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

I have personally found that it is better to not stretch at the beginning. Muscles are strange creatures, they are good at what they do for brief periods. But they like to build up gradually, not go from 0 to 60 instantly. As they get into the exercise, they become looser and less prone to tears in the fibres.
So yeah, do not stretch. Instead, start of lightly and gradually increase the intensity over a period of 10 minutes. That way, your body gets a chance to prepare for the exercise.