ACUTE STRETCHING INHIBITS STRENGTH ENDURANCE PERFORMANCE

The purpose of this study was to investigate strength endurance performance after acute static stretching exercises. Twenty-six college students participated in this study. Each participant performed the following two routines in a random order: 1) a sit and reach test to test hamstring flexibility followed by a maximal hamstring strength endurance test, 2) a pre sit and reach test, a 20-minute static stretching exercise session for hamstring and calf muscles followed by a post sit and reach test and a maximal hamstring strength endurance test, which was performed 10 min post stretching. These two routines were separated by a minimum of 48 hours. Both of the hamstring strength endurance tests were administered using a load of 60 % of one's body weight. A partner-assisted static stretching routine was administered for hamstring and calf muscles using a 30-sec static stretching followed by 30-sec relaxation for a total of 10 minutes each. The results were as follows:TableA paired t-test was used for statistical analysis. A 20-minute static stretching exercises caused a significant decrease in number of repetitions in the hamstring strength endurance test. The loss of endurance could be due to some metabolic alterations or inhibition in the nervous system. It could also be due to a decrease in maximal strength levels after heavy stretching exercises, which have been reported previously by this research group. It is recommended that heavy static stretching exercises lasting for 10 minutes for a muscle group should be avoided prior to any performances requiring maximal strength endurance effort.