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Journal of Exercise Physiologyonline

December 2012
Volume 15 Number 6

Editor-in-Chief JEPonline
Tommy
OfficialBoone,
Research
PhD,
Journal
MBA of
Review
the American
Board Society of
Todd Exercise
Astorino,
Physiologists
PhD
Time Course Effect of Static Stretching on Maximum
Julien Baker, PhD Grip Strength
Steve Brock, PhD
ISSN 1097-9751
Lance Dalleck, PhD Gustavo Pereira de Paula1, Alexander J Koch2, Mikhail Santos
Eric Goulet, PhD
Robert Gotshall, PhD
Cerqueira6, José Alberto dos Santos Rocha 6, Lucio Santos Borges6,
Alexander Hutchison, PhD Ludmila Schettino 5, Marco Machado3,4, Rafael Pereira 6
M. Knight-Maloney, PhD
1
Len Kravitz, PhD Department of Physical Education, Minas Faculty (FAMINAS),
James Laskin, PhD Muriae, MG, Brazil, 2 Exercise Physiology Laboratory, Lenoir-Rhyne
Yit Aun Lim, PhD
Lonnie Lowery, PhD
University, Hickory, NC USA, 3Laboratory of Human Movement
Derek Marks, PhD Studies, Universitary Foundation of Itaperuna (FUNITA), Itaperuna,
Cristine Mermier, PhD RJ, Brazil, 4 Laboratory of Physiology and Biokinetic, Faculty of
Robert Robergs, PhD Biological Sciences and Health, Iguaçu University Campus V at
Chantal Vella, PhD Itaperuna, RJ, Brazil, 5Postgraduate program in Nursing and Health.
Dale Wagner, PhD
Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia (UESB), Jequie, BA,
Frank Wyatt, PhD
Ben Zhou, PhD Brazil, 6 Research Group in Neuromuscular Physiology, Department of
Biological Sciences, Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia
(UESB), Jequie, BA, Brazil

ABSTRACT
Official Research Journal
of the American Society of
Exercise Physiologists de Paula GP, Koch AJ, Cerqueira MS, Rocha JAS, Borges LS,
Schettino L, Machado M, Pereira R. Time Course Effect of Static
ISSN 1097-9751 Stretching on Maximum Grip Strength. JEPonline 2012;15(6):31-36.
This study investigated the effect of a stretching procedure on
maximum grip strength. Eleven adult men were submitted to two
stretching protocols of finger flexors constituted by three sets lasting
30 or 60 sec and with a 20-sec rest interval between sets, and a
control protocol where they rested without stretching for 4 min. The
protocols were assigned in a random order. The peak handgrip force
was measured before, immediately after, and 5 min after each
protocol. Maximum grip strength decreased (-15%, P<0.05) only
immediately after the stretching procedure sustained for 60 sec. We
have found novel evidence that maximum grip strength is impaired
after static stretching sustained for long periods. Additionally, the
observed impairment was transient, with strength returning to the pre-
stretching values 5 min after the stretching procedure.

Key Words: Stretching, Handgrip Strength, Muscle Performance

INTRODUCTION

Static stretching is commonly used in sport and rehabilitation due to its effectiveness in the
maintenance and improvement of joint range of motion owing to possible changes in the viscoelastic
properties of the muscle. Exercise physiologists, athletic trainers, coaches, and physical therapists
generally include static stretching prior to the strength and conditioning training routines because of
the belief that it can improve performance and/or reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries (15).

While there is a strong consensus that joint range of motion is improved by static stretching (2,8), the
impact of static stretching prior to a muscular performance is more controversial. Numerous studies
have suggested that the static stretching of lower limb muscles can immediately compromise the
muscle strength (1,3,4,9,11,12). Fowles et al. (6) described the time course of post-stretching
strength deficits of the ankle plantar flexors, and found that the strength deficit was highest
immediately after stretching. The strength deficit returned to normal after ~1 hr. Viale et al. (14)
demonstrated an immediate decrease in strength of knee extensors after a stretching procedure,
which was maintained for 4.5 min after an active recovery. Also, an interesting effect is that the
duration of stretching (particularly when the stretching procedure is sustained for a long period of
time, =60 sec) may induce force impairment (7).

The effects of static stretching of the upper limb muscles just prior to a strength exercise have not
been extensively studied (7). In fact, only a few studies (5,13) have examined upper body strength
after stretching. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate if a routine stretching procedure
would result in a decrease in maximum grip strength decrement and if the effect (should it occur) is
maintained for short time period. We hypothesized that maximum grip strength would be decreased
immediately after a static stretching procedure, which would return to previous values in ~ 5 min.

METHODS
Subjects
Eleven healthy men (mean ± SD, age 22 ± 1 yrs; height 180 ± 2 cm; weight 75 ± 2 kg) volunteered to
participated in this study. All the subjects were right -handed with no known neuromuscular disorders.
The study was approved by the local ethics committee and conducted in accordance with the Helsinki
protocol of ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. All subjects gave written
informed consent to participate in the study.

Procedures
In order to monitor initial baseline (pre-stretching) and post-stretching handgrip strength, we chose a
within-subject study design. Each subject was used as his own control. The subjects were submitted
to three protocols: two stretching protocols and a control protocol (72 hr apart) in a randomized order.
The stretching protocols were designed to stretch the finger flexors and consisted of three sets lasting
30 or 60 sec depending on the protocol for that particular day. During the flexibility sessions, each
subject remained standing with the shoulder joint flexed at 90o, the elbow joint extended at 180 o, and
the forearm and hand in the supinated position.

A researcher was positioned in front of the subject to manually position the subject's forearm flexors
in the extended to the hyperextended position. The stretches were done slowly until a mild discomfort
(i.e., the point of tolerable pain) was acknowledged by the subject, who was instructed to relax while
the stretched position was maintained for 30 or 60 sec. Each stretching of the forearm and finger
flexors was repeated 3 times with a 20-sec rest interval between sets. During the control procedure
volunteers rested without stretching for 4 min after the first handgrip strength measure. The forearm
 33

and finger flexors were chosen because the muscles of the anterior compartment of the forearm
participate in the majority of the movements and exercises of the upper-body.

Handgrip strength was measured before, immediately, and 5 min after each stretching protocol and
after the control protocol) using a load cell (EMG System Brazil, São José dos Campos, SP) coupled
to a custom-made apparatus as reported by Pereira et al. (10). Two trials of 3-sec maximum isometric
voluntary contraction (MIVC) were carried out to determine maximum grip strength. Each trial was
separated by 30 sec. The greater maximum grip strength between the trials was considered for
comparisons.

Statistical Analyses
A two-way ANOVA (3 procedures x 3 measures) with repeated measures on all factors was used to
compare the maximum grip strength. Significant ANOVA results were followed by appropriate post
hoc tests with Bonferroni corrections. The alpha level was set at P<0.05 for a difference to be
considered significant. Statistical analysis was completed using SPSS 17.0 statistical package (SPSS
Inc., Chicago, IL. USA). The data are presented as means ± SD.

RESULTS

Handgrip strength from each condition is shown in Figure 1. ANOVA found a significant interaction
(F4,60 = 4.44, P=0.003), among the handgrip strength procedures over time. Post-hoc tests identified
significantly lower handgrip strength at the immediate stretch after 60 sec, which returned to the
baseline values in 5 min.

DISCUSSION

We hypothesized that stretching would decrease handgrip strength, and that loss would be resolved
shortly. We found an immediate handgrip strength decrease (-15%) after static stretching for 60 sec.
This deficit was eliminated after 5 min. Short stretches (=30 sec) had no effect on force output while
longer stretches (45+ sec) increased the risk of decreasing muscular strength (7). Our results agree,
since strength was decreased only when prior stretching was sustained for 60 sec, demonstrating a
dose-response effect. It has been proposed that this force output decrement after muscle stretching is
underpinned by mechanical, physiological, and neurological mechanisms (6,7,11).

Figure 1. Mean ± SD Absolute Maximum Grip Strength (N) from Control, Stretching for 30 and Stretching for 60 sec,
Before (PRE), Immediately (POS), and 5 min (POS_5) after Stretching or Control. *Different from all measures (P<0.05).
 34

Fowles et al. (6) reported that 60% of the stretching-induced reduction of force up to 15 min is due to
neural factors. Thus, neural factors affect strength initially and mechanical factors may last for a
longer period, affecting strength for up to 1 hr. The results appear to indicate that the acute changes
in proprioceptive feedback after stretching can lead to an interruption of motor unit recruitment (6,11).
Here, though, it is important to note that Fowles and colleagues (6) used an unconventional stretching
protocol. In contrast, we used a stretching routine similar to those commonly used before exercise.
Therefore, the shorter duration of impaired strength we observed compared to Fowles et al. (6) may
be related to the methodological differences as well the muscle group stretched (ankle plantar flexors
vs. forearm and finger flexors).

Most research on stretch-induced strength decrements has focused on lower limb stretches (1,3,4,7,
9,11,12). In a rare study investigating upper arm muscles, Torres and colleagues (13) applied four
different stretching protocols (no stretching, static stretching, dynamic stretching, and combined static
and dynamic stretching) for upper-body muscles followed by four performance tests. They found no
short-term effect of stretching on upper-body muscular performance.

The results of the present study corroborate Torres et al. (13), since we also found that no strength
decease after a shorter (30 sec) stretch (given that they employed either two sets of 15 sec static
stretch or 30 repetition dynamic stretch). Similarly, our findings support Evetovich et al. (5), who
found static stretching of the forearm flexors decreased isokinetic strength at slow (30°•s-1) and fast
(270° · sec-1) speeds. Stretches performed in that study were of 30 sec duration, which we found to
be insufficient to produce a strength decrement. However, subjects in Evetovich and colleagues’
study (5) performed 4 sets of 30 sec stretches with 15 sec rest intervals in between them, presenting
the possibility of a cumulative effect equal to a single stretch of a longer duration. In the present
study, the magnitude of strength loss was ~15% for the stretches maintained for 60 sec, which could
be characterized as a minor stretching-induced strength loss for the forearm and finger flexors. This
is similar to the 4.6% strength decrease in the forearm flexors observed after stretching by Evetovich
and colleagues (5).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of the present study indicate that there is a dose-response effect of muscle stretching on
the maximum grip strength, which indicates that stretching for 30 sec (a duration that is commonly
recommended) has no impact on strength while a longer stretches (60 sec) can decrease it.
Additionally, it appears that the strength decrement following stretching is transient, and even when
stretches are of sufficient duration (i.e., >60 sec) to impair strength, the impairment is resolved within
a few minutes.

Since maximum grip strength was unaffected by static upper-body stretching maintained for short
time periods (30 sec), and only transiently affected when the stretching is maintained for long time
periods (60 sec), athletes competing in the field events could perform upper-body stretching, if
enough time is allowed before the performance effort. Based on the current study, a 5-min period is
sufficient to restore maximum grip strength after stretching.
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Address for correspondence: Pereira R, PhD, Department of Biological Sciences, Universidade

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