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THE EFFECT OF STATIC STRETCHING ON ACUTE LOWER BODY POWER

Abstract

Evidence suggests that static stretching prior to jumping may negatively impact acute lower body power. PURPOSE: To examine the effect of acute static stretching on jump performance in physically active individuals. METHODS: Ten physically active, former high school athletes (ages 18-25 yrs, M = 20) participated in the study. The study included three sessions separated by at least 24 hours. The first session was a familiarization session followed by two training sessions (stretch or no-stretch) wherein the participant’s passive hip range of motion and jumping performance was assessed. The participant’s first training session was randomly assigned to either stretch or no-stretch to counter the order effect. Each session included a ten-minute warm up on a cycle ergometer. The static stretch protocol included the glute figure-four, straight leg hamstring, and prone quad stretch. Three sets of each stretch were completed utilizing a 30sec hold time. Passive hip flexion and extension range of motion were measured using a goniometer. Jump performance was assessed using ten vertical jumps followed by five horizontal jump trials to find peak jump height and distance, respectively. The highest three jump scores were averaged and recorded for the vertical jump, and the longest jump distance was recorded for the horizontal jump. RESULTS: There was a non-significant decrease in vertical jump performance after static stretching (Stretch = 20.6±4.1in vs No-Stretch = 21.4±4.7in, p = 0.053) and no difference in broad jump performance between conditions (Stretch = 96.3±13.3in vs No-Stretch = 97.7±12.1in, p = 0.38). CONCLUSION: Static stretching done immediately before jumping does not impair acute lower body power in college-aged, former high school athletes. However, while not statistically significant, the difference in vertical jump performance after static stretching was reduced on average by ~1in and may have practical relevance. Individual responses to the stretch protocol suggest that any benefit or impairment to acute lower body power might be influenced by the individual’s initial level of passive muscle stiffness.

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