July 10, 2025, 2:01 am | Read time: 5 minutes
Many swear by stretching as a cure-all for fitness, health, and well-being. However, renowned researchers worldwide agree: Stretching doesn’t always work as hoped. New recommendations reveal when stretching is truly beneficial and when its effects are overestimated.
An international research group has published current scientific recommendations on the topic of stretching. The recommendations indicate when stretching is considered effective and when other training methods should be preferred. FITBOOK explains the scientific background.
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Overview
Stretching: Not a Cure-All for Health and Fitness
Stretching is often seen as a solution for a variety of issues, from muscle soreness to better posture and cardiovascular support. However, experts are moving away from this view. “In some areas, stretching works well; in others, it is rather overrated,” explains Prof. Jan Wilke from the Department of Neuromotorics and Movement at the University of Bayreuth.
At the same time, Wilke emphasizes: “Even if stretching doesn’t always deliver on its promises, it is an easy-to-apply, always available, and free form of exercise”–provided you know when and how it is useful.
Also interesting: How long should a muscle be stretched for more flexibility?
Scientific Recommendations
An international consensus study, led by Konstantin Warneke (University of Jena) and Jan Wilke (University of Frankfurt), has developed well-founded guidelines for the practical use of stretching in healthy individuals.
Twenty leading experts from 12 countries systematically examined how stretching affects eight key areas–such as flexibility, strength, muscle growth, injury risk, or the cardiovascular system. The goal: Clear recommendations for healthy people and standardized terms for different stretching methods like static, dynamic, or PNF stretching.1
How Was the Study Conducted?
The study followed the established Delphi method: Several rounds of anonymous surveys with clear voting criteria (at least 80 percent agreement). The basis was systematic reviews on each topic. The recommendations are exclusively for healthy adults–data on sick or injured individuals were deliberately excluded.
Key Findings
Improving Flexibility
- Short-term: At least two sets of 5 to 30 seconds of stretching per muscle group, regardless of the technique (static, dynamic, proprioceptive), increase flexibility.
- Long-term: At least five minutes of stretching per week per muscle group, divided into several sessions (for example, five times a week for one minute each), lead to a sustainable improvement in flexibility over several weeks.
Muscle Firmness
- Acute: At least four minutes of static stretching per muscle group reduces muscle stiffness in the short term.
Cardiovascular System
- Acute: At least seven minutes of static stretching per session are needed to achieve acute effects on the cardiovascular system and blood vessels.
- Long-term: At least 15 minutes per session (at least five times a week, totaling at least 75 minutes per week) are required to achieve long-term positive effects.
Muscle Growth and Strength
- Possible: Stretching can promote muscle growth and strength, especially in untrained individuals, with at least 30 to 60 seconds per set and at least five sets per muscle group per week.
What Stretching Can’t Do
Stretching is not recommended for:
- Injury prevention
- Accelerating recovery
- Correcting postural issues
Stretching Before or After Training?
The consensus and recommendation table of the scientific evaluation assesses the timing and goals of stretching as follows:
Stretching Before Training
- Static stretching immediately before strength training can slightly reduce maximum strength and power if held for a long time (more than 60 seconds per muscle group).
- Short, moderate stretching sessions (under 60 seconds per muscle group) can be performed before training. They have little negative impact and temporarily increase flexibility–for example, in sports with a large range of motion.
Stretching After Training
- Stretching after training is not recommended for injury prevention or faster recovery, as evidence shows no positive effect.
- However, it can help maintain or improve flexibility.
Limits of Stretching: When Other Methods Are Superior
The recommendations are exclusively for healthy adults. Separate studies are needed for clinical populations–such as those with orthopedic or internal diseases. Additionally, some recommendations are not yet supported by many high-quality studies (e.g., on cardiovascular effects or fascia adaptations). The “expert status” was functionally defined (at least five publications in the field)–alternative criteria could lead to a different panel composition.
A central issue remains the implementation in practice: Many trainers, therapists, and athletes are unaware of current study results. The author team therefore calls for targeted communication strategies–such as through professional associations, training courses, and digital channels.
Stretching: When It’s Truly Beneficial and When It’s Not
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“I recommend this training to my clients when they want to lose weight.”
Conclusion
Stretching works–but only when used purposefully. It reliably improves flexibility and can reduce muscle stiffness. As a measure for increasing strength, building muscle, recovery, or improving posture, it is hardly effective. It is also not suitable for general injury prevention. The new recommendations offer clear, differentiated guidelines for the sensible use of stretching–and help invest training time where it demonstrably makes a difference. It remains important: Stretching is a tool–no more, but also no less.
*With material from dpa