Warming up to Warm Ups
It’s not a question of If; it’s a question of What When Why and How
Before heading out for a run, it’s always a good idea to do some stretching in order to get the muscles ready, right? Wellllll, not exactly. There’s been quite a kerfuffle the last few years (upwards of 20!) over the role of stretching and its effects on performance. Fortunately, researchers have taken the data, sifted and strained it through rigorous analysis, and a solid consensus among the experts has been reached. And if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.
Here at Breath Runner, on any subject we look into, what we like to focus on is the WHY. Why does this [thing] do what it does? And then we do our research to find those answers. The problem is, there are often gaps in research, conflicting results between studies, and (usually) research which is myopically focused on one specific part (often microscopically) of what actually is a enormously complex, variable, and interconnected structural, biological, and neurological network of task-specific synergies. Think about it: human beings are just an assemblage of calcium-phosphate sticks, bound together with collagen tape and protein strings, wrapped up in a celluloid scrim to hold a massive amount of liquified protoplasm in a tensioned state while we consume a trifecta of chemicals which we use to propel ourselves forward, in hopes we will be able to flaunt a “26.2” sticker on our car’s bumper. Sometimes it’s tough to make it make sense.
On a topic like stretching, we think it’s best to begin by asking: How does this end? What’s the End Goal? Is it to become more flexible? Is it to prevent injuries? Is it to enhance performance? The researchers apparently agree, as they’ve asked these various questions, and they have found answers. To the question, “Does stretching make us more flexible?”, the answer is: It depends. To the question, “Does stretching prevent injuries?”, the answer is: It depends. To the question, “Does stretching enhance performance?”, the answer is: It depends. Stretching has its place; of that there is no doubt. It’s a matter of determining where that ‘place’ is, and how it fits into the Gordian knot of programming that is run training.
Image from: Running Forward, Glenn C. Rowe, PhD, Adeel Safdar, PhD, and Zolt Arany, MD, PhD. ©2025 American Heart Association, Inc. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.
We think it’s best to start examining the conundrum from the beginning. Here we turn to what we’ve already written about the role of the muscles as they relate to the movement of joints. As it pertains to freely movable skeletal joints, our skeletal muscles have three jobs.
JOB ONE: Protect the joint
JOB TWO: Stabilize the joint
JOB THREE: Move the joint
Think about that for a moment: while the primary purpose of skeletal muscles is to move bones, movement is its lowest priority. Another way of thinking about this is that in order for the ‘freely moveable joints’ to actually move freely, the surrounding muscles, tendons, and ligaments need to be (1) strong, (2) resilient, and (3) happy.
Now the question becomes, How do we achieve this? To stretch or not to stretch; that is the question. Welcome to the world of research Rabbit Holes. Ask one question, get a thousand conflicting answers. Ultimately, some calmer voices and a bit of common sense helps elucidate the core issues, and there actually seems to be some semblance of agreement on what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, and how it needs to be done.
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