Does Stretching Make You Lose Muscle?

Stretching is an essential part of any fitness plan, but it often gets skipped. After all, sitting around touching your toes takes extra time, burns few calories and doesn't seem to do much to enhance your shape, strength and endurance. You may even have heard that stretching can, in some cases, have deleterious effects on your muscles. If you perform static stretches right before a workout -- you may lose some muscle power. However, stretching does not affect the amount of muscle you have and still has an important place in any workout routine.

  1. Strength and Power

    • Stretching doesn't cause your muscles to atrophy, but it can cause them to lose some strength and power in the immediate time after a flexibility session. A study published in the “Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research” in April 2013 found that young men who warmed up with passive, static stretching before using resistance equipment for the lower body experienced a significant decrease in their one-repetition maximum ability for the barbell squat. The statically stretched participants also had almost 23 percent less lower-body stability, leading researchers to conclude that static stretching should be avoided prior to a strength session. The loss of strength is not due to an actual loss of muscle, but likely to altered neurological function or joint stability. A meta-analysis published in a March 2013 issue of the “Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sport” found that static stretching alone used as a warm-up had negative effects on strength, power and explosive performance. Participants whose warm-up consisted of static stretches had, on average, almost 5.5 percent less strength than participants who did a dynamic warm-up.

    Length of Stretching Session

    • A review of 106 studies published in a 2012 issue of "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise" determined that the detrimental effects of pre-exercise stretching occurred after static stretching lasting longer than 60 seconds. Stretches held for less than 45 seconds, especially those held less than 30 seconds, had no significant effect on muscle performance during a subsequent workout. If you do enjoy stretching before a workout, make the holds last just 20 to 30 seconds to ensure you experience only benefits. The 2013 meta-analysis also found that stretches held longer than 90 seconds had the greatest negative impact on muscle power and strength and that those held for less than 45 seconds had minimal impact.

    Stretching Benefits

    • While you may choose to avoid static stretching before a workout, it doesn't mean you should abandon the practice altogether. The American Council on Exercise notes that stretching helps improve posture and may lead to fewer aches and pains after a tough exercise session. Stretching can also improve your overall range of motion and circulation, which helps you function in athletics and in daily life. Certified strength and conditioning coach Rachel Cosgrove told "Men's Health" that stretching is actually essential to muscle growth. Regular flexibility training speeds recovery and because of your increased range of motion, you have more room for expanding muscle fibers. An inflexible body is more vulnerable to injury, which interferes with getting to the gym to lift.

    Strategy

    • Save long static stretches and slow yoga classes for post workout or for days in which you plan to take it easy. Before workouts, you can still stretch -- but make your stretches dynamic. High knees, toy-soldier walking, torso twists and even jumping jacks are dynamic stretches that move the body through a full range of motion but prepare you for activity. This kind of warm-up will prepare you for a tough workout and protect you from injury without causing decreases in power.