaches gave out the same, tired advice:

Stretch before you train and hold that stretch until it hurts. More is better.

Turns out, they were parroting myths dressed up as wisdom.

The truth didn’t come from a guru. It came from research in fitness journals that not many people read.

And once I saw it, it changed my entire approach to training.

Why Your Warm-Up Might Be Holding You Back”

Here’s the ritual you’ve heard so many times you can recite it in your sleep:

• Touch your toes and hold that position for 30 seconds.
• Feel the burn.
• Then go lift heavy.

It feels productive. It’s not.

Here’s what most exercise gurus don’t tell you. There’s little clear consensus that static stretching before a workout lowers the risk of injury.

Even worse? It can cut your strength by 2–7.5% for power movements that you do afterward, especially if you hold the stretch…