Warneke & Lohmann 2024, Revisiting the stretch-induced force deficit: systematic review with multilevel meta-analysis of acute effects

This multilevel meta-analysis of 83 controlled pre–post studies (over 2,000 participants, more than 400 effect sizes) found a small overall force deficit from acute static stretching (ES −0.21), which became large only for holds of 60 seconds or more tested in isolation (ES −0.84). Critically, neither jumping nor sprinting performance showed impairment; adults even showed a slight jump-performance improvement (ES +0.15). The practical implication is that blanket avoidance of pre-exercise static stretching is not warranted for athletic tasks. Evidence strong.