Should you stretch before biking?
This question is about Cycling
Yes, you should stretch before biking to prevent injury, promote flexibility, reduce soreness, and enhance range of motion. Approximately 30% of sports injuries involve damage to the skeletal muscle and you can reduce risk of injury by stretching 15 minutes before biking [ 1 2
Cyclists should focus on dynamic stretching and warm-ups, including movement-based stretching like lunges or squats [ 3 4 5
Static stretching before cycling is not recommended. A study published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that static stretching before cycling may reduce acute cycling economy and inhibit power, strength and performance [ 3 4
People also ask:
1. Woods, K., Bishop, P., & Jones, E. (2007). Warm-up and stretching in the prevention of muscular injury. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 37(12), 1089–1099. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200737120-00006
2. Shellock, F. G., & Prentice, W. E. (1985). Warming-up and stretching for improved physical performance and prevention of sports-related injuries. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 2(4), 267–278. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-198502040-00004
3. Wolfe, A. E., Brown, L. E., Coburn, J. W., Kersey, R. D., & Bottaro, M. (2011). Time course of the effects of static stretching on cycling economy. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 25(11), 2980–2984. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e318234e55f
4. Opplert, J., & Babault, N. (2018). Acute Effects of Dynamic Stretching on Muscle Flexibility and Performance: An Analysis of the Current Literature. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 48(2), 299–325. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0797-9