Do you stretch before you go running? You may be on the wrong track. Stretching cold muscles can actually lead to injury. The best bet, when you’re headed out for a run, a bike ride, or any other cardio workout, is to start by warming up your muscles.

If you’re going for a run, walk briskly for a few blocks. If you’re going for a bike ride, take it easy for the first couple of miles, then spin up to a higher intensity. You’ll notice, when you take classes at the gym, or even when you’re just following one of the pre-set programs on the treadmill, that there’s a warm up built into the workout time.

This makes all the sense in the world. Your body will fight a change in activity level. That’s why you initially feel a bit sluggish. It’s why starting with sprints hurts and can injure you. Your body is designed to fight activities that could hurt you. If you warm up, you’re a lot less likely to pull or tear a muscle.

But you’ve been told that stretching is really important to keep yourself from getting hurt, too, right? Well, that’s right, too. You just may have been told to stretch at the wrong time. The best time to stretch is at the end of a cardio workout. Your muscles will already be warm, so you don’t have to worry about stretching cold muscles. This will also give your body time to cool down slowly.

Stopping abruptly without giving your body time to cool down can be just as damaging as starting off with a sprint. You need to let your body come back down from its heightened activity level slowly. This is the perfect time to walk for a few blocks, then stretch those tired muscles.

Tags: avoid injury, cardio