Both elite athletes and everyday gym-goers are constantly searching for training methods that deliver an edge when it comes to enhancing strength, creating greater mobility while also working to become more resilient to injury. Mobility drills and stretching have become essential complementary tools to the traditional weight training. But can you combine both? Enter loaded stretching: a powerful, science-backed approach that’s once again gaining traction among athletes and trainers for its performance-boosting effects.
By integrating loaded stretching into your routine, you’ll not only reduce tightness and improve flexibility but you can also enhance your performance on the field, in the gym, even onstage for many musicians. So for your next workout, load up, slow down, and stretch with intent.
What Is Loaded Stretching?
Loaded stretching has become strategic way to add mobility to your programming. Its premise is simple: It incorporates exercises that allow you to move through greater ranges of motion (ROM) under load. Unlike traditional stretching, which often focuses on passive holds, loaded stretching includes resistance—from dumbbells, barbells, or even bodyweight—to challenge muscles at their most lengthened positions.
If you find yourself needing to add extra stretching or mobility work after your warmup, loaded stretching could be the tool for you. By selecting the right movements and performing them slowly and with control, you not only reduce chronic tightness but also promote muscular size and strength.
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Why Loaded Stretching Works
Loaded stretching isn’t a new training method, with noted strength coach Christian Thibideaux, incorporating the routine for more than two decades. In his 2023 T Nation report he says, “the best way to ensure the proper level of strain and effort is to stretch against an external load.” Loaded stretching has long been a staple in the toolboxes of bodybuilding legends like Dante Trudel, John Meadows, and John Parillo, as well as performance coaches Jay Schroeder and Dan Fichter.
The results that come from loaded stretching come in part from its the combination of tension and stretch. When you resist an external load in a lengthened position—like deep Romanian deadlift (RDL) or a paused lateral lunge—you’re forcing the muscle fibers to produce tension while being stretched. It becomes a slow eccentric (negative) action, which research shows is highly effective for stimulating muscle growth and improving flexibility.
As muscles fatigue under load, they gradually yield, allowing for a deeper stretch. This not only increases ROM but also triggers hypertrophy, especially when performed as a supplement to regular weight training and at the end of a workout.
How to Incorporate Loaded Stretching
According to trainer Tasha “Wolf” Whelan, loaded stretching involves performing exercises through an extended range of motion under load, using slow, controlled movements and isometric holds to improve mobility, reduce tightness, and build strength. For best results, focus on full range of motion, slow eccentrics, and intentional movement selection to maximize training benefits.
Moves such as Jefferson Curls, a spinal flexion exercise can be a great loaded stretch that you can add to your routine. With all loaded stretches, think about holding and maintaining weight with intent. It serves little purpose or benefit to add weight mindlessly.
To get the best results, Whelan advises that you focus on full range of motion, slow eccentrics, and intentional movement selection to maximize training benefits.
Isometric Holds at End Range: Pause at the deepest point of a movement, such as the bottom of a rear-foot elevated split squat or lateral lunge. From there hold for 60–90 seconds.
Extended ROM Work: Use moves like deficit pushups or deficit Bulgarian split squats to move through a greater range of motion.
Slow, Controlled Eccentrics: Perform exercises like RDLs, chest flys, or pullovers with a slow eccentric phase (3–8 seconds), focusing on full ROM.
Programming Guidelines
For best results, use a challenging load and follow these guidelines: 3–5 sets of 60–90 seconds per exercise, with 2–3 minutes of rest between sets. One or two loaded stretches at the end of each workout is ideal, alternating exercises if doing two. The set should be tough—by the 45-second mark, you should be fighting to hold on.