Stretching is not a pillar of fitness

Never was, still isn’t. I have been making that case for twenty years. This week, another science writer joins the fray. Jonathan Jarry, writing for the McGill Office for Science and Society:

“I traipse into this minefield, fully aware that this is hallowed ground. People, after all, do not like their stretches to be criticized.”

I am proud to be quoted here. Jonathan definitely did not just “take my word for it” — he really vetted the key concepts and claims, greatly increasing the value of his endorsement of my writing on the topic.

Fortunately, he had other excellent sources to lean on. This isn’t like the early 2000s! Back in those days, mostly all I could do was point to the absence of evidence for major claims … and to the stink of wishful thinking and faith-based fitness. But these days? There’s much more data and skepticism from highly credible and credentialled experts.