When to Stretch

Everyone knows about the benefits of stretching. But not everyone knows when to do it and what kinds of stretching they should be doing. Static or ballistic? Dynamic or PNF? Before or after workouts? In the morning or at night? 

PNF Stretching.

The truth is that there isn't one concrete solution. The answer is an individual one. But there are some ideas that are, for the most part, universal for everyone:

• Static stretching can decrease neural drive to your muscles and should be reserved for post-workout periods, and other non, pre-workout periods.
• Dynamic stretching will increase blood flow and do a good job of "waking up" your nervous system. These should be used pre-workout as part of your warm-up.
• PNF stretching can have an impressive effect on flexibility. I like to use it in the post-workout period, but a lot of people use it before workouts too, and swear by it, so take that for what it's worth. 
• I tend to stay away from any type of ballistic stretching. A lot of people will tell you it's super dangerous, but if a muscle is properly warmed up, you're probably not at that great of risk for injury. Regardless, I haven't ever seen much benefit from ballistic work so it's been, for all intents and purposes, tossed.

So, where does the "individual" fit in here? Well, everybody has their own issues, their own strengths and weaknesses. Some people need to do some static stretches for certain muscle groups so they can do a certain lift. Others find PNF stretching wildly uncomfortable.

Almost everyone I've seen squat has overly tight psoas, and by static stretching them, they were able to hit a lower depth during squatting without sacrificing a neutral lumbar spine. So, in those cases, static stretching was necessary before lifting. 

Stick to the principles outlined above, individualize them to you and your needs and stretch away.