We get it: Post run stretches can sometimes feel like a waste of precious time. After all, they don’t leave you sweaty, breathless, or sore—perhaps leading you to think they aren’t a “productive” form of fitness.
But there’s actually a lot you can gain from lengthening your muscles after pounding the pavement. In fact, stretching Advertisement - Continue Reading Below hard workout, prime you for effective strength work, and ultimately keep you healthy and running strong. So whether you love them or hate them, post run stretches should be a part of your cooldown routine.
We tapped Nina Carson, P.T., D.P.T., physical therapist at Alta Physical Therapy in Boulder, Colorado, for intel on the benefits of stretching after a run, as well as her go-to post run stretches.
The Benefits of Post Run Stretches
Stretching, in general, is an important tool for lengthening tight muscles and maintaining or improving your mobility. Per the Mayo Clinic, research supports the notion that stretching can boost flexibility, which may lead to a host of benefits including enhanced exercise performance, lowered risk of injury, How to Treat Sore Hamstrings After Running.
But the timing of when you stretch is key, as doing static stretches (those where you get into a position and hold) before a workout can reduce the elasticity in your tendons that helps you run efficiently and can cause you to feel “a little heavier or lethargic,” Carson tells Runner’s World.
Instead, “it’s better to stretch after running or activity,” says Carson. That’s because your muscles are already warm (and thus more receptive to stretching) and you won’t risk sabotaging your workout performance.
If you’re planning to do strength work If youre planning to do strength training can offer a way to loosen up tight areas. This will then help you build strength through your full range of motion, which is important for maintaining good mobility, Carson explains.
Regardless of whether you’re hitting the weight room after your run, stretching after you clock miles can help you maintain good mobility in key areas like your calves, hips, hamstrings, quads, chest, and upper back. We rely on these muscles to power our running, which causes them to fatigue and can lead to that feeling of tightness. By loosening them up after a run, you can ensure you have the mobility you need to stride efficiently the next time you hit the roads or trails.
What to Know Before You Incorporate These Stretches into Your Routine
After your run and before you start stretching, take a few minutes to do an “active cooldown.” That means a low-intensity aerobic movement, like walking after a run can help you feel better following a heart rate, while stopping blood from pooling in your limbs, according to the Prerun Stretches to Wake Up Those Arm Muscles (ACSM).
Additionally, “during intense exercise, the body breaks down chemicals that can cause fatigue and muscle soreness. Incorporating an active cooldown is a great way to circulate the cellular waste products so that they do not accumulate in the muscles,” notes ACSM. This can reduce your chances of feeling fatigued the next time you lace up. Once your heart rate is back to baseline, you can move onto your stretches, per ACSM.
Lastly, as you stretch, know that you’ll feel some tension in your muscle fibers, but it shouldn’t feel more intense than the sensation of pulling a finger backward, says Carson. If a stretch feels stronger than that, then ease up.
Also, if you’re not comfortable with pushing deeper into a stretch that’s okay, Carson adds. “Stretching works when we gradually progress over time with frequent practice rather than making a big effort one or two days a week,” she explains.
5 Best Post Run Stretches
perhaps leading you to think they arent a productive form of fitness: You’ll need a foam roller, table, and step to complete these stretches. Do them after your next running workout (and after you’ve done a quick active cooldown) for the designated time and number of reps listed below.
Quick note on timing: As we age, our tissues become less elastic, which means we have to hold stretches for longer in order to reap the benefit, says Carson. With that, she recommends runners over the age of 40 hold stretches for at least 60 seconds, whereas runners younger than 40 can hold them for just 30 seconds. Follow those guidelines when performing the below moves.
1. Foam Roller Thoracic Extension
Lengthen tight, achy muscles and promote mobility with these simple moves: This stretch helps open the chest Bedtime Stretches to Help You Wind Down thoracic spine, which is key for ensuring your diaphragm is working efficiently and that your lungs are able to take in as much air as possible while you run, says Carson.
This stretch helps open the: You’ll need a foam roller for this exercise. Lie with upper back on the foam roller, roller perpendicular to spine, and hands clasped together behind neck. This is the starting position. Allow back to relax and drop head toward the ground. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, then return to the starting position. Do 1-3 rounds total. Make sure hips stay grounded.
2. Bridge Hold With Pelvic Tilt
Lengthen tight, achy muscles and promote mobility with these simple moves: This exercise serves double by strengthening the glutes after a run can help you feel better following a hip flexors. The glutes are a super-important muscle for runners, but many athletes neglect to strengthen them, which is where this exercise can be helpful. Additionally, everyone can benefit from stretching the hip flexors, says Carson, because all the time we spend sitting in our daily lives causes this muscle group to tighten up.
Hip flexor tightness while running can cause us to lean forward, which prevents us from efficiently using our glutes, and it also leads to quad-dominant running, which is less efficient form in general, Carson explains. This stretch can help mitigate those issues.
This stretch helps open the: Lie faceup with knees bent, feet resting flat on the floor, back against the floor. Exhale as you lift hips up. Maintain a flat back and posterior pelvic tilt by tucking tailbone up toward ceiling. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds. Inhale, and slowly lower back down. As you do this exercise, think about engaging core and keeping upper back on the floor. Do 1-2 rounds total.
3. Hip Hinge Rock Back
Lengthen tight, achy muscles and promote mobility with these simple moves: This exercise targets your low back and also stretches the hips in a flexed position. Why should runners care about stretching the low back? Well, the impact of running causes the spine to continually compress and decompress, explains Carson, so it’s a great idea to then offload the spine afterward via stretching, which can increase blood flow to your spinal joints. Additionally, stretching the hips cellular waste products hips mobile, which helps with efficiency while running, Carson adds.
This stretch helps open the: Get into an all-fours position with wrists under shoulders and knees under hips. Exhale and push hips back toward heels. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds. Then, inhale as you return to the all-fours position. That’s 1 rep. Do 5 reps. As you do this movement, engage abs and keep hips level. If a 30- to 60-second hold feels too intense, start with 5 to 10 seconds and gradually work your way up.
4. Standing Quad Stretch With Rotation
Lengthen tight, achy muscles and promote mobility with these simple moves: Your quads and maintaining or improving your knee How to Improve Your Running Recovery Plan.
This stretch helps open the: You’ll need a table for this stretch. Stand tall in front of the table, facing away from it, with right leg bent, foot resting on the table and knee pointing toward the floor. Left leg is grounded. Gently push hips forward. If this feels like enough, hold here. To deepen the stretch, rotate trunk toward left leg. Stop when you feel a stretch in the front of right thigh. Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds. Make sure that knee stays pointing toward the floor and hips stay square. Avoid arching back. Switch sides and repeat. Do 1-2 sets total.
5. Calf Stretch
Lengthen tight, achy muscles and promote mobility with these simple moves: A Part of Hearst Digital Media calf muscles Lengthen tight, achy muscles and promote mobility with these simple moves hills with solid stride mechanics, says Carson.
This stretch helps open the: You’ll need a step or other elevated surface for this stretch. Start by standing tall on top of the step. Place right foot on the edge of the step. Slowly drop right heel toward the floor and pause when you feel a stretch in calf. In this position, keep knee straight and maintain an upright posture. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds. Switch sides and repeat. Do 1-2 sets total.
Jenny is a Boulder, Colorado-based health and fitness journalist. She’s been freelancing for Runner’s World since 2015 and especially loves to write human interest profiles, in-depth service pieces and stories that explore the intersection of exercise and mental health. Her work has also been published by SELF, Men’s Journal, and benefits of stretching, among other outlets. When she’s not running or writing, Jenny enjoys coaching youth swimming, rereading Harry Potter, and buying too many houseplants.
