How stretching actually changes your muscles - Malachy McHugh

Dig into the science of stretching, and find out what it actually does to your muscles and how you can improve your flexibility.

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An athlete is preparing for a game. They’ve put on their gear and done their warmup, and now it’s time for one more routine — stretching. Typically, athletes stretch before physical activity to avoid injuries like strains and tears. But does stretching actually prevent these issues? And if so, how long do the benefits of stretching last? Malachy McHugh explores the finer points of flexibility.

Lesson by Malachy McHugh, directed by Sofia Pashaei.

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Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Cyrus Garay, Samuel Barbas, LadyGeek, Marin Kovachev, Penelope Misquitta, Hans Peng, Gaurav Mathur, Erik Biemans, Tony, Michelle, Katie and Josh Pedretti, Hoai Nam Tran, Kack-Kyun Kim, Michael Braun-Boghos, zjweele13, Anna-Pitschna Kunz, Edla Paniguel, Thomas Mungavan, Jaron Blackburn, Venkat Venkatakrishnan, ReuniteKorea, Aaron Henson, Rohan Gupta, Begum Tutuncu, Brian Richards, Jørgen Østerpart, Tyron Jung, Carsten Tobehn, Katie Dean, Ezgi Yersu, Gerald Onyango, alessandra tasso, Doreen Reynolds-Consolati, Manognya Chakrapani, Ayala Ron, Eunsun Kim, Phyllis Dubrow, Ophelia Gibson Best, Paul Schneider, Joichiro Yamada, Henrique Cassús, Karthik Cherala, Clarence E. Harper Jr., Vignan Velivela, Ana Maria, Exal Enrique Cisneros Tuch, Tejas Dc, Khalifa Alhulail, Martin Stephen, Jose Henrique Leopoldo e Silva, Mandeep Singh and Abhijit Kiran Valluri.

[ledfarmer]

As a runner, I can tell you that warming up with dynamic stretches before your run and following up with static stretches after you run is a must. I never used to stretch before or after a run and it led to serious hamstring problems. Sometimes I could barely walk the day after a run. Now since stretching, I never have this problem.

[harshitahelani]

Nice to see that you guys are making videos about human physiology. It is really educating and informative. Appreciate your work.

[MN]

i can confirm this. after only 4 months of yoga i could finally touch my toes and my back felt great, amazing feeling for the first time in a lifetime of trying something like that. 13 years after not doing yoga any more, i cannot. can hold a plank for +10 minutes though, just saying, priorities change. do your workout, it's great in the long run!

[Nadzzz]

When I started yoga in 2019, I couldn’t even touch my toes. I practiced yoga 3 times a week until 2022 and now can do the splits and various inversions (side crow, grasshopper, flying pigeon). I started weight lifting in 2022 as well and found my advanced stretching helped me build more muscle than those around me. I just thought it was some odd coincidence. It’s nice to know the science behind it. If anyone is hesitant to start working out, I always tell them to start with Yoga. It’s changed my life and overall fitness journey completely

[brianbirsa]

Key phrase - Stretching helps muscles "retain strength at longer length". Stretching is improving strength at the limits of range of motion, thus allowing joints to support (and therefore allow) motion in that extended range. Well done!

[ItsAsparageese]

FINALLY, someone discusses this with nuance! I did medical massage for several years, and I was skeptical that this might be a problematically simplified video, but once the difference between dynamic and static was brought up early on, I knew this would be content that actually does some good. I'd have liked to see some clearer emphasis put on safety factors and the difference between pre-activity and post-activity stretching, and I don't quite like the characterization of proprioceptive limitation as "pain threshold", but overall this is a good resource and I'm mostly being nitpicky.

In case anyone sees this, the most important takeaways I think everyone should apply to stretching are: 1. Never hold static stretches at the absolute maximum intensity you can tolerate; instead, find that limit, then lessen the stretch just a tiny bit, then hold it there. It reduces injury risk and is a much more effective "sweet spot" for really benefiting. 2. Pressure sensation (such as that felt when a muscle is stretched) will ALWAYS override pain signals, but just because it feels good in the moment doesn't mean you're actually accomplishing anything; pay attention to whether you feel improvement a little while _after_ the stretch. Most people just hold static stretches long enough to feel good right then, instead of long enough to have lasting effect (holding a good 30 seconds or about 3 full breath cycles is about right), which is why it often ends up feeling like a waste of time to many. If you're going to bother doing it, commit to doing it right!

(Also, for those who really want to see radical effects on your range of motion, talk to your massage therapist or physical therapist about post-isometric relaxation or "PIR" stretching! Lots of my fellow CMTs might not know the method but many will, and most if not all PTs will know what's up. You can gain, _lastingly, _ up to maybe a dozen degrees or more of range of motion in one joint in just a few minutes, if the technique is done well!)

[Snowman_]

Every Ted-Ed video makes me think and sometimes make me start something new.

[bradnotbread]

I've been performing a daily stretching routine for around 12 years now. I used to suffer from knee injuries and so I thought if my leg muscles had more flexibility my injuries would reduce in occurance. They have. I am now very flexible, more so than many other people. I love the warm glow I feel in my muscles after stretching.

[Panbaneesha]

Two years ago I was diagnosed with arthritis in both hips. I felt as if the pain was muscular, but the doctor did not want to hear that and wanted to implant two artificial hip joints (at 50 years old). I refused and went to physiotherapy. Turned out, the exercise routine I had started a year earlier had made the muscles around my hips tight and I was taught how to stretch. Ever since I have been doing my exercise as usual, I stretch every day and am basically pain free. So not only did I not need an operation, it would also not have helped, because the joints weren't actually the problem.

[smallskik]

this timing is insane because im actually writing a paper on something like this for my anatomy class and was really struggling to find something that properly explained the physical effects of stretching on muscles. its due in 10 hours lol

[sidilicious]

I do what I call ‘intuitive stretching’. I’ve been stretching for at least 20 years. I learned a few stretches from a dance teacher in youth and went from there. I do what my body wants. There seems to be no end to positions to stretch from. I know nothing technical about what I do, I just tune in and feel what I need. I’ve gravitated to night time stretching, and I do a lot from a lying and sitting positions. The only time I stretch during the day is if I feel a tightness or ache. I’m convinced that careful stretching will prevent all sorts of knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, and carpal tunnel problems and surgeries down the pike.

[nevaehstorm]

I’m a level 7 gymnast and stretching is definitely a must! Before every practice or competition we do dynamic stretches and warm ups and at the end of each practice we’ll do static stretches. If I ever am too tired to do static stretches at the end, I mostly always feel it the next day. I’ll feel a lot more sore than I would’ve if I stretched and my muscles will feel really tight. Stretching is just so important for athletes!

[FionaShaw-zz]

I was feeling encouraged after watching this video, so I got out of bed at 3am and started stretching. Thanks Ted! I'm living life healthily now!

[South_Heat]

If I don’t do yoga every day to second day (ish) within a two week period I’m literally in agony. I’ve been doing yoga for thirty years as I have some skeletal muscle pain, impingements and limitations so I’ve never been able to get that good at it I.e. super flexible yogi vibes but my spine health is incredible for my age as are things like overall levels of muscle strength, balance, fluidity, grace and strength in my movements as well as some explosive movement abilities. Yoga saved my body (I’m 50) and tbh I’ve been a pretty mediocre practitioner due to the chronic ill health I used to suffer from. You don’t even have to do a lot of yoga to get results just keep at it over the years and you’ll be thankful (as I am).

[-pastaman-]

Immediately going to stretch while watching.

[Empress]

Stretching and exercise has become a very important part of my life. As a pre-med student studying for the MCAT sitting all day and sitting all day at full-time job really took a toll on my range of motion and I deal with extremely tight calves I try to stretch twice a day for 10 mins minimum. It's really helped.

[mitchellperilla]

I’m a violinist, and the dynamic stretches I do before practicing makes a HUGE difference. If I practice without warming up, I will absolutely feel pain in certain areas. If I can remember, I also try to do static stretches when I’m done. So many pros that have to take breaks from injury or carpal tunnel 😬

[emmysrandomcrafts]

Yeah I've been stretching for a long time and I can do all the splits and stuff its very important to make sure your muscles are warm beforehand as my dance teacher always has to remind me or you can have lasting injuries and yeah stretching too much Ive definitely pulled a few muscle doing that.Thanks for the informative video.

[floydwilson]

Ever since my back injury. I’ve been stretching tons.
Started taking up yoga once a week.
And I practice some of those stretches I learned from yoga after every workout.
My guy friends like to make fun of me for doing yoga.
And I made one of them join the same yoga class. It’s at the gym we train in. They provide free yoga classes with your membership.
And after the class was over. “Not gonna lie. That actually felt good. My back feels more loose”

[eddiearmenta]

For sure I’ve been stretching continually now since last summer. I workout at least five days a week because I love it. Anyways I’d say my tolerance for pain has improved as well when working out. I’m going to continue to improve my stretching and eating the right foods helps as well. This was a great informative video on stretching and have saved it because I’m serious about my health and fitness. Peace everyone.