Does dynamic stretching before a workout make you stronger?

Short answer

No. Dynamic stretching adds about 1.6 cm to a jump and takes 0.08 seconds off a sprint, but it does not raise max strength. Done for as long as 12 minutes, it actually cut reps by 15.6%.

Does dynamic stretching before a workout make you stronger?
'Holding a stretch = weaker, stretching on the move = stronger' — does this hold?
Dynamic stretching, like leg swings and walking lunges, is often said to boost strength. We checked whether it really makes you stronger, looking at jumps, sprints and max strength separately.
Jumps and sprints improve a little
Jump 1.6 cm higher, sprint 0.08 seconds faster
An analysis of 35 studies found that, compared with no warm-up or a light jog, dynamic stretching raised jump height by 1.6 cm and cut 20-30 m sprint time by 0.08 seconds. In the same analysis, static stretching (holding a stretch) slowed sprints by 0.07 seconds.
But how big is that?
About 1% better
A review of performance right after stretching found dynamic stretching improved results by 1.3% on average (static stretching lowered them by 3.7%). A 2026 review of 23 studies with 627 people found a gain of just 0.55% from dynamic stretching.
So does max strength go up?
Dynamic stretching didn't raise strength
A 2025 review concluded that dynamic stretching widens range of motion without affecting strength. On the flip side, after 21 people did dynamic stretches for the back of the thigh, that muscle's strength dropped from 87.3 to 73.3, a 16% fall. It is not a strength booster.
Doing it too long backfires
12 minutes: 15.6% fewer reps
26 people jogged 5 minutes, then did dynamic stretching for about 7 minutes or twice as long, about 12 minutes. Jumps improved both times, but after 12 minutes the reps in the following set dropped 15.6%. After 7 minutes they did not. The 35-study analysis also found the biggest jump gains at 7-10 minutes.
It does loosen you up
More flexible, but it fades within 30 minutes
A 2025 analysis of 17 studies found dynamic stretching gave a small, immediate gain in flexibility, regardless of age, sex or which muscle was stretched. But the extra range of motion from stretching usually faded in less than 30 minutes.
Bottom line: it prepares you, it doesn't power you up
7-10 minutes is enough
Dynamic stretching gives small gains, about 1.6 cm on a jump and 0.08 seconds on a sprint, and does not raise max strength. At 12 minutes, reps dropped 15.6%. Using it for 7-10 minutes right before training, to warm up, is enough.