[$ick Money!]

Im a fan of foam rolling and then dynamic stretching before workouts and static stretching immediately after.

I think of the muscle somewhat similar to a rubberband. If the rubberband has a knot in it and you try to stretch it the knot will get tighter. If you undo the knot you can stretch the rubberband all you want.

If your muscle(s) have a knot in it your range of motion, flexibility and strength will be compromised as the body will try to protect that area. If you break the knot up with massage/SMR/Foam rolling you can stretch the muscle to its full capacity.