Should I stretch before my workout?
NO!
Warming up is a must but, static stretching (where you hold the stretch) is a no. A warm up gets your body warm and your breathing and heart rate up. Static stretching does not.
Imagine your muscle is plasticine. When you take the plasticine out of the packet, you spend some time squishing and moulding it (warming it up), you don’t go right ahead and stretch it. Why? Because it would break. Our muscles are the same. A static stretch before a workout actually increases your risk of injury.
Keep the stretching before your exercise dynamic and save the static stretches for the end of your workout.