A word about stretching

If you do stretching exercises as part of your workout routine, it's best to do them after the warm-up or cool-down phase. Then the muscles are warm when you stretch.

Stretching can improve flexibility and range of motion about a joint. Doing stretches also may help improve your performance in some activities by allowing the joints to move through their full range of motion. But studies haven't regularly shown that stretching helps prevent muscle soreness or injury.