Most people are unaware that there are different types of stretching methods, that offer different benefits!

Honestly, before I became a personal trainer, I had no idea either!

So, let me share what I have learned to help you get the most out of your stretches!

There are 4 main types of stretching that have more specific categories under them. 

For now, lets start with the basics:

1.)    Static Stretching

2.)    Active Stretching             

3.)    Dynamic Stretching

4.)    Assisted Stretching

Before we explain these stretching forms in depth, there are 3 words that pop up that you may not be familiar with:

Agonist Muscle: the main muscle working during a movement

Synergist Muscles: muscles that act to reduce the excessive force generated by the agonist muscle, during a movement

Antagonist Muscle: The muscle relaxing and not being used in a movement

Are you ready? Let’s dive in!

Static Stretching:

Static stretching is the process of passively taking a muscle to the point of tension and holding the stretch for a minimum of 30 seconds.

For example, performing a hamstring stretch where you reach for your toes and hold it. This stretch works by holding the muscle (in case example, the hamstrings) in a stretched position for a prolonged period. This then causes the muscle spindle (the fibers that make up the muscle itself) to become inhibited, resulting in a relaxation response.

Static stretching has also been proven to significantly improve your stretch tolerance and flexibility.

It is recommended to perform static stretching after a workout to help relax muscles and relieve tension.

Perform 1–3 sets, holding each stretch for 30 seconds.

Active Stretching:

Active stretching is the process of using agonists and synergists muscle groups to dynamically move the joint into a range of motion (ROM).  This form increases motor neuron excitability, creating reciprocal inhibition of the muscle being stretched.

*Now, you’re probably wondering what on earth I just said.

Reciprocal inhibition is when a stretch of the agonist muscle inhibits the activity of the antagonist muscle.

This prevents muscles from working against each other when external loads are encountered (ex: weightlifting).

Therefore, active stretches are recommended to be used in your warmup before lifting weights or high-intensity exercise. 

Perform 1–3 sets, holding each stretch for 1–2 seconds and repeat for 5–10 repetitions.

Dynamic Stretching:

Dynamic stretching uses the force production of a muscle, and the body’s momentum, to take a joint through full range of motion.

This form of stretching also uses the concept of reciprocal inhibition to improve soft tissue’s (i.e. muscle’s) ability to extend and stretch.

Dynamic stretching is suggested as a warm-up before athletic activity.

Perform: 1 set, 10–15 repetitions, 3–10 different exercises. With dynamic stretching, there is no pausing.

Assisted Stretching:

Assisted stretching is stretching with the assistance of another person (preferably a trained professional).

This form of stretching helps your body to move in ways that it’s not able to when stretching alone, allowing you to achieve a deeper, more complicated stretch.

Assisted stretching ensures you are getting the proper range of motion that your body needs.

This is a wonderful (relaxing) way to significantly improve joint health and flexibility!

I hoped you learned a lot during this blog post, and I was able to broaden your knowledge when it comes to stretching!

Now you can have a better understanding of which form of stretching to perform, before or after a workout, to help make sure you are getting as much out of your time as possible!

Stay tuned for our future blog posts and thank you for reading!

Kaia Clark-Toth