Eli5 why does doing stretches prior to working out make you perform better and less likely to be injured?

Question

Eli5 why does doing stretches prior to working out make you perform better and less likely to be injured?

In: 3

Answer 1

It actually doesn’t do all that much. Some stretching is good, but what the limbs really need is *oxygen*.

That’s why you’ll see runners swinging their arms and running in place, instead of stretching — the movement helps oxygenated blood flow to the extremities.