Originally Posted by
Road Fan
Why not before? I think it depends on how intensely you stretch and for example, whether you bounce.
I wish I had the links at hand, so I apologize that I don't - but I was reading some NYTimes article about current research showing data for injuries not being affected one way or another due to stretching, and other research demonstrating how stretching doesn't physically do anything for ligaments and tendons, BUT it does increase your tolerance for pain. In some studies, a loss in strength was associated with stretching.
Again, I apologize for the weasel-words ("some studies"), and lack of links to research. I can confidently say this is a growing area of study, with very little consensus on what is really happening when you "stretch".