Is it more important to stretch before or after running?

Question

Is it more important to stretch before or after running?

Answer 1

Before is very important.

Answer 2

both

Answer 3

before i do a race i always do a quick warm up (about 400 meters) then i do some light stretching,  then after im done running or finished with my race i do some serious stretching.

its always worked for me

Answer 4

It is really important to do both....I would say after is more important though.

Answer 5

Stretch BEFORE you run. If you dont, you could pull a muscle and it will hurt.

Answer 6

strech a little before. if you strech a little bit after, that will also help . hope this helps!!

Answer 7

Before and after, believe me. I run 4 miles everyday.

Answer 8

Both, but before for sure. You want to make your muscles more flexible before you run, otherwise you could pull something. I usually stretch then walk to the end of my street before I start running to make sure my legs are fully stretched.

Answer 9

Stretching before a run is important so as to slowly lengthen the appropriate muscles and prepare them for the workout. Stretching after a run is important because our muscle fibers are already warmer and more elastic. By stretching them, we hasten the flow of blood to the different parts thus bringing with it the necessary nourishment that would enable us to recover faster and better. So I say, stretch before and after a run.

Answer 10

Before. (:

Answer 11

I think both, first you need to warm up and when you're done you need to cool down.

Before is probably more important in regards to injury etc

Answer 12

Before of course as stretching before prevents injury.

Answer 13

before...

Answer 14

never ever stretch cold muscles! only stretch when you body is warm and always stretch after running

Answer 15

after.....unless you want some serious cramping later.

Answer 16

id say its more important to stretch after, mostly because you dont want to injure a tight muscle. Instead, its better to do a little warm up with some light running and just get loose before a run

Answer 17

Before isn't that important.  It's much, much more important to stretch after any exercise when it comes to the legs.  If I stretch before running, personally, I feel kind of akward.

Answer 18

After running, do a quick lap, then stretch, and then run how ever long you want and stretch again . Make sure you dont immeditly be a lazy *** and sit, because then you will have pains like the next dayy .

Answer 19

my fitness trainer told me that before and after is very important. but he told me that the easiest way to warm up is to slowly jog a lap first and then stretch.  you see, when you run, you increase your body heat and then it becomes easier to strecth your muscles.  and then he told me to restrain your muscles from burning, strecthing after is very important.  to answer your question, strecthing before will help you prevent injury during excersice and strecthing after will help you prevent pulling a muscle after an exhausting work out.  so i would say that both is equally important.

Answer 20

Stretching before is more important, but you also should stretch afterwords. The post run stretch doesn't need to be as long as the pre run stretch.

Answer 21

both, but before is more important

Answer 22

not vital but recommended. Stretching afterward is also recommended

Answer 23

Here is an article that might help you:

http://running.about.com/od/running101/a...

Personally i don't stretch before a run.  There was a research showing the effectiveness of stretching before and it didn't find it helpful (sorry I don't know where the source is). The rationale is that when you run, your legs need to transfer the energy to the ground.  If your leg is nice and loose, say a stretch before a run, the muscle, being loose, will absorb the energy.

I would always stretch after a run.  I find that helpful in recovery and prevent injury.

Answer 24

i think the people that say before aren't runners. Because it's not too helpful to stetch w/o your muscles warmed up. I never stetch before i run, but always after. If I feel something talking to me while i'm running i stop and strech it, but other than that i don't strech before. AFTER is the way to go.

Answer 25

do a quick warm up, then stretch, then do your workout and stretch again.

i would say both are equally important, unless you enjoy pulled muscles.

Answer 26

Before and after is appropriate.

Answer 27

before, so u dont pull a muscle, and after to get more out of a stretch

Answer 28

before.. if you dont you can get hurt. it is better anyways if you do it before because it will help you run better.

Answer 29

yes, definitely. it's crucial that you stretch before AND after running. stretch before running to loosen your muscles so that you won't pull any of your muscles. then you stretch after running because when you run, lactic acid builds up in your leg muscles, so it's important that you stretch to get rid of those lactic acids. i would also get your legs a rub-out & ice them =)

Answer 30

Before so you can loosen up tight muscles.