Effects of Stretching on Upper-Body Muscular Performance

2008

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the influence of upper-body static stretching and dynamic stretching on upper-body muscular performance. Eleven healthy men, who were National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I track and field athletes (age, 19.6 +/- 1.7 years; body mass, 93.7 +/- 13.8 kg; height, 183.6 +/- 4.6 cm; bench press 1 repetition maximum [1RM], 106.2 +/- 23.0 kg), participated in this study. Over 4 sessions, subjects participated in 4 different stretching protocols (i.e., no stretching, static stretching, dynamic stretching, and combined static and dynamic stretching) in a balanced randomized order followed by 4 tests: 30% of 1 RM bench throw, isometric ben…