Benefits of stretching
. “Research shows you can get increases in flexibility by stretching to the initial point of discomfort,” said David Behm, PhD, an exercise scientist at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada who’s published dozens of studies on stretching over the past quarter-century.
That brings us to the first benefit.
Stretching Benefit #1: More Strength
At first glance, flexibility training and strength training have little in common. You lengthen muscles in the former and contract them in the latter.
But in both cases, Behm said, you’re applying tension to muscles and connective tissues. Tension activates proteins called integrins, which send and receive signals across cellular membranes. Those signals are the start of a cascade that leads to protein synthesis. That’s how muscles get bigger and stronger when you lift weights.
That mechanism could explain the small gains in muscle strength and size associated with static stretching, Behm said.