Show Notes
Static stretching before training is one of the most debated habits in the gym. For years, many coaches were told to avoid it because it could impair performance. But as Professor Dave Behm explains in this episode of Stronger With Time, the real answer is more nuanced than simply saying stretching is good or bad. Dave is a university research professor in the School of Human Kinetics and Recreation at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and one of the most cited neuromuscular scientists in the world. His work directly inspired Tony’s own PhD on stretching back in 2003. In this conversation, Tony and Dave discuss when stretching before training may help, when it may be unnecessary, and why around 60 seconds total per muscle group tends to be a useful guideline when stretching is included in a warm-up. From there, the conversation opens into many of the practices coaches and trainers use every day: foam rolling, full-range resistance training for mobility, post-activation potentiation, unstable surface training, unilateral versus bilateral work, the bilateral deficit, and how movement speed shapes power and training intent as we age. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction and Professor Dave Behm’s influence on Tony’s PhD 02:00 Dave’s background and why he started testing common training practices 06:00 The question behind Dave’s career: does it actually work? 07:00 How Dave’s view on stretching changed over time 09:30 Static stretching, performance impairments and context 10:30 Why 60 seconds per muscle group is a useful guideline 12:00 How to use stretching inside a warm-up 13:30 Foam rolling before static stretching 14:30 General warm-ups and tissue viscoelasticity 16:00 Do you need stretching before resistance training? 17:00 Full-range resistance training as loaded mobility work 18:00 Stretching for tight areas before lifting 20:00 Foam rolling, range of motion and where it came from 21:30 Foam rolling versus static stretching over time 24:00 Why stiff and flexible clients respond differently 25:30 How often to stretch for flexibility 27:00 How long to stretch outside a training session 28:00 How far should a stretch be taken? 29:30 Static stretching versus dynamic stretching and mobility work 31:00 Post-activation potentiation and post-activation performance enhancement 34:30 How to use a heavy warm-up set in training 36:30 Isometrics and potentiation 37:30 How long the potentiation effect lasts 38:30 Unstable surface training and muscle recruitment 40:00 Why unstable training reduces load 42:00 Where unstable surface training may still be useful 43:30 Strength and hypertrophy under stable versus unstable conditions 45:00 Trained lifters and instability 46:30 Unilateral versus bilateral training 47:30 The bilateral deficit explained 49:30 Why unilateral work may matter more in trained people 51:00 How the brain organises movement and intent 55:00 Movement speed, motor unit recruitment and rate coding 56:30 Slow versus explosive lifting intent 58:00 Power, speed and ageing 58:30 Dave’s book on stretching 01:00:00 Closing thoughts
Resources Professor Dave Behm Professor Dave Behm research and publications https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22David+Behm%22+stretching Professor Dave Behm on PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=David+Behm+stretching Stretching and performance research https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Behm+static+stretching+performance Foam rolling and range of motion research https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Behm+foam+rolling+range+of+motion Unstable surface training research https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Behm+unstable+surface+training
Tony Tony’s courses https://tonyboutagy.com/explore-the-courses-page Tony on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tonyboutagy/ Subscribe to Stronger With Time for more evidence-informed conversations on training, health and performance. All content is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.
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