A recent academic publication (April 2018) (see the abstract here) provides a meta-analysis of the current literature (23 articles) regarding types of stretching and their effectiveness. The conclusion is that static stretching provides the greatest increase in flexibility (range of motion) compared to other types of stretching. Stretching should be done at least five times per week. (The full article suggests that there is no benefit to stretch every day of the week. Five days per week is enough; six days per week is okay, but seven days per week has no additional benefit. I'm guessing a day or two of rest per week may actually be beneficial, although it is not mentioned.) The stretching duration should be at least five minutes; however, there is no benefit for stretching more than ten minutes. So in short, for the greatest increase in flexibility, use:
- static stretching
- five days per week
- for around 8 minutes per muscle group.
By focussing on more than one muscle group, it will still require at least 30 minutes of almost daily devotion to get general, overall flexibility of the lower-body. Therefore, I recommend Netflix-stretching. 😅 I also recommend using PNF-stretching initially to quickly get into a deep stretch, and then staying in the deep stretch for the suggested eight minutes.
Finally, remember, that if you feel any severe pain, sharp or stinging pain or extreme burning sensations, stop the stretch immediately. Also, refrain from hard stretching while injured.
In the video below you can listen to a discussion about stretching in general and also hear about the article mentioned above:
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