Do you need to stretch, or do you need to strengthen?
By Coach Anya
Do you often feel the urge to stretch, whether it’s after a tough workout, during your day, or when you’re warming up? Maybe you’ve noticed some stiffness in your shoulders, back, or hips and wonder if stretching more is the solution. While stretching can feel great and has its place, I want to offer a different perspective: sometimes, what you need isn’t more flexibility, it’s more strength.
Stretching Alone Might Not Be Enough
Stretching can help restore range of motion and provide temporary relief, but it doesn’t always address the root cause of tightness. Here’s the key: your muscles need both flexibility and strength to function properly. If a muscle isn’t strong enough to support a movement, you may still struggle, even if you’ve stretched to improve your range of motion.
Let’s break this down with two common scenarios that exercisers encounter.
1. You’re Tight After Long Periods of Sitting or Repeating Certain Movements
If you’re an active person who spends time at a desk, in a car, or in repetitive positions (like cycling or running), you might notice tightness in your neck, shoulders, hips, or lower back. That tight sensation often signals that your body is craving movement.
Stretching can provide short-term relief, but strengthening the muscles involved can help prevent that tightness in the first place. For example:
Neck and Upper Back Tightness: Instead of only stretching your neck or doing shoulder rolls, incorporate exercises that support your posture by building strength in your upper back and shoulders.
Hip or Lower Back Tightness: Combine stretches for your hip flexors, hamstrings and glutes or core exercises to strengthen the muscles that support your pelvis and spine.
By strengthening these muscles, you’ll improve your posture, reduce fatigue in static positions, and help your body tolerate long periods of sitting or repetitive movements more effectively.
2. You Struggle with Range of Motion in Certain Exercises
Have you ever tried to go deeper in a squat, reach further in a deadlift, or improve your overhead mobility, only to feel limited? You might think it’s a flexibility issue, but strength is often the missing link.
Here’s why: stretching opens up range of motion, but if the muscles involved aren’t strong enough to control that range, you won’t be able to use it effectively. For example:
Deep Squats: If you’re stretching your hips and ankles but struggle to hit depth, your quads, glutes, and core may need strengthening to stabilize the movement.
Overhead Movements: If you feel limited in presses or pull-ups, strengthening your shoulders, lats, and thoracic spine muscles to help you access and control the full range of motion.
A good functional strength program encourages moving through full ranges of motion, which helps you maintain flexibility while building strength and resilience in those positions.
Practical Tips for Active People
If you’re already exercising, here’s how you can incorporate strength to complement your flexibility work:
Warm-Up with Dynamic Movements: Swap static stretching for exercises like arm circles, leg swings, or hip bridges to activate your muscles and prepare your body for movement.
Strengthen Your Weak Links: Focus on the areas where you feel tight or limited. Add targeted exercises like split squats, scapular retractions, or core stabilization drills to your routine.
Stretch with Intention: Stretch after your workout to help cool down and improve recovery, but pair it with strengthening exercises to lock in the range of motion you’re working on.
Be Flexible AND Strong
Instead of focusing solely on stretching when you feel tight, think about how strength can enhance your flexibility and overall performance. Building strength through full ranges of motion not only helps prevent tightness but also makes your body more resilient and capable of handling whatever your workouts, and life, throw at you.
