A Complete Stretching vs Warming Up Guide for Safer Workouts

You arrive at the gym, ready to crush a new workout. You want to perform your best and avoid injury, but you can't quite remember what to do first: stretch or warm up? While many people use these terms interchangeably, they are not the same. In this article, we'll explore the differences between stretching and warming up and help you identify how each can help you prepare your body for exercise and how to warm up before lifting. With the proper knowledge and approach, you can confidently boost performance, prevent injury, and support long-term fitness success.  

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Is Stretching the Same as Warming Up?

A good stretch before an activity is a warm-up. But the two terms mean very different things, says Dr. Lee Kaplan, director of the University of Miami Sports Medicine Institute. “Stretching helps our muscles and connective tissue, like tendons, increase flexibility,” offers Dr. Kaplan. “Proper stretching helps elongate our muscles and increases our range of motion. It can help prevent injury, especially as we age. But it is not a dynamic warm-up for athletics or before exercise activity.”

Dr. Kaplan explains that a warm-up gets our bodies prepared for the activity about to take place. It gets the heart pumping blood to our muscles, gradually increases our breathing toward the rate we will be exercising at, and gets the body’s systems ready to go. 

The Importance of Warm-ups Before Stretching

Warm-ups are also recommended before static stretching takes place. “The classic analogy is comparing it to starting a car in a winter climate,” he shares. “When we warm-up a car, and let it have a little time before accelerating too fast, all the critical parts get ready for action. It helps avoid ‘injury’ to the car’s engine and moving parts. And it can help that car have a potentially healthier life or at least delays the need for repairs. You just shouldn’t go instantly from 0 to 100.” 

The Ongoing Debate on Warm-up and Stretching Efficacy

What does science say? In recent years, some consumer magazines and newspaper stories pointed to a lack of evidence showing that stretching or warm-ups decreased injury rates. Dr. Kaplan says that the main reason is likely more about the limited amount of good research available. 

“For each study finding a non-benefit, you can find a different study showing a benefit,” he adds. “What we do know is what we see and what we have continued to see over the years. Whether a senior citizen on a treadmill or an Olympic athlete in competition, the body needs to be properly prepared for strenuous activity to achieve maximum benefit. It’s an exciting time because larger, evidence-based studies are underway offering ideas we can all benefit from.” 

Benefits of Warm-ups for Muscle Activation and Performance

A study in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, for example, found that low- to moderate-intensity lower-body warm-ups helped athletes activate 5.9 to 8.5 percent more of the muscle fibers in their quadriceps, boosting performance. 

Another study found that warm-ups enabled people to initiate activities with higher levels of oxygen, resulting in improved performance in both short- and long-duration exercises, according to Dr. Kaplan. “Warm-ups also can pre-load our cells with calcium,” says Dr. Kaplan. “That allows our muscles to contract more fully during the actual workout or physical activity.”

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Stretching vs Warming Up: Breakdown for a Smarter Fitness Routine

Stretching and warming up serve distinct purposes. Philip Gonçalves, head trainer at Força Fuel, explains, “The aim of a stretch, and the aim of a warmup are two different things. With a general warmup, the main objectives are to elevate core temperature and increase blood flow to working muscles…whereas the aim of stretching is to increase flexibility and joint range of motion.”  

Stretching: What Does It Do? 

Stretching is highly beneficial for numerous reasons, the most important of which is preventing injuries.  

Goals 

The primary goals of stretching are:  

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• Elongating and loosening muscle fibres 
• Aiding flexibility in muscles and joints 
• Decreasing dormant onset muscle soreness 
• Preventing possible injury, such as muscle torsion 
• Improving body posture during workouts 
• Improved blood flow and circulation  

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When Should You Do It? 

The science is murky on when you should stretch your muscles. While stretching warmed-up muscles is generally considered safer than stretching cold muscles, some people choose to do it after they have warmed up. Others prefer to do it before and after a warmup. That depends on the type of stretching you’re using. The two primary types of stretching are:

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• Static
• Dynamic 

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Static stretching entails stretching a muscle and holding it in a stretched position for a predetermined amount of time, while dynamic stretching includes motion while you’re stretching. That’s why there are so many stretching exercises out there. In general, it’s safer and more beneficial to stretch after a warmup as opposed to before one.  

What are the Basic Exercises? 

Since stretching includes both static and dynamic options, the amount of basic exercises is massive. Some of the most common stretching exercises are:  

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• Hamstring stretching 
• Quadriceps and hip flexor stretch 
• Calf stretching 
• Shoulder stretching 
• Trapezius stretching 
• Triceps stretching 
• Lower and upper back stretching
  
  

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Some things that people use to aid their stretching are stretching rods and even towels at a time, which allow you to fix the necessary muscles in place while you’re stretching the others.  

What are the Benefits of Stretching? 

Gonçalves says, “The main benefits of stretching are increased flexibility.” He points out that while it “may not sound that important, increasing flexibility around the hamstring area can reduce the chances of back pain. [This is] something that 80 percent of us will suffer with throughout our lives, especially if you spend eight hours seated at a desk every day.” 

Chase also adds, “It’s best to stretch, to allow the muscles to elongate [and loosen up], providing you with improved flexibility, which in turn prevents you from injury. If you have a tight muscle, another muscle can work harder to compensate for the tightness. When this happens, you have a muscle imbalance which can lead to injury.” This is usually when you experience a pulled muscle or other strain. Flexibility can also help alleviate some soreness you may experience after a challenging workout.  

Warming Up: What Does It Do? 

Warming up is far different than stretching. It’s a notion of warming up the muscles and is usually done before stretching. It serves an integral role in any physical activity, as it prepares the body for any aerobic and anaerobic training.  

Goals 

The primary goals of warming up are:  

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• Improving circulation and blood flow 
• Elevating muscle and core temperature 
• Preparing the body for activity 
• Lessening the stress on tendons and joints 
• Dispersing the stress evenly 
• Improving performance and reducing the chance of injury 

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When Should You Do It?  

In general, it’s safer and better to warm up before you stretch. While some people prefer to stretch tense muscles, it’s not nearly as safe and beneficial as warming them up first. Some people combine stretching and warmups, saving time and streamlining the process.  

What are the Basic Exercises?  

There are no preset basic exercises for warmups. The best exercise for warm-ups is one that effectively mirrors your workout. Reflecting your workout as closely as possible will ensure that you’re warming up the right muscles for the proper exercise. Doing this will reduce the chance of injury, but it won’t prevent it entirely. 

Warming up for your workout will enable you to perform more repetitions, use heavier weights, and maintain good form. It prepares your muscles for both anaerobic and aerobic activity, allowing you to perform better. Injury can still happen, but it’s far less likely to occur if you’ve properly warmed up for your exercise.  

What are the Benefits of Warming Up? 

A warmup is intended to get your whole body ready for training. In a warmup, your heart rate should increase, which will stimulate more blood and oxygen supply to your muscles. As Gonçalves says, it raises your body temperature, allowing your:

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• Muscles
• Ligaments
• Tendons

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To work with ease, this will adequately prepare them for more strenuous exercise. “The purpose of a warmup is to increase the blood flow to the muscle, which decreases any tightness, reducing the risk of injury,” says Kelly Chase, certified holistic health coach, AADP, IIN, and Aaptiv trainer. “Warming up improves range of motion, so [that] the exercise can be maximized to full potential.”

Gonçalves agrees and recommends a “warm-up specific to the work you’re about to carry out.” For example, if you plan to work on your squats, start with air squats as a warm-up. This way, you are preparing your body for the forthcoming specific exercises by using the same muscles and body parts. You’ll also find that when you do add weights, it may be easier because your body is ready for it. Gonçalves adds, “The likelihood of having a great workout is greatly increased with a thorough warmup.”   

Can Stretching Ever Count as a Warmup? 

There are two main types of stretching: 

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• Static
• Dynamic

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Dynamic Stretching

Dynamic stretching involves moving as you stretch. Chase defines dynamic stretching as “a series of movements designed to prepare the muscles and joints for performance; this style of stretching improves range of motion.” For example, a twisting lunge is a dynamic stretch. This type of moving stretch can serve as an adequate warm-up. 

Static Stretching

Static stretching, which Gonçalves does not recommend as a warmup, is the opposite of dynamic stretching. Static stretching involves holding a stretch for ten seconds or more and requires little movement beyond that one stretch. This is your standard, well-known stretching. For example, a standing toe-touch is a static stretch. “I would include certain stretches as part of a warmup, generally of a dynamic nature. [While] there’s a time and a place for static stretching, prior to a workout is not that time,” he says.  

Do We Need to Warm Up and Stretch Before Every Workout?  

Both trainers agree that warming up is essential before every workout, including before stretching. “Stretching is the lengthening of your muscles and [it’s] best to stretch after a workout or at least after a warmup or dynamic stretch,” says Chase. “You want to warm up the muscles and get the blood flowing to those areas first, before trying to stretch the muscles. This could lead to injury if the muscles are not warmed up first.”

Related Reading

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• Stretches Before Running
• Dynamic Warm Up for Athletes
• Warmup Exercises for Seniors
• Warm Up Exercises Before Running

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