Affiliations: [a] Human Movement Science Program, Health, Physical
Education, & Recreation Department, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Dale R. Wagner, Ph.D., Utah State
University, 7000 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-7000, USA. Tel.: +1 435 797
8253; Fax: +1 435 797 3759; E-mail: dale.wagner@usu.edu
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether static stretching
alone or combined with a warm-up affected isokinetic peak torque (IPT) of the
quadriceps at both slow and fast velocities. Twenty physically active males
(22.1 ± 2.4 years) performed maximal knee extensions
under four conditions: no stretch control, stretch only, 5 min jog followed by
stretches, and stretching followed by a 5 min jog. Total stretching volume was
360 s. A Biodex System 3 isokinetic dynamometer was used to measure IPT at 60
and 300°/s. A 2 × 4 repeated
measures ANOVA revealed that IPT was significantly different among the four
test conditions (F=3.09, p=0.03) and
follow-up comparisons revealed that the mean IPT of the stretching trial was
9.9 N·m less than the control trial (Effect size
=0.19–0.42). Neither of the warm-up conditions combined
with stretching were significantly different from the control. It was concluded
that stretching affects IPT to a similar extent at both velocities tested, and
that jogging done either prior to or after stretching does not appreciably
alter knee extension IPT. The lower IPT following static stretching precludes
recommending this activity prior to a maximal effort.
