Acute Effects of Different Stretching Techniques on the Number of Repetitions in A Single Lower Body Resistance Training Session

• Published in: Journal of human kinetics Vol. 45; no. 1; pp. 177 - 185
• Main Authors: Sá, Marcos A., Neto, Gabriel R., Costa, Pablo B., Gomes, Thiago M., Bentes, Cláudio M., Brown, Amanda F., Novaes, Jefferson S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Poland De Gruyter Open 01.03.2015; Akademia Wychowania Fizycznego w Katowicach
• Subjects: ballistic stretching; lower limbs; muscular strength; passive stretching; warm-up; passive stretching; ballistic stretching; lower limbs; muscular strength; warm-up
• ISSN: 1640-5544; 1899-7562; 1899-7562
• DOI: 10.1515/hukin-2015-0018

This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of passive static and ballistic stretching on maximal repetition performance during a resistance training session (RTS). Nine male subjects underwent three experimental conditions: ballistic stretching (BS); passive static stretching (PSS); and a specific warm-up (SW). The RTS was composed of three sets of 12RM for the following exercises: leg press 45 (LP), leg extension (LE), leg curl (LC), and plantar flexors (PF). Performance of six sessions was assessed 48 hours apart. The first visit consisted of a familiarization session including stretching methods and exercises used in the RTS. On the second and third visit, a strength test and retest were performed. During the fourth to the sixth visit, the volunteers randomly performed the following protocols: BS+RTS; PSS+RTS; or SW+RTS. For the sum of the RM number of each three-set exercise, significant differences were found between PSS vs. SW for the LP (p = 0.001); LE (p = 0.005); MF (p = 0.001); and PF (p = 0.038). For the comparison between the methods of stretching PSS vs. BS, significant differences were found only for the FP (p = 0.019). When analyzing the method of stretching BS vs. SW, significant differences were found for the LP (p = 0.014) and MF (p = 0.002). For the total sum of the RM number of three sets of the four exercises that composed the RTS, significant differences were observed (p < 0.05) in the following comparisons: PPS vs. SW (p = 0.001), PPS vs. BS (p = 0.008), and BS vs. SW (p = 0.002). Accordingly, the methods of passive static and ballistic stretching should not be recommended before a RTS.