Acute effects of static stretching on bench press power and velocity in adolescent male athletes
Abstract
The purpose was to examine the acute effect of pre-exercise static stretching on barbell power and velocity during the bench press exercise. Forty male high school athletes performed 1 repetition maximum (1 RM) testing and were divided into either a static stretching (SS), or a no stretching (NS) protocol. Subjects performed 1 set of 3 repetitions of the bench press with 50% 1 RM as a warm-up. SS then performed a series of stretching exercises for the involved muscles. After completing either the bench press warm-up or the stretching protocol, subjects executed one bench press repetition at 85% 1 RM. After 24 hours, the groups switched protocols. Concentric mean barbell power and velocity were measured during the 85% lift. Stretching resulted in significantly lower mean power (NS=366.6±115.7 W, SS=282.7±111.4W) and mean velocity (NS=0.413±0.103 mxs-1, SS=0.302±0.086 m·s-1) when compared to NS. Static stretching has an acute detrimental effect on muscular performance.
Publication Title
International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching
Recommended Citation
Andre, M., Fry, A., McLellan, E., Weiss, L., & Moore, C. (2014). Acute effects of static stretching on bench press power and velocity in adolescent male athletes. International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, 9 (5), 1145-1152. https://doi.org/10.1260/1747-9541.9.5.1145
