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/
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All content is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.
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