Theodore F.
It depends on the intensity of what you are doing, but generally yes. I personally lift pretty heavy each morning but don't do much in the way of dynamic movements. So for me, stretching for 3-5 minutes and doing some light warm up sets of my regular lifts is enough. If I was doing CrossFit or an intense circuit, I would spend 5 minutes stretching and 5 minutes getting my blood pumping.
Jeppe Y.
It depends on what the purpose of your activity is/ what exercise and to what intensity you are doing it after. If you are full on exercising you need both really and stretching means you don't jar your muscles. Dancing around the room might not necessitate stretching to prevent injury, but it's a great idea to do anyway to keep on top of tight muscles. Do a bit of both? A warm up usually involves stretches anyway.
Eberhard U.
Both are important, and it’s very important to do both. Warm up and then stretch when your muscles are warm and are more flexible
L Onard Y.
Yes, you should always warm up before working out to wake you muscles up and increase blood flow. You will also experience less cramps. 😊
Eleut Rio P.
Warming up is important for the healt of the muscles. Cold muscles are like a plastic band left in a deepfreezer. Any kind of flex will break them. Small movements to warm them up prepares muscles for much more demanding stretching actions.
Sarah J.
Confused about the wording of the question. In the morning our bodies are tight and stiff from sleep and lack of movement, so it isn’t important to wake up and warm up and stretch a little, more so than with afternoon exercise.
William F.
I think that warming up is more important than stretching at the end of a workout because it gets you started on the right note. I don’t always stretch after my workouts (I know I probably should), but it doesn’t affect me as much as not warming up.
Johanne W.
I would say yes to both. A strech is a warm up in and of itself, and they are both important to start off better excersize segments.
Magno O.
A warm up is more important at the start, but stretching is important at the end. That is unless you always stretch before, your body will need you to continue that.
Marica A.
I think so! Warming up helps my body get moving. Sometimes stretching when I haven’t warmed up makes my body feel even tighter.
Laurita Y.
In my opinion, warming up is better than stretching prior to a workout. Stretching should be a part of the cool down routine.
Manuel J.
This is a difficult question because we all have different body types and histories. I can only give you an answer through my experiences. I am 27, female, with lower back/knee/hip issues. For morning exercises I do light 10-15 min yoga with deep breathing. I focus on full body stretching that encompasses full body functionality and mobility. Then, I walk for 5 min. This part allows me to feel where my body needs more attention after yoga. So, I say both. Takin 20 min of yoga (functional stretching) and a few min of warming up such as walking can help the body wake up and decrease risk of injury.
