Because stretching a muscle too far can damage it, the body tries to prevent this from happening with a “stretch reflex.” When a muscle is stretched, a signal is automatically sent to the ...

You reach down to touch your toes to stretch your hamstrings, you pull your foot to your butt to stretch your quads, and you ...

While training to grow muscle, most people overlook an innate function in the body which can help build strength: the stretch reflex. "The stretch reflex is something that we all have," explains ...

But we were taught in neurophysiology that only high-velocity stretching of the muscle spindle, as in bouncing, causes a reflex contraction. A static stretch shouldn't. -- Rudy Dressendorfer ...

Secondly, further research has found that moderate-duration static stretching—around 30 to 45 seconds, in this study—can improve range of motion without eliciting any discernible negative ...

“When we talk about training the stretch reflex, say you were going into a static stretch hold, like that 30 seconds they teach us in gym class,” Saye said. “A lot of times we maybe get to ...

Static stretching is when you hold a stretching position for 30 to 60 seconds without moving. Static stretches are best for post-exercise while dynamic stretches should be done as a warm-up.

So static stretching won't stop injuries from happening, and it'll also lead to bad workouts. Instead, what you can do for 10 to 15 minutes before working out is an active warmup.