For many, stretching is the fitness equivalent of awkward small talk. It’s the opening act, the thing you tolerate because you know it will be over soon.
Others have challenged the practice, suggesting that stretching isn’t necessary at all. Some research has found that a preworkout stretch may even be disadvantageous, weakening muscles and hindering performance.
To put it plainly, no one seems terribly enthusiastic about touching their toes.
That’s why a 2020 study on exercise and mortality was such a head-scratcher. The study found that stretching was uniquely associated with a lower risk for all-cause mortality among American adults. That’s after controlling for participation in other types of exercise.
The finding seemed like a fluke, until a 2023 study found essentially the same thing.
That was slightly better than the risk reduction associated with high volumes of aerobic exercise and resistance training.
How can that be ? It turns out, stretching is linked to several health benefits that you might not expect.
The Surprising Benefits of Stretching
When we talk about stretching, we usually mean static stretching — getting into and holding a position that challenges a muscle, with the goal of improving range of motion around a joint.
It doesn’t need to be a big challenge. “Research shows you can get increases in flexibility by stretching to the initial point of discomfort,” said David Behm, PhD, an exercise scientist at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada who’s published dozens of studies on stretching over the past quarter-century.
That brings us to the first benefit.
Stretching Benefit #1: More Strength
At first glance, flexibility training and strength training have little in common. You lengthen muscles in the former and contract them in the latter.
But in both cases, Dr. Behm said, you’re applying tension to muscles and connective tissues. Tension activates proteins called integrins, which send and receive signals across cellular membranes. Those signals are the start of a cascade that leads to protein synthesis. That’s how muscles get bigger and stronger when you lift weights.
That mechanism could explain the small gains in muscle strength and size associated with static stretching, Dr. Behm said.
But can you really stretch your way to muscle growth? Theoretically, yes. But strength training is far more time-efficient, Dr. Behm says. Studies showing increases in muscle mass have typically stretched a single muscle (usually the calves, using a specialized device) for > 30 min/session, 6 d/wk for 6 weeks. And that’s for just one leg.
Still, stretching may be more accessible for some patients — research suggested that older and more sedentary people are most likely to benefit from stretching-induced gains in strength.
Stretching Benefit #2: Reduced Arterial Stiffness
“Most people don’t think about the cardiovascular benefits of stretching,” Dr. Behm said. There are some big ones.
If your body doesn’t move well, it’s not unreasonable to assume your blood doesn’t flow well. That is indeed the case: Poor flexibility is associated with arterial stiffness.
Stretching is associated not only with improved arterial function but also with reductions in resting heart rate and blood pressure and increased vasodilation.
Mobility improvements may have an indirect benefit on cardiovascular health as well.
“Studies show runners are more economical when they’re more flexible,” Dr. Behm said. If your movement is more efficient, you’ll probably do more of it. Doing more, in turn, would lead to improved fitness.