Static Stretching and Performance: What Athletes Need to Know

You’ve probably heard it in gyms, locker rooms, or even in training manuals – “never stretch before working out.” The belief is so widespread that many athletes avoid stretching altogether before sports, out of fear of sabotaging their efforts. Instead, athletes and coaches opt for general warm-ups paired with the occasional dynamic stretch before beginning sports play. Maybe you are among this group.

But is this really the truth? Or is it an oversimplification of a much more nuanced reality?

In this article, we’ll take a scientific and practical look at the role of static stretching before training. We’ll explain where the myth comes from, what modern research really says, and what athletes should actually do to prepare their bodies effectively. Spoiler: stretching is not the enemy it is often made out to be. Rather, it’s all about knowing when, how, and why to use it.

The Origin of the Myth

The belief that static stretching before sports is bad has its roots in a handful of popular studies from the late 1990s and early 2000s. Researchers observed that holding long, static stretches before explosive efforts could temporarily reduce strength and power output. This phenomenon is called stretch-induced strength loss.

Think of your muscles like an elastic band. If you keep an elastic stretched out for too long before releasing it, it loses its ability to snap back forcefully. The same idea applies to muscles: prolonged static stretching can dampen their ability to generate peak force in the immediate moments after.

As these findings circulated, the message soon became oversimplified: “stretching before sports is bad.” It spread like wildfire, reinforced by coaches and athletes who wanted to avoid any risk of reduced performance. But the real story is more complex.

Why This Vision is Incomplete

The problem with the “stretching is bad” narrative is that it lumps all stretches into the same basket. Not all stretches are equal, and not all situations are the same.

For example, holding a deep, 2-minute static stretch of the hamstrings before a sprint may indeed reduce peak power, and thereby limit performance. However, static stretching of the calves before a heavy squat day can improve ankle range of motion, thereby making your squat more stable and efficient and actually improving performance. By this same logic, would we perform a static stretch of the quads while warming up for this same squat session? Hopefully, you see that the answer is “no!” because maintaining the ability of the quads to generate peak force is critical before squatting a heavy bar.

The question is not whether static stretching is inherently good or bad, but whether the type, duration, and timing of the stretch serve your performance.

Flexibility vs. Mobility

This brings us to an important distinction: flexibility ≠ mobility.

• Flexibility refers to the ability of soft tissue, which includes muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves, to lengthen passively. Think of the sit-and-reach test in elementary school gym class or the classic soccer practice standing quad stretch. 
• Mobility refers to the ability of a joint to actively move through its full range of motion with control and stability. Mobility exercises translate directly to our daily functional activities. 
• A quick metaphor to highlight the important difference between these two concepts: flexibility is like owning a sports car with a wide steering range, while mobility is being able to actually drive it smoothly at high speed, without losing control.

Performance in sports depends on mobility, not just flexibility. After all, you don’t need to be able to do the splits to run fast, lift heavy, or jump high. Rather, you need to be able to control your joints through their required ranges of motion. Static stretching alone won’t give you this control. That’s why including activation and dynamic mobility in your routine is so crucial.

Mobility Is More Than Just Muscles

Let’s discuss another key misunderstanding: mobility is not just about muscle length. In reality, mobility is a systemic quality that brings together several elements of the body: the structure and freedom of the joints, the fascia that influence tension and glide, the nervous system that regulates muscle activation and relaxation, and the vascular system that supports circulation and readiness of the muscles to perform. 

Take the squat, for instance. Struggling to reach depth isn’t just about tight quads or stiff calves. Often, the real limiters are ankle dorsiflexion that prevents the knees from tracking ideally, hip flexion and rotation that allows the pelvis to drop deeper, glute activation that stabilizes the descent, and core control that keeps the torso upright for maximum force transfer. Improving squat depth isn’t about stretching one or two muscles, it’s about unlocking the entire system so every link in the chain does its job.

A Smart Approach to Pre-Workout Preparation

So, how should you actually prepare before training? The answer is not to ban static stretching entirely, but to use it intelligently, as part of a broader activation strategy.

Here’s a practical approach:

1. Short, targeted static stretches – if a muscle group limits your range of motion for a key movement (like the calves for squats), static stretching can unlock that range without harming performance. Focus on the areas that most limit your performance, which are not necessarily the areas that feel the most tight.
   
   
2. Activation drills – once you have unlocked an increased range of motion, you need to teach your body to own it! This means turning on the right muscles for the task ahead. For example, glutes before running, scapular stabilizers before pressing, and trunk stabilizers before squatting.

3. Dynamic mobility – finally, prime your body with controlled movements that mimic your sport-specific demands. For example, leg swings before sprints or active hip openers before lower-body training.

This combination ensures that your body is not only flexible enough but also ready to produce force efficiently and safely. Keep in mind that this routine does not have to take long. In fact, a recent systematic review found that “a warm-up period of 10 to 15 min appears to result in better explosive performance than traditional warm-up routines currently used in team sports.” ¹ Done consistently over time, this simple routine is the recipe for performance.

Keep It Simple With GOWOD

With all this background, the real challenge becomes clear: how do you know exactly which stretches to do, for how long, and how to combine them with the right muscle activations? That’s precisely where GOWOD steps in.

Designed by sports performance and health experts and grounded in the latest scientific research, GOWOD takes all the guesswork out of mobility. In less than ten minutes, the app tests your mobility across every major joint and movement pattern, identifies your weak points and the ranges of motion limiting your performance, and then automatically generates the ideal pre-workout activation protocol for your body and your sport. If short static stretches are beneficial, GOWOD includes them, always paired intelligently with activations and dynamic drills to ensure that you are fully primed to train. Each session adapts to your unique needs, whether you’re preparing for CrossFit, running, weightlifting, team sports, or anything else. Instead of relying on generic warm-ups or conflicting advice, you get a personalized program that evolves as you progress. With the effort and time you spend training, you deserve the best.

Conclusion

Contrary to popular belief, stretching before sports is not inherently bad. Instead, this topic is more nuanced. Long, passive stretches held before explosive efforts? Not ideal. But short, targeted stretches combined with activation and dynamic mobility? That’s a recipe for better performance, fewer injuries, and more efficient movement.

The truth is that intelligent preparation matters more than rigid rules. And because every athlete is different, personalization is the key to consistent progress.

That’s exactly what GOWOD offers: the expertise to combine stretches, activations, and mobility drills in the smartest way possible. Simple, effective, and tailored to you!

Test your mobility today with GOWOD, and discover your personalized activation routine before your next workout.