Stretching: Good or bad for recovery?

[stevey_frac]

So, I know you aren't supposed to stretch immediately before a lift, But what about the days between lifts? I often get bad DOMS in the muscles on the inside of my thighs. Is it safe to stretch them out for 20 seconds? Is it productive to do so?

--Steve

[simonsky]

not stretching before a lift i not a law. i just saw a vid on youtube of 1000lb squatters stretching prior to their squat attempt. if done properly, stretching will not bring your lifts down. so doing them might only give either favorable results or none at all so go for it if you want.

[thersites]

Dynamic stretching is fine before lifting. Static stretching may or may not harm performance if done right before lifting (it probably depends on how much you do between the stretch & the work sets). It can be very productive to stretch after your workout, as your muscles are warm and receptive to stretching. The off days are fine as well. Stretching is unlikely to help much with DOMS. The best thing for DOMS is to perform the movements that gave you the DOMS in the first place. Squats give you DOMS? Do some full RoM squats with a light weight. We aren't sure what causes DOMS, or why this works, but it does. If you are on an every other day routine, and you get DOMS after one lifting session, you will likely see it improve when you lift next. On the off day, some stretching and some light sets with the same motion should help a lot. The good news is that the DOMS will stop being a problem shortly (until you switch programs into something that really taxes you in a new way at least).

[stevey_frac]

So, consensus is safe, but not effective at relieving DOMS. Good to know! Thanks all!