But not everybody agrees that flexibility training is crucial in the fitness arena. "Stretching is probably not that important for the regular fitness athlete," says Mike Bracko, EdD, CSCS, director of the Institute for Hockey Research in Calgary, Alberta. "After all, how much flexibility do you need to go for a fitness run?"

Yet most experts do agree that flexibility training - while perhaps not necessary to excel in step training or indoor cycling - does help individuals better perform daily activities. Douglas Brooks, MS, a Mammoth Lakes, California, based exercise physiologist and personal trainer, which he defines as an "aggressive" approach to improving flexibility at the joints, can keep individuals active throughout life. "Flexibility training will help maintain range of motion around the joints," Brooks says. A good example is the shoulder joint. If you lose range of motion in that joint, you might be unable to reach a cereal box on the top of a shelf.

Complicating this issue is the debate about whether muscles should be warmed before they are stretched. "No matter when you stretch, whether it's before or after your workout, you have to be warmed up," Brooks says. "Muscles, after all, are like taffy." Brooks says that just as cold taffy will snap and warm taffy will stretch, muscles are vulnerable to heat and cold. Muscles that are cold resist lengthening. By trying to stretch cold muscles, you stand a greater chance of becoming injured. Yet, after a 5 to 10 minute aerobic warm-up, muscles are more prone to lengthening, so your chance of gaining flexibility increases while your risk of injury decreases.

Not everyone agrees that warming up is essential for flexibility. "Warming up may not have as much impact on stretching as we once thought," Bracko says. He points to employees who take stretch breaks, without warming up, to prevent occupational injuries. However, Bracko does concur that flexibility can reduce the risk of injury, especially the kinds of injury that occur in the workplace. "Stretching is extremely important to prevent and perhaps reverse occupational muscle imbalances."