Sports Medicine Doctors Urge You to Prioritize Static Stretching After Workouts

You just nailed a workout. What’s next? Sharing your stats on Facebook or with your virtual fit fam? Sports medicine doctors aren’t against seeking social validation for your wins, but they’d like you to prioritize your physical needs first. It’s easy to skip recovery after a workout, but it can affect your performance the next day.

“Exercise places stress on the muscles, joints and cardiovascular system,” Dr. Ekaterina Urch, MD, a board-certified sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Los Angeles, tells Parade. “Recovery and knowing what to do after a workout allow the body to adapt to the stress, make functional and physical improvements and prepare for the next training session.”

In other words, recovery isn’t a waste of time—it’s a gift to your future self.

“A good post-workout routine can help your body recover fully from your training session,” Dr. Urch says. “An effective post-workout routine addresses areas of muscle tightness and restricted mobility, flushes the muscles of built-up lactic acid/exercise-induced byproducts, and replenishes the body with essential nutrients.”

She also notes that recovery helps right away, maximizing the workout’s benefits. Unfortunately, she and another sports medicine doctor agree that people are skipping a crucial part of post-workout recovery. Below, sports medicine doctors reveal the one thing they’re begging people to stop skipping after a workout, and three ways to add it to your cool-downs.

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Don’t Skip This After a Workout, Sports Medicine Doctors Say

Sports medicine doctors are begging people not to skip static stretching after a workout.

“Static stretching should be done as a cool-down after a workout to help prevent injury,” explains Dr. Urch. “After a workout, your muscles are warmed up, with increased blood flow and activity.”

Dr. Arth Patel, MD, a primary care sports medicine doctor at RWJBarnabas Health, agrees, adding that stretching can also improve flexibility and range of motion, especially in tight muscles.

“Stretching isn’t the only solution to prevent soreness or injury,” Dr. Patel says. “Its biggest benefit is generally flexibility and mobility. It can also provide a good transition out of a workout.”

It might help to understand what static stretching is before we continue.

“Static stretching is a form of stretching where you move a muscle as far as it can go without feeling pain, then hold that position without bouncing or repetitive movement for 20-45 seconds,” Dr. Urch says. “For optimal benefit, these stretches should be performed 2-3 times per session.”

That’s different from dynamic stretching, where you move through a full range of motion instead of staying still.

Dr. Patel understands why people skip static stretching.

“People often finish the hard part of a workout and feel like they’re done, especially since we all have busy lives with a short window to exercise in the first place,” he says. “Stretching might feel pointless and like a waste of time, but even just a few minutes devoted to mobility could make your workouts—and long-term mobility—much better.”

Dr. Urch adds that people may not enjoy stretching. “Some people, especially those new to exercise and stretching, may find stretching painful, awkward and uncomfortable,” she says. “Improvements in flexibility are gradual and take a lot of consistent effort. People may be discouraged because they don’t see results as quickly as they’d like, abandoning the practice completely.”

The delayed gratification is worth it.

Related: These 5 Exercises Undo 10 Years of Sitting, Physical Therapists Say

General Tips for When and How to Static Stretch

Static stretching matters, especially when you include it in your recovery routine. Sports medicine doctors shared whether you should walk or foam roll before static stretching, and more.

• Walk this way. Dr. Patel says it’s best to walk or do another low-intensity activity for a few minutes before moving on to final stretches after a high-intensity workout. “This allows your heart rate and breathing to come down while continuing to move your body,” Dr. Patel explains. “After a lighter workout, you likely don’t need a separate cool-down and can move directly into stretching.”

• Roll with it (first). If you’re incorporating foam rolling into your post-workout routine, Dr. Urch recommends doing it before static stretching. “Foam rolling can help temporarily improve range of motion, facilitating static stretching. It can also help reduce soreness and muscle stiffness.”

• Don’t overdo it. Yes, you can overstretch, and you should avoid it. “Stretching too aggressively, holding a painful position or repeatedly forcing a joint beyond its comfortable range can do more harm than good,” Dr. Patel states. “You should feel gentle to moderate tension; you don’t need to push a stretch to its absolute limit to reap the benefits.”

• What about before a workout? Dr. Urch says static stretching before a workout isn’t necessarily harmful. “But it can negatively affect your performance by limiting your muscles’ ability to generate force and speed,” she says. She recommends dynamic stretching, like bodyweight squats and lunges, for a warm-up.

Related: This One Pre-Exercise Mistake Is Sabotaging Your Workout, Trainers Warn

3 Static Stretches to Try After Your Next Workout

You’re sold on static stretching. What are some of the best static stretches to do after a workout? Dr. Urch shares a few of her favorites and how to do them.

1. Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch

Dr. Urch recommends this stretch for people who spend a lot of time sitting, as well as athletes who repeatedly flex their hips in sports such as cycling and running.

How to do it:

1. Begin in a half-kneeling position, with one knee on the ground and the opposite foot flat on the floor, positioning your front knee over your ankle and maintain an upright torso.

2. Gently engage your abdominal muscles and glutes and tuck your tailbone slightly underneath you.

3. Slowly shift your pelvis forward until you feel a stretch along the front of the hip on the kneeling side.

4. You can adjust stretch intensity by limiting or increasing how far forward your pelvis moves.

Mistakes to avoid: Arching the lower back instead of extending through the down/back hip, leaning too far forward and forcing the stretch until there is discomfort in the lower back or knee.

2. Supine hamstring stretch

Since your hamstrings are crucial to hip extension and knee flexion, Dr. Urch says that they’re essential for most lower-body activities. “Unfortunately, hamstrings are often tight and weak, which can lead to biomechanical dysfunction and increased risk of injury,” she explains. “The supine version of this stretch makes it easier to maintain proper spinal and pelvic positioning.”

How to do it:

1. Lie on your back with both legs out straight. Place a stretching strap or a towel around the bottom of one foot.

2. Slowly raise the foot toward the ceiling while holding the strap ends in both hands.

3. Gradually straighten the raised knee until you feel a stretch along the back of your thigh. Keep your pelvis and lower back in a comfortable, neutral position.

Mistakes to avoid: Pulling too aggressively on the strap; arching your lower back/allowing the pelvis to rotate; lifting your head and shoulders off the ground; and ignoring pain or numbness/tingling in the stretched leg.

3. Standing calf stretch against the wall

Dr. Urch says calf muscles are also vital for most lower-body movements and for maintaining ankle stability. You need them to generate force while pushing off and control the body as your foot hits the ground. This stretch gives your calves some TLC.

How to do it:

1. Stand facing a wall and place both hands against it at shoulder height.

2. Step one foot backward, keeping both feet pointed forward.

3. Keep your back knee straight and your heel in contact with the floor.

4. Slowly bend your front knee and lean toward the wall until you feel a stretch in the calf of your back leg. “Keeping your back knee straight places emphasis on the gastrocnemius,” Dr. Urch says.

Mistakes to avoid: Lifting the back heel off the floor, turning the back foot outward and bouncing into the stretch.

Up Next:

Related: Chiropractors Say This Common Pain Is One You Should Never Try To ‘Push Through’

Sources:

• Dr. Ekaterina Urch, MD, a board-certified sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Los Angeles

• Acute Effects of Static Stretching on Muscle Strength and Power: An Attempt to Clarify Previous Caveats. Frontiers in Physiology.

This story was originally published by Parade on Oct 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the Health & Wellness section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.