It's actually a simple concept that is completely overlooked by most people.
I think everyone just seems to be so busy and trying to get in and out of their workout so quickly, that they just opt for a couple of big exercises, or hop on a piece of cardio equipment for a few minutes.
The simple fact is that if you can stretch deeper into a movement you will fire more muscle fibers.
That increase in stimulation to the new muscle fibers being worked will likely yield greater lean body mass development.
Getting deeper into an exercise will also force your body to work harder, and thus pumping up your heart rate to new levels.
The effect is immediate and you will feel your body laboring to keep up.
The best example of this is the squat.
Instead of using a weight that only allows you to get down into a quarter squat, try a lighter load and squat down parallel to the floor.
This can be accomplished by using a dynamic warm-up and some active stretching techniques before your workout.
It probably sounds more difficult than it really is and it takes less than 5-10 minutes.
After your workout, you can always continue to concentrate on static stretching with the goal of being able to open up those muscles that are the tightest on your body.
This is the best time to reset and bring your tense muscles back to their original elongated state.
Flexibility equals greater gains...
and that's the bottom line.
Committed to your success, Stephen Cabral