Stretching vs. Strengthening: Why the Difference Matters

Rather than thinking about stretching as simply "making a muscle longer," think about the overall purpose of the exercise.

Flexibility and mobility are closely related, but they aren't exactly the same. Flexibility generally refers to the available range of motion at a joint, while mobility also considers the ability to actively move through and control that range.

Are you trying to increase flexibility? Improve active mobility? Build strength at longer muscle lengths? Improve stability and control?

The positions may sometimes look very similar, but what we're asking of the muscles can be quite different.

If the muscles are working hard during a stabilizing isometric contraction, that's different from placing the body in a position where there is less muscular demand and the goal is to improve range of motion.

This is where I also like to make a distinction between stretching and flexibility training.

Flexibility is the overall physical quality we're trying to develop. Stretching is one way we may work toward that goal. Depending on the dog and what we're trying to accomplish, flexibility and mobility work can include active stretches, dynamic movements, mobility exercises, and other approaches. Strength training at longer muscle lengths can also be valuable, but that doesn't automatically make it flexibility training.

Once you start thinking about the adaptation you're trying to create rather than simply the position the dog is in, exercise selection becomes much easier.

There's much more we could discuss about different types of stretching and what the research tells us about them, so I'm going to save that discussion for another article.

For most dog owners working with their own dogs, I generally prefer active and dynamic movements where the dog controls its own movement and range of motion rather than having the handler manually move a limb into a stretch.

This is especially important if you don't have the hands-on training to properly perform passive stretches. Manually moving a limb farther because you think the dog "needs a better stretch" isn't something I recommend experimenting with on your own. Human research has also shown that prolonged passive static stretching immediately before exercise can temporarily decrease strength and power.

Gentle active movements on a stable surface can allow us to safely work on range of motion and active mobility while setting our dogs up for success.

Not at all.

It depends on your goal.

If you want to challenge the muscles that stabilize the body and build strength or muscular endurance while those muscles are working at longer lengths, an unstable surface may be a great choice.

If your primary goal is a stretching exercise intended to improve flexibility and range of motion, I would generally choose a stable surface and movements that place less demand on the muscles.

That's an important distinction because neither exercise is necessarily "better."

They're simply doing different things.

And that's something I encourage our canine fitness trainers and students to think about whenever they select an exercise for their dog.

In canine fitness, we sometimes get so focused on what an exercise looks like that we forget to ask what we're actually trying to accomplish.

A dog reaching forward doesn't automatically make something a flexibility exercise. A muscle can be in a lengthened position while simultaneously working quite hard.

So before choosing an exercise, ask yourself: What's my goal?

If the goal is flexibility, choose an exercise that supports flexibility. If the goal is strength or stability, choose an exercise that appropriately challenges those areas.

Length doesn't always equal flexibility. A muscle can be working hard while it's in a lengthened position.

Understanding that difference can completely change the way one looks at canine fitness exercises. Choose exercises based on what you actually want your dog's body to accomplish.