After more than 11 years working with elite athletes across multiple sports including Motorsport and Rugby, I’ve learned a critical lesson most runners don’t know:

Static stretching before a run can increase your risk of injury.

Despite being a deeply ingrained part of many runners’ routines, holding long stretches before you hit the pavement can do more harm than good.

Here’s why: when you take cold, tight muscles and force them into extended positions, you’re not preparing them for movement, you’re actually putting them under strain.

Then you head into your run and ask those same muscles to perform. It’s no surprise that this leads to strains, pulls, and persistent niggles, especially if you’re training for speed, logging higher mileage, or coming back from a previous injury.

SO WHY DO SO MANY RUNNERS STILL DO IT?

Most runners I speak to already know static stretching doesn’t feel helpful. Some admit they don’t even like doing it. But they keep doing it anyway. Why? Because it’s what they’ve always seen others do. It’s the norm at local races, in gym warm-ups, and across social media. But just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s correct.

WHAT ELITE ATHLETES DO INSTEAD:

The best athletes in the world don’t waste time stretching cold muscles. Instead, they focus on activation and mobility, gentle, controlled movements that prepare the body for action.

These include:

Dynamic mobility drills to lubricate joints
Light movement patterns to activate key muscle groups
Controlled breathing to regulate the nervous system
Neuromuscular cues to fire up coordination and control

In short, they warm up the right way, so their bodies are primed to perform and protected against injury.

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