Q: Should I stretch before, during or after a workout?

–Mark McPhee
Detroit, MI

A: It depends on your workout goals. Here’s how and when you should stretch at different times during your workout.

BEFORE WEIGHT TRAINING
Many guys think they should stretch before they work out as a warm-up, but intense stretching before weight training can undercut your strength. “Static stretching causes a decrease in force-generating capacity,” says Tim Moore, a health and fitness consultant who lives in Santa Monica, California. “This can cause as much as a 28 percent reduction in strength, with effects lasting up to 60 minutes.”

To get better results from pre-workout activity, warm up your body with five to 10 minutes of easy to moderate cardio. “Perform a few dynamic moves, such as walking lunges or arm swings, to wake up your nervous system,” says Moore.

DURING WEIGHT TRAINING
The most effective strategy for increasing strength is to stretch the muscle that opposes the one you’re working. Do three to five stretches between weight sets, holding each stretch for no longer than five seconds.

AFTER WEIGHT TRAINING
Once you’ve finished weight training, you can stretch to your heart’s content to increase your range of motion. Keep in mind, though, that intense stretching is, in itself, exercise. If you’ve just maxed out on squats and you have the idea that 20 minutes of deep stretches will help relieve soreness, think again: You’ll likely increase the workload on your leg muscles, particularly if you’re holding your stretches for long periods of time and engaging the contraction, explains Moore. For better recovery, he recommends myofascial release (such as rolling on a foam roller)--especially thoracic spine and hamstrings moves--for best results.

– Steven Stiefel

Want more training tips? Pick up the March/April issue of Maximum Fitness--on newsstands February 9, 2010.