Stretching is a powerful part of any exercise program.  Stretching increases flexibility and improves range of motion of your joints.  Stretching even improves circulation and helps relieve stress.  Before stretching, warm up with 5 to 10 minutes of light activity.  Better yet, stretch after you exercise — when your muscles are warm and more receptive to stretching.  When you stretch, keep it gentle.  Breathe freely as you hold each stretch.  Don't bounce.  Expect to feel tension while you're stretching.  If you feel pain, you've gone too far.

It’s best to stretch when the body is warm, so after your workout is the ideal time to get the most out of your flexibility session.  When your body is warm the muscle fibres are elongated and fluid exudes from in between the fibres where it can then be transported away by the lymph and circulatory system, enhancing the removal of the waste products produced by exercise.

Instead of thinking of stretching as an add-on to your workout, try to think of it as preparation for your next workout session – increasing your range of movement, as well as ensuring that each muscle is elongated, allowing you to train harder and better.

There are many important reasons why you should stretch out after each workout including: counteracting the effects of repeated movement that can lead to injury, increasing the range of movement in the joints, and even reducing the formation of scar tissue if you are recovering from an injury.

* Information presented from the Mayo clinic and Health Mad