SPORTS MEDICINE
Get Static Stretching Back into Your Warm-up
Practical analysis of research shows benefits for sport performance BY DAVID G BEHM, PHD Research Professor, School of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University of Newfoundland.
O
ver the last 20 years many sport science articles have reported performance deficits — typically three-five per cent — after prolonged static stretching (more than 60 seconds per muscle group) when not including dynamic warm-up activities. That research almost sent static stretching to extinction as a component of a warm-up. However, evidence is building to show that when shorter durations of static stretching (less than 60 seconds per muscle group) are included in a full
pre-exercise warm-up that includes aerobic activity, static and dynamic stretching, and dynamic activity, there are only trivial effects on subsequent strength, power, agility, sprint and muscle endurance among other performance variables. Unfortunately, there is still reluctance to incorporate static stretching into sport, fitness and health programs. The stretching and flexibility research may not necessarily be at fault, but the interpretation of these studies may be flawed. For example, many studies
86 I 30th Anniversary Issue 2021 I IMPACT MAGAZINE
incorporated unrealistic, stretching durations. The typical warm-up stretch duration of professional athletes is around 12-17 seconds per muscle, whereas most studies have used more than 60 seconds of stretching per muscle with some studies using 20-30 minutes of static stretching with a single muscle. Secondly, the testing is often conducted almost immediately following the prolonged static stretch rather than 10-15 minutes after, when the competition or training typically start and performance impairments disappear.