Who this routine is for

It is for anyone who lifts and wants to end a session with ten quiet minutes and, over the months, move a little more freely: the hips and the backs of the thighs that squats and deadlifts work, the chest that presses, the back that pulls. It suits anyone who sits all day, too. It is not a treatment. Pain, an injury or a joint that will not move are for a clinician, not for a stretch.

The routine is “Post-Lift Cooldown” in Trenno’s Explore: five stretches straight after your last set, while you are still in the gym and still warm.

What stretching after a workout does, and what it does not

Soreness. Stretching does not prevent it or clear it. A Cochrane review of 12 studies found that stretching after exercise reduced soreness the next day by about one point on a 100-point scale, and concluded that stretching before, after or both produces no clinically important reduction in soreness (Herbert and colleagues, 2011). A later meta-analysis of 10 trials found no effect of stretching after exercise on soreness or on the recovery of strength, compared with simply resting (Afonso and colleagues, 2021).

Range of motion. Here stretching works. A meta-analysis of 77 studies found that stretch training increased range of motion with a moderate effect, and that static holds and contract-relax stretching did better than bouncing or moving stretches (Konrad and colleagues, 2024). The American College of Sports Medicine recommends flexibility exercises for each major muscle group on at least 2 days a week, about 60 seconds per exercise in total (Garber and colleagues, 2011). This routine gives each stretch 60 seconds, counting both sides of the one-sided ones, and the child’s pose 45.

Lifting counts too. A meta-analysis of 55 studies found that resistance training improved range of motion about as much as stretch training did (Alizadeh and colleagues, 2023). Squatting deep and pressing through a full range is already flexibility work; the cooldown adds to it.

So stretch for range and for a calm end to the session. For tomorrow’s soreness, nothing here will change much, and soreness is a rough guide to recovery anyway, as our recovery guide explains.

The routine: Post-Lift Cooldown

Stretch Holds Where you feel it
Hip Flexor Lunge Stretch 1 × 30 sec a side The front of the hip and the thigh
Standing Hamstring Fold 2 × 30 sec The back of the thighs
Figure-Four Stretch 1 × 30 sec a side The glutes
Doorway Pec Stretch 1 × 30 sec a side The chest and the front of the shoulder
Child’s Pose 1 × 45 sec The lats and the back

Rest 15 seconds after each hold, the time it takes to change sides or position. Every one-sided hold is done on both sides.

In the gym it needs a free corner of the mats and a door frame or a rack upright. The hamstring fold and the pec stretch are done standing, the lunge stretch and the child’s pose kneeling, the figure-four lying on your back. A folded towel under the knee makes the kneeling ones easier on a hard floor.

How to hold a stretch

  • Ease in until you feel a pull in the muscle, not pain in a joint. If it hurts, back off until it does not.
  • Hold still and breathe slowly. Do not bounce: static holds did better for long-term range than bouncing in the meta-analysis above.
  • Count the full 30 seconds. It is longer than it feels.
  • Longer holds add little. A review of 23 studies found that the time spent stretching in one session made no clear difference, while at least 5 minutes a week per muscle group did (Thomas and colleagues, 2018); the larger analysis above found no clear effect of time or frequency at all. After every lifting session is a simple rule that adds up.

How the week works

Stretch after each lifting session, two to four times a week, and the ACSM’s two days are covered. Explore has four more stretching routines for other moments:

When Routine Holds and pauses
After each lifting session Post-Lift Cooldown 6:15
First thing in the morning Wake-Up Stretch 5:55
Before a squat day Squat-Deeper: Hips and Ankles 6:25
After a day at a desk Desk Undo: Back, Neck and Hips 10:10
Before bed Sleep Wind-Down 9:00

The minutes are the holds and the 15-second pauses, counted from the rows. Getting down to the floor, switching sides and standing up again add a few more; the app allows about 10 minutes for the first three routines and about 15 for the last two.

“Wake-Up Stretch” moves the spine and the hips once before the day: the Cat-Cow, the lunge stretch, the hamstring fold, the Deep Squat Hold and a Side Bend. “Squat-Deeper” works on what limits squat depth: the Kneeling Ankle Rock, the hip flexors and the glutes, then two holds of the deep squat itself.

Substitutions

If Instead of Do
There is no doorway nearby Doorway Pec Stretch Standing One-Arm Chest Stretch, a hand on a wall or a rack upright
Kneeling is uncomfortable Hip Flexor Lunge Stretch Standing Hip Flexor Stretch
You would rather not lie on the gym floor Figure-Four Stretch Standing Figure-Four Pose

Keep the holds and the pauses of the stretch you replace.

How long it takes

Counted from the rows: 4 minutes 45 seconds of holds and 1 minute 30 of pauses, 6 minutes 15 in all. Moving from standing to kneeling, to the floor, to the doorway and back to the floor brings it to about 10.

Common mistakes

  • Stretching to prevent tomorrow’s soreness. The reviews above found it does next to nothing for that.
  • Bouncing into the stretch. Hold still instead.
  • Forcing range. A pull in the muscle is the target; pain in a joint is the signal to stop.
  • Rushing the holds. Thirty seconds counted, not ten guessed.

FAQ

Should you stretch after a workout?

If you want more range of motion, yes, and after a workout you are warm and already in the gym. For muscle growth or strength it is optional: lifting through a full range improves range of motion on its own.

Does stretching help with sore muscles?

Not in any way you would notice: about one point on a 100-point scale the next day, in the Cochrane review.

How long should you hold a stretch?

About 30 seconds, and about 60 seconds per stretch in total, which is what the ACSM recommends. The routine gives each stretch 60 seconds, counting both sides.

Should I stretch before lifting instead?

Warm up with lighter sets of your first exercise instead, as our warm-up guide describes. Keep the long holds for after, or run “Squat-Deeper” before a squat day if depth is what limits you.

Can I stretch every day?

Yes. The morning and evening routines are built for days without training.

Sources

All five stretching routines are in Trenno’s Explore and save to your history like any other workout. The clock on the workout screen times the holds, and the rest timer counts the 15-second pauses.