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Recovery · Explainer · 3 min ·

Does stretching after a workout stop you getting sore? See how small the effect is

Stretching after a workout feels like it should stop next-day soreness. A Cochrane review of 12 studies found it lowers soreness by only about one point on a 100-point scale, too little to matter.

Pick what you do after training, slide through the week and see how small the difference is. Learn what actually helps, and when soreness is a reason to check with a doctor.

Two almost identical soreness curves, one grey and one dashed blue, rising and falling over a week

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