STATIC STRETCHING before a run, or other exercise, for that matter, makes you run more slowly and less efficiently, a study recently published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research warns.
In this study, re- searchers at Florida State University collected data from 10 trained distance runners who performed two one-hour runs, once with stretching beforehand (four 30-second reps of five basic stretching exercises) and once without. The one hour runs consisted of 30 minutes at a set pace (65% of VO2max) during which basic running economy was measured, then 30 minutes going as fast as they could to see how much distance they could cover.
The non-stretchers burned about 5% fewer calories in the first part of the experiment, and ran 3.4% farther in the second.
In another study, researchers from the University of Milan also found that static stretching before any exercise makes you jump lower, more slowly and with less force. Adding to earlier research, this study looked at different joint an- gles, such as you might encounter in swimming, basketball, soccer, etc.
Numerous studies confirm that static stretching decreases muscle strength, but they don't define how much stretching it takes. So researchers at George Mason University (Prince William campus, Manassas, Virginia) had subjects test their one-rep maxes on the leg curl after doing 0-6 sets of 30-second hamstring stretches. They discovered that one set of 30-second static stretching decreased muscle strength by more than 5%. Each additional set of stretching affected leg-curl strength even more, with six sets causing an almost 15% decrease. Before training, stick to dynamic stretches; save static stretching until the end of your workout or game.
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