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Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "
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13.02.2013 |
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Static muscle stretching before training reduces maximal strength
You can stretch muscles 'dynamically' and 'statically'. Dynamic stretching involves 'pumping': you adopt a stretch pose, then keep on stretching to the point where you feel the stretch in your muscle, and then release it so that the muscle returns quickly to its original length. Then you repeat the procedure. Dynamic stretching boosts performance when done before an explosive training session or during rests between sets.
Most human studies on the effect of stretching used untrained students as the test subjects. But do men and women with years of weight training experience react in the same way? To answer this question the Brazilians performed a small study using 9 untrained [UT] and 11 trained [RT] males in their twenties. The trained men had been doing weight training for six months.
The researchers got their subjects to do static stretches for their chest muscles, upper back muscles, biceps and thigh muscles. They then measured how many kg the men were able to shift just once using these muscle groups, for the bench press, lat pull-down, biceps curl and leg press.
As the table below shows static stretching reduced maximal strength.
The figure above compares loss of maximal strength in the untrained men and the trained men. Although there's a tendency for the negative effect of static stretching to be lower in the trained men, it's clear that static stretching does reduce maximal strength by several percent in trained individuals.
"A passive static stretching program prior to resistance training is detrimental to maximum muscle strength development", the Brazilians conclude. "From a practical standpoint for coaches and trainers, it seems inappropriate to encourage static stretching before athletic events or physical activities that require high levels of muscle strength."
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