I’m 26 right now 5’11’’ and 190 lbs. I already feel pain and struggling sometimes in my knees when standing up from kneeling or deep squatting. I’m on my feet all day long and relatively active. I keep having people say to stretch more but does that actually help?
Edit: after seeing some initial comments I see this is important lol
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It absolutely helps. Staying limber and just in general moving muscles in more ways than a few motions helps a lot. In every way.
Stretching is a big health benefit and I wish I’d started sooner.
I’m 35, 155lbs. I used to be pretty limber in my younger years but got slack around 25. 10 years later I’ve got a huge fucking hill to climb because I was too obstinate to take 15 minutes out of my day to help my body detangle.
The best day to start taking care of yourself was yesterday, the second best day is today.
it really, really, really helps. WHen I was in my mid-late 20s my knees were a mess. Since then I’ve been doing yoga and weight training and now I can run, squat and all that 15 years later. I regularly ride my bike, do parkour, skateboard and walk multiple KM a week. I don’t think I’d have a good time doing that if I had neglected stretching.
Even if you’re fairly active, doing dynamic workouts and stretching will help keep the muscles and ligaments that don’t get as much day-to-day love “well-oiled”.
Look in to yoga and Pilates exercises on YouTube. 10-15 mins a day will go a really long way.
Important enough.
Absolutely. I do toe touches every morning in the shower. Sometimes I forget, and it takes about 7 days of forgetting and I’ll pull my back, every time.
I do a dynamic stretch before I exercise and a static one after.
I wouldn’t exercise/do sports without doing these.
If you’re getting pain in your knees it’s possible something in your legs is too tight. I highly recommend a foam roller
I play sports almost every day and I’m in the gym a few times a week as well. Before I engage in sports I need to stretch or else I’ll feel tight and unable to effectively perform the movements required until I’m warm and loose. Stretching is also a cheat code if you’re the type who is sore after working out. Stretching literally makes the sore go away. When it comes back, stretch again, and it goes away again. It’s like magic.
I’m a pretty active runner/lifter and haven’t stretched in 15 years. Basically since high school ended.
High speed 5k, I’ll give each knee a crack and then be off. Low speed half marathon, maybe I’ll do that maybe not.
Dynamic stretching is useful prior to high intensity workouts, but that’s as far as I’d ever go at this stage in my life… And I don’t even do them.
“Stretching” is probably to broad a term, honestly. There’s been lots of research (some crap some good) for example about old school “static” stretching as it relates to athletic performance and injury prevention, and I guess my general takeaway is “meh, might not do anything”.
But when was the last time someone advised you to wrench your leg as hard as you can to like, pull your quad off your body? Some gym class in 1995?
Exercise, including dynamic stretching and warmups, is the closest thing we have for a panacea to health. It’s important to note that “being on your feet all day” is not the same as being active, and neither are the same as deliberate exercising. If you really want to feel better and maintain many years of feeling good and literally being able to move through the world, you need to think wholistically about how you exercise. What works for you maybe won’t work for others.
So: touching your toes a few times a a day? Probably not gonna do jack all except make it easier to touch your toes. In fact, that kind of bending might end up being bad for your lowerback if you really push it.
Mixing in yoga, resistance training, cardio… all with dynamic stretching/warmups? Now you’re cooking.
Contrary to popular belief, the ‘benefits’ of Stretching is not backed by science. The temporary benefit of slightly elongated muscles goes away within 15 minutes and goes back to normal. You can try for yourself of course, find whatever works for you but if you don’t see noticeable results or improvement in a few months then try something else.
You are younger than I. I am 60 and I walk 6 kms a day and jog 4 kms a day. Try to eat healthy and cut out sugar and I feel great. Better that you start now cause when you are older it’s a lot harder
Do regular squats and lunges. This will keep your knees strong and bouncy.
Also, you’re 30 pounds overweight. Lose that weight and you’ll feel five times better.
Warmups get vastly more important as you get older. Not that they’re not important at your age, but you heal slower as you age, so a pull or strain you can walk off in your 20’s will ruin your week in your 40’s.
Look up some yoga stretches, I use the book tactical mobility by stew smith…it’s just yoga stretches but in a nice book. Foam roll and a massage gun.
What til your 50- stretching can mean the difference in a good day and a bad day
At 26, probably you can do anything. At 50+, I stretch a good 20-30 minutes before exercise.
Static stretching to gain flexibility; dynamic stretching for performance.
Extremely. Most people, especially if they work an office job have dysfunctional hips, shoulders, neck, back. All leading to pain and discomfort.
As an older guy, I get way more quality of life and practical performance benefit from Yoga and Pilates than anything, if I had to pick lifting or mobility I would drop the weights. Being mobile improves everything you do.
Do calisthenics everyday, to stay strong and flexible.
Starting in my early teens, any time I would exercise without stretching first, it would absolutely hurt me later on. Now almost 50, I think my muscles and tendons would just snap off if I didn’t, lol.
Extremely, don’t end up like me with a torn Achilles because of not stretching. It’s not fun
In the great wisdom of Woody Harrelson. You ever seen a Lion stretch before chasing down a Gazelle. Buy better shoes.
A year ago, I sprained my back and was bedridden for a week. I now stretch every day I get up to prevent that from happening again. Look at animals. When a dog or cat gets up after laying down, what is the first thing they do? Stretch.
I personally think strength training is more important than just static stretching. You stretch when lifting.
This guy story is basically that he was born with that thing where your organs are on the outside of your body like your body is inverted
But he is super strong. he looks small but this dude is probably dense like a neutron star. And he’s very flexible and I imagine he’s going to be Strong and flexible well into middle age
https://youtube.com/shorts/iYidOv9WL-I?si=vhm5CywadQIUC6Nl
as you get older, it is more and more important. so, yeah, weight lifting and stretching are both very, very important.
45 year old BJJ black belt and lift weights. I haven’t stretched in a decade. I use a foam roller though.
Extremely important. I’m 41 and I have a very active lifestyle (I hike 30-40 miles a week, every week, at high elevations), and my body can generally keep up with the strain, but only if I’m diligent about my stretching. If I go a couple days without really attending to my body, I start to really hurt.
Seems like maintaining being physically capable is just to actually use it. As people get older they tend to get less mobile and allow others to do stuff for them.
But if you keep walking instead of taking shortcuts, taking the stairs when you can, lifting things yourself instead of telling younger people to do it…then you be able to maintain the ability to do all those things rather than become a stiff immobile geezer.
I was feeling pretty old and tired at that age. I started weight lifting and stretching and feel better at 40 than 26.
As someone who has suffered with sciatic nerve pain, stretching is very important.
I’ll note that stretching and activity are very important. The old saying “use it or lose it” does apply to the whole body it seems, but so does over using it which can lead to injury.
Doing less cardio? May see your heart rate change for the worse, may feel more sluggish. Lifting less? May see yourself having difficulty lifting things or increased soreness when doing so. Lifting too much or improperly? May get injured. It’s all about balance.
I used to think some simple basic stretches were enough, but as I get older I find I require more. Static, dynamic, ballistic, PNF, mobility, myofascial, etc.
My wife recently was suffering joint and muscle pains, showed her some stretches plus she searched some additional stretches online, and now her pains are basically gone. We also heard her hip make a super loud crack.
Some good comments here. My general view is that as we age we want to be “bendy but strong.” So, flexibility – whether achieved with simple stretches, yoga, pilates, etc – and strength training is where it’s at. Strength in joints and muscles helps prevent injury and should you have a fall etc the flexibility will help you leave it unscathed.
Doing a 5 minutes stretching routine in the morning is possibly the easiest and most effective way of increasing your health and mobility short and long term. Just make sure you cover all of your joints.
Most meta-analysis and research reviews on stretching find that it’s safe, generally well-tolerated, effective in at even small doses (with the effect scaling with dose reasonably well), and confers a small amount of benefit.
Reviewing the same data indicates that the majority of the benefits of stretching are achieved by a similar dose of full range of motion resistance training, plus the added health-promoting effects of resistance training, which are far broader.
That is to say, if stretching is all you can do, it’s certainly beneficial. But if you have the ability to participate in resistance training, that’s likely the more beneficial choice and should be prioritized.
I feel like a total body movement paradigm is more effective. Something like yoga, pilates or stretching with some kind of workout, sport or other exercise.
Yes
Depends if you’re talking about injury prevention or rehabilitation more broadly. If you’re not injured per se but both your range of motion sucks and you have tightness, soreness, etc. in a particular muscle group – that can be an indicator that stretching would be helpful.
I think something that is kind of slept on is massage and myofascial release. Physical therapists will use those techniques often. You can accomplish more or less the same thing by using varying amounts of pressure. E.g., a foam roller will be slightly less uncomfortable than a lacrosse ball. You can also have a trusty partner bury their fist or elbow into the affected area if you are feeling brave.
Not to say stretching can never be beneficial, but often the root of joint pain is imbalances caused by weak stabilizer muscles and general dysfunction. It’s not a good assumption that stretching is going to solve your problems. If you’re feeling pain, you should be evaluated by a physical therapist and get on a treatment plan that involves both strengthening and mobility.
Warming up and stretching is paramount.