Post-Workout Static Stretching: Reduce Muscle Tension, Pain, and Injury Risk | Shebah Carfagna & Nate Wilkins

Static stretching is a crucial, often skipped step in post-workout recovery, with benefits that extend beyond cooling down. In this episode of our 20-part series, Move for Life, Peter Bowes is joined by Ageless Workout coaches, Nate Wilkins and Shebah Carfagna, to explore how holding stretches can ease muscle tension, support flexibility, and mitigate injury risk.

They suggest whole-body routines, prioritizing major muscle groups like hamstrings and hips significantly aid everyday health and wellbeing. Nate highlights static stretching as a daily “reset,” while Shebah underscores mindset and time management as barriers and solutions. Together, they offer practical ways to build small, consistent habits that enhance longevity.

Always consult your healthcare provider before starting or modifying any fitness program.

-----

This podcast is supported by affiliate arrangements with a select number of companies. We have arranged discounts on certain products and receive a small commission on sales. The income helps to cover production costs and ensures that our interviews remain free for all to listen. 

Visit our SHOP for more details: 
https://healthspan-media.com/live-long-podcast/shop/

EnergyBits algae snacks
A microscopic form of life that could help us age better. Use code LLAMA for a 20 percent discount

PartiQlar supplements
Enhance your wellness journey with pure single ingredients. 15% DISCOUNT - use code: MASTERAGING15

SiPhox Health home blood testing
Measure 17 critical blood biomarkers from home. Get a 20% discount with code LLAMA

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Transcript

Peter Bowes: 0:27

What is static stretching and why should we do it after our workout? Hello again! Welcome to the Live Long podcast and our Move for Life series short episodes with Nate Wilkins and Shebah Cafagna where we focus on the basics. In this episode, it's more than just cooling down. It's about recovery, flexibility, and keeping your body moving for longevity.

Nate Wilkins: 0:51

This is where you hold the stretch 10 / 15 seconds to actually engage the muscles again, to put them back in place, to send that messaging that everything is okay. I'd like to think about it as sort of the reset of the body in terms of longevity. This is the piece for longevity that that we need to incorporate. It reduces the tension in the muscles. It like aids recovery. It's the overall piece to the puzzle. And sometimes people avoid that or they they don't do it. But I think it's vital to incorporate this piece of static stretching or recovery stretching in the program.

Shebah Carfagna: 1:36

That's true. And it reduces chronic pain and the opportunity for injury because your muscles have been push, push, push, push pushed. And now it needs that release to get that going and get the body reset.

Peter Bowes: 1:47

So just explain to me in a practical sense what is a static stretch. How does it look?

Nate Wilkins: 1:53

So I would demonstrate sort of with my arm. So if you wanted to stretch your across your, your chest as an example, you want to pull the shoulder down. Of course you don't want the shoulder up by the head. Pull the shoulder down, bring it across your body in a hole somewhere about 5 to 10s. Or maybe if you want to stretch your tricep. If people have seen these exercises, I mean these stretches before, but you want to hold and that would go with other parts of the body, you can lie down and do them. So it's just various ways to go about doing that. But what we want to emphasize, again, is different than the dynamic. This one is a hold working on breathing, releasing the muscles. You know, the mind body connection.

Shebah Carfagna: 2:40

A hamstring stretch will release the muscles and kind of prepare to stretch out the quads and as well as the hamstrings. You can get both in that, but you want to lengthen. The thing is, you want to build lean muscle mass, and stretching promotes that by lengthening and holding those stretches. And it has actually been linked to longevity.

Peter Bowes: 3:00

And just as when we talked about dynamic stretching before an exercise and relating it to the whole body, after you've finished your movement session, your exercise session again, is it important to stretch the entire body, even though maybe parts of you might not be that exercised in terms of what you've just been doing, but again, as part of that cooldown relaxation process, it's a whole body phenomenon.

Nate Wilkins: 3:25

Definitely a whole body phenomenon. But there are some pieces that we want to make sure that we hit. As an example, hamstrings right hips.

Shebah Carfagna: 3:37

Upper body

Nate Wilkins: 3:39

So maybe the bigger parts in terms of static stretching I think. But but if you have time, it's good to be able to stretch everything.

Shebah Carfagna: 3:49

I think you have to make time. It comes I think you have to make time. I think that's the point here. It comes to mind. The body reduces the cortisol levels, you know, gets the adrenaline. It's a reset for the body after the intense workout.

Peter Bowes: 4:03

That's an important point, though, isn't it? And let's just talk about that a little bit more about making time, because I think a lot of people, everyone's rushing to get through their day, get to the next appointment. But this making of time, whether it's just another 5 or 7 or ten minutes after the main bulk of your exercise, is crucially important. And to to make that time, it's going into it with the mindset that you are going to do it. It's not negotiable.

Shebah Carfagna: 4:29

Well, let's be clear. It's all about mindset, all right? And you have to schedule it on your calendar in your mind. So yesterday I met with my physical therapist. He's a young fellow, 27 years old. He tells me he starts at seven. He gets finished at three. He takes one a couple extra clients because he's new at this. He has to pay off his school loans and he has no time to work out. And I said to him, how could you do this for a living and you have no time to work out? My suggestion to him was to get up a half an hour earlier in the day and restart the day just a little bit earlier, get a lift in because he's young for 30 minutes, lift the weights and he'll feel so much better. Making that time is critically important because as you go through your day, the wear and tear, he sees 20 clients. On some days that's a lot of interaction, so you have to have something in reserve. You have to have your body going. But really what it's about is finding that way to get that time in there, because self-care is not selfish.

Nate Wilkins: 5:29

You know, you're triggering some thoughts in my mind when you talk about making time and what you're talking about with your therapist. So in some instances, if you don't have time necessarily, if you haven't made time to lift weights, perhaps static stretching may in some ways replace your weight lifting program by doing some of some of those static stretches. Perhaps you're if you're working on hip flexors or again your hamstrings, it just sort of holding those may help replace the work that you haven't done or maybe even a squat. Say for example, a Chinese squat. If you sit down in your Chinese.

Shebah Carfagna: 6:15

A Chinese squat?

Nate Wilkins: 6:15

You're sort of sitting there, sit as low as you can and hold on to that spot for 10 or 15 seconds. That'll challenge your legs. That will challenge your quadriceps.

Shebah Carfagna: 6:25

And maybe that's a good place for someone to start that doesn't have experience is that they approach it by stretching first and then move into a workout. Because remember, nothing replaces resistance training.

Nate Wilkins: 6:37

I'm not saying that you should you should not do resistance training. I'm saying that if when we talk about making time and if you don't have time, that might be a good way to get something in, right?

Shebah Carfagna: 6:48

But remember, sweetheart, we all have time. There's 24 hours in a day. It's time management. It's really about time management. And how do you take care of yourself? And as you always say, you can't pour from an empty cup.

Nate Wilkins: 7:00

My God.

Shebah Carfagna: 7:01

So you have to make that time for yourself. And again, if it's 15 minutes, it's ten minutes. Really. I've been saying this for years to all of my clients. A few minutes earlier, a little less time at happy hour, you know, you know, walk the dog, stretch while you walk the dog. That's something you can relate to. Work it into the activity. There is no reason not to. Looking for a solution?

Peter Bowes: 7:26

Well, that was going to be my next point that these little nuggets of 5 to 7 minutes can be found. At any point during the day, you could be in the office, you could be working, you could be, as you suggest, on your late afternoon dog walk. There's always a few minutes you can grab to do this kind of stretching.

Shebah Carfagna: 7:44

It's really about mindset and thinking about where you will be ten years from now, 15 years from now. As you get older, you begin to think about it because you have less time, more time behind you than you do in front of you. And that's something we think about every day. And once you get to that point, maybe 50 and above, you know, younger folks don't think about that, but you have more time behind you than you do in front of you, and you want to make good use of that time to enhance your healthspan.

Nate Wilkins: 8:13

So, so let me let me try this way. Let me go back. So what I'm suggesting is that after a workout, it's good. But perhaps before you go to bed, maybe you can do static stretching or in midday, like you said, get up from your your desk and do midday stretching. So I'm suggesting that those are some options and perhaps daily options that we can incorporate in in our overall stretch program, but particularly around static stretching.

Shebah Carfagna: 8:49

And you'd be surprised as how many individuals know this. A lot of our clients know this, but no one does this. So when we bring this up to them, they're like, oh, I can do that. You know, I take a stroll around the block, you know, midday with my 15 minute break, I just sit there. But I think it's the encouragement and teaching individuals better habits for better quality of life, for enhanced longevity. And that is our strongest model that we can share with everyone, you know, taking that time. Time management.

Nate Wilkins: 9:19

Here's the deal. You can start small. Like you said, little bitty changes can actually have big impact. Start with that. Be consistent with that. You know, find ways, like you said, find and make time to do that. And then just continue to build build those habits and and that'll turn into resilience. And you'll be able to move into other parts of your program if that's what you choose to do.

Peter Bowes: 9:45

So static stretching after exercise helps cool down muscles, relieve tension and improve flexibility. It's key for recovery and long term mobility, keeping our bodies moving as we grow older. The Live Long Podcast is a Healthspan media production. I'm Peter Bowes, you can contact me through our website. LiveLongPodcast.com where you'll also find show notes for this episode.

DISCLAIMER: 10:10

This podcast is for informational, educational and entertainment purposes only. We do not offer medical advice. If you have health concerns of any kind or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should first consult your doctor.