Why Stretching Is (Still) Important for Weight Loss and Exercise

Competitive athletes may not need to stretch, but the rest of us should

Many athletes stretch before and after exercise, but they may not be gaining benefits from doing so. ESB Basic/shutterstock

There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding the value of muscle stretching to accelerate recovery after exercise. “Stretching clears out your lactic acid,” and other similar claims abound. Is any of this true?

Sort of.