{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"You might think that ","nodeType":"text"},{"data":{"uri":"https://www.wellandgood.com/fitness/stretching-tips"},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"stretching","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"hyperlink"},{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":", in any way, shape, or form, is simply the right thing to do, and that doing it at all is an achievement. I hate to break it to you, but this isn’t always the case. If you try and stretch cold muscles, you’re going to sabotage how well you perform in your workout.","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Having “cold” muscles basically means that your muscles are the opposite of ","nodeType":"text"},{"data":{"uri":"https://www.wellandgood.com/fitness/warmup-exercises"},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"warmed up","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"hyperlink"},{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":", and are not at all prepared for activity. “The concept of warming up promotes blood flow and quite literally makes them warmer,” says Jeff Brannigan, director of programming at ","nodeType":"text"},{"data":{"uri":"https://www.stretchdspace.com/"},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Stretch*d","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"hyperlink"},{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":" in New York City. If your muscles are cold, on the other hand, they’re in a “tense” or “stale state,” he explains. On a deeper level, cold muscles means there’s not a lot of water in your muscle tissues and that your neurological system isn’t fully awake, says Eric Owens, musculoskeletal expert and co-founder of ","nodeType":"text"},{"data":{"uri":"https://delostherapy.com/"},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Delos Therapy","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"hyperlink"},{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":".","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Cold muscles tend to feel stiff—which might seem like an ideal time to stretch them, even though it’s not. “Any time you start to stretch [cold muscles], that causes a ","nodeType":"text"},{"data":{"uri":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5341261/"},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"stretch reflex","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"hyperlink"},{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":" that gets your muscle tissue to activate a protective mechanism to not over-stretch,” says Owens. That’s what happens in static stretching before a workout, something he says all ","nodeType":"text"},{"data":{"uri":"https://www.nsca.com/education/articles/kinetic-select/static-stretching-and-performance/"},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"research","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"hyperlink"},{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":" confirms is the worst thing you can do. “If you [stretch] with your body in a cold state before your nerves are awake and your blood is pumping, it causes everything to tighten. So you’re asking your muscles to workout in a contracted state so that they’re going to have a weak and decreased performance.” And yes, it can even lead to injury.","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"This doesn’t mean you’re free to start sweating without stretching first. The idea is to do a proper warmup… which means ","nodeType":"text"},{"data":{},"marks":[{"type":"italic"}],"value":"dynamic","nodeType":"text"},{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":" movements (aka not standing there and grabbing your ankle to stretch your quad). “Before a workout, you should do a very light warmup with simple jumps, a light jog, a brisk walk—something moving,” says Owens, noting that this will get your muscles working through their range of motion. So, an important lesson for you: Stretching is not the same thing as a warmup, and choosing the right one will make ","nodeType":"text"},{"data":{},"marks":[{"type":"italic"}],"value":"all","nodeType":"text"},{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":" the difference in your workout.","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[{"type":"italic"}],"value":"Here’s a dynamic warmup to try for yourself:","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"},{"data":{},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"Now, here’s a ","nodeType":"text"},{"data":{"uri":"https://www.wellandgood.com/fitness/dynamic-stretching"},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"12-move dynamic stretching routine","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"hyperlink"},{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":" to do for happy, ready-to-work muscles. Also try this ","nodeType":"text"},{"data":{"uri":"https://www.wellandgood.com/fitness/dynamic-hip-stretch"},"content":[{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":"dynamic hip stretch","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"hyperlink"},{"data":{},"marks":[],"value":" called the “gate opener.” ","nodeType":"text"}],"nodeType":"paragraph"}],"nodeType":"document"}