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When I was a kid in the middle / high school gym, the gym teacher taught us you stretch before working out. Used the elastic band example. Called anyone retarded who thought otherwise.

The school had the region’s top wrestling team and the weight room was top of the line and they took it seriously.

I’ve start and stopped working out many dozens of times. When you start up, you’re most vulnerable to pulling a muscle.

I’ve started up again by not stretching first. And started by stretching first. Every time I don’t stretch first on that first session after a break I’m basically guaranteed to pull one muscle and 50% likely to pull a second or third. If I do stretch first, only 10 or 20% likely to pull one at all and it’s much more milder.

When I was a kid in the middle / high school gym, the gym teacher taught us you stretch before working out. Used the elastic band example. Called anyone retarded who thought otherwise. The school had the region’s top wrestling team and the weight room was top of the line and they took it seriously. I’ve start and stopped working out many dozens of times. When you start up, you’re most vulnerable to pulling a muscle. I’ve started up again by not stretching first. And started by stretching first. Every time I don’t stretch first on that first session after a break I’m basically guaranteed to pull one muscle and 50% likely to pull a second or third. If I do stretch first, only 10 or 20% likely to pull one at all and it’s much more milder.

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[–] • 6 pts (edited )

warm-up + stretch lightly before, stretch after, drink lots of water

often what we think of as inflexibility from muscle tightness is actually one muscle doing extra work for weaker muscles. you can't loosen up the front of your rotator cuff (shoulder) if the back of your rotator cuff is weak -- that's your body ensuring your arm doesn't pop out of the socket. the way to loosen your deltoid is to grow the muscles in the back to do their proper share of not letting the upper arm's ball pop out of the shoulder socket