Stretching Can Be Part of a Warm-Up, but Injury Prevention Is a Different Question
Stretching can increase range of motion, but evidence does not establish that a stretch before one workout protects against injury in that session.
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Warm-Up
A warm-up prepares for training or competition using active or passive strategies, without guaranteeing immediate protection from injury.
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A warm-up is a structured and purposeful preparatory intervention performed before training or competition to optimize physiological responses and readiness for the activity that follows. A 2026 international expert consensus defines warm-up broadly enough to include both active and passive strategies .1
The consensus describes warm-up as multifactorial and context-dependent. Active protocols can combine general exercise, activity-specific exercise, and higher-intensity conditioning activities, with the exact structure depending on the sport, athlete, environment, and purpose .1
A warm-up is therefore not synonymous with stretching or with one fixed routine. The consensus also distinguishes readiness from injury prevention: some exercises incorporated into warm-up programs may contribute to lower long-term injury risk, but there is no support for assuming that a warm-up provides immediate acute protection from injury .1
References
- Boullosa D, Gil-Calvo M, Xenofondos A, Patikas DA, Blazevich AJ, Afonso J, Loturco I, Behm D, Xu K, Babault N, Bishop D, Cuenca-Fernández F, Fernandez-Fernandez J, Franchini E, Doma K, Jones AM, McGowan C, Nakamura F, Prieske O, Racinais S, Schumann M, Zagatto A, Sandbakk Ø, Foster C, Pyne DB International Expert Consensus on Warm-Up Protocols for Athletes: A Delphi Study. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. 2026. About this source DOI
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