1/31/2016
Readings:
Flexibility, Static and
Dynamic Stretching, and
Warm-Up
Flexibility, Static and Dynamic Stretching and Warm-Up
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Flexibility
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Flexibility, Stretching and
Warm-Up are all interrelated,
and opinions vary on their
relationships, proper
applications and effects
Understanding these topics can
help you design effective
Stretching and Warm-Up
based on your client’s needs
Flexibility, Static and Dynamic Stretching and Warm-Up
Supplemental optional reading articles on course
web site discussed and cited in lecture notes
Flexibility, Static and Dynamic Stretching and Warm-Up
Introduction
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NSCA text: Chapter 12 pp 251 – 260, 266274
Course web site:
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Flexibility is a measure of range of motion
(ROM) about a joint (or series of joints, e.g. spine)
Goal in flexibility is:
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The ability to move a joint freely through the normal,
and necessary, ROM
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Flexibility
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Benefits of an Appropriate Level
of Flexibility
Static flexibility is the range of possible
movement (ROM) about a joint during a passive
movement
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Dynamic flexibility is the available ROM
during active movements and therefore requires
voluntary muscular actions to produce the
movement through the ROM
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For ROM too low (above examples)
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AND
For ROM too great …
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Optimal levels of flexibility exist for each activity
Injury risk may increase outside this range
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Benefits of an Appropriate Level
of Flexibility
Therefore…
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E.g. you do not have the shoulder ROM to reach over
your head, every time you do you strain extended
shoulder tissue
E.g., because your hip is not flexible enough to move
though the needed ROM for the squatting motion, the
lumbar spine flexes, and strains lumbar tissues
Flexibility, Static and Dynamic Stretching and Warm-Up
Benefits of an Appropriate Level
of Flexibility
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w/o this, tissues associated with the joint in
question, or a nearby one, may be at increased
risk of injury (acute or chronic)
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Dynamic flexibility may be less than static for the
same joint movement direction. Example of this?
Flexibility, Static and Dynamic Stretching and Warm-Up
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Efficient movements of joints though the
desired and normal ROM for a task
Injury risk may increase, or efficiency may decrease,
due to decreased joint stability
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E,g, see website article Stretching Before Exercise:
“Increased flexibility is important for some sports such
as ballet, gymnastics and swimming, but it may
decrease running economy and may be
inappropriate for line play in American football and for
certain other sports where joint stability is critical.”
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Runners with less flexibility are actually more efficient at
running (Jones 2002 Running economy is negatively related to sit-and-reach test
For ROM too great (next…)
performance in international-standard distance runners. Int J Sports Med. 23(1):40-3)
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Benefits of an Appropriate Level
of Flexibility
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Benefits of an Appropriate Level
of Flexibility
McGill text pg 13 3rd ed.
“Loose joints without precisely controlled strength
are unstable. This decreases performance and
increases risk of subsequent injury.”
“Do all athletes need stretching? Some do and
some don’t.”
“Rather than simply stretching – stretching to
correct asymmetry has a foundation”
Flexibility, Static and Dynamic Stretching and Warm-Up
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Factors Affecting Flexibility
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Connective Tissue = MAJOR STRUCTURE
LIMITING ROM
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Decreases from childhood onward
Females tend to be more flexible than males (esp. trunk,
hips, ankles)
(continued)
Flexibility, Static and Dynamic Stretching and Warm-Up
Flexibility, Static and Dynamic Stretching and Warm-Up
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Elbow versus hip
Age and Sex
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Don’t just assume everybody should
stretch to increase ROM of many joints
as part of an fitness or sports training
program!
Factors Affecting Flexibility
Joint Structure
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Lesson to learn…
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Ligaments, tendons, joint capsule, connective tissue
within muscle
Elasticity of connective tissues affect ROM
(continued)
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Factors Affecting Flexibility
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Increased temp, increased ROM (hence
“warm-up”)
Activity Level
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An inactive person tends to be less flexible
than an active one, due to:
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Warm-Up
Temperature
Limited ROM with inactivity leads to less
pliable connective tissue
Increased fat may restrict ROM
Muscle Bulk
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Extremely large muscles may impede joint
movement
E.g. huge pects or biceps
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Flexibility, Static and Dynamic Stretching and Warm-Up
Warm-Up Benefits
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Warm –up is an activity that raises total body
temperature, including muscles, to prepare the
body for exercise
Warm –up is not just static stretching
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Types of Warm-Up
Lowered viscous resistance in muscles (to enhance
ROM)
Improved oxygen delivery due to the Bohr effect
(higher temperatures facilitate oxygen release from
hemoglobin and myoglobin)
Increased blood flow to active muscles
Enhanced metabolic reactions
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Passive: e.g. warm pads on muscles
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Saves energy, but no CV system activation, not
always practical
General (active): gross motor activities (e.g.,
jog, cycle)
Specific (active): movements that are part of
the subsequent activity (e.g., jog before running,
move arms before upper body weight lifting)
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Dynamic stretching (discussed more later) is an
example of specific active warm-up
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Warm-Up Guidelines
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Types of Flexibility Training
A general warm-up period may consist of 5 to 10
minutes of slow activity
A specific warm-up period may involve 8 to 12
minutes of dynamic stretching
Increasing intensity and/or duration as fitness
increases
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Static Stretching (hows..)
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Stretches muscles to maximum ROM rapidly
DO NOT DO THIS DUE TO INJURY RISK!
Static
Dynamic
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation
(PNF)
Flexibility, Static and Dynamic Stretching and Warm-Up
Static Stretching (hows..)
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Step Stretch
Relax and lengthen target muscle to max
ROM = point of minor discomfort
Hold for 15 - 30 secs (longer not more
effective) Source also: website article Stretching Before Exercise
Static stretches to do, see:
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NSCA text examples (2 follow)
Web site articles:
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ACSM basic stretching program
Lower extremity stretching for endurance runners
Static streching/flexibility (James Madison University)
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Ballistic: rapid, jerky, bouncing
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Static Stretching (hows..)
Dynamic Stretching (hows..)
Side Bend
With Bent
Arm
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Allows fast movement
Involves movement & ROM specific to sport
or activity to follow
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not bounce of end of
ROM
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Dynamic Stretching (hows..)
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Up to 12 minutes, or more, depending on fitness
of individual and intensity of task to follow
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Dynamic stretches examples (many different
examples and preferences of trainers and
client/athletes):
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NSCA text examples (a few follow)
Web site articles:
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Dynamic Stretching (hows..)
May be quantified in time, reps, yards, steps,
as appropriate to task
Amount to do?
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Dynamic stretching/flexibility (James Madison
University)
Eight Mobility Drills Everybody Should Do (Micheal
Boyle)
Dynamic Stretching Exercises (brainmac)
Core flexibility
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Dynamic Stretching (hows..)
Dynamic Stretching (hows..)
Lunge
With
Twist
Lunge
Walk
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Flexibility, Static and Dynamic Stretching and Warm-Up
WHEN to include Dynamic Stretching, Static
Stretching & Warm-Up into exercise program
WHEN to include Dynamic
Stretching, Static Stretching &
Warm-Up into exercise program
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NSCA text:
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Static stretching before dynamic activity may
decrease performance (pg 274)
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Opinions Vary…..
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also see article brief on website: Stretching before
sprinting concluding “… performing passive
stretching exercises before sprinting activities can
result in a significant decline in sprinting speed.”
also see website article Stretching Before Exercise
stating“[Static] stretching just before exercise may
cause temporary strength deficits.”
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WHEN to include Dynamic Stretching, Static
Stretching & Warm-Up into exercise program
WHEN to do Static Stretching?
Accordingly…
 Static stretching BEFORE exercise, as part
of warm-up, is not recommended, by many
sources
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NSCA text:
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article on website Static streching/flexibility (James Madison
University) stating : “Flexibility Development (not to be used as a
warm-up)”
“… a stretching protocol should be included in the training
program. The ideal timing in which to include this stretching
protocol is subsequent to the training session …”
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NSCA Essentials of Strength and Conditioning Text (pg 297, 3rd
ed) “…the use of static … stretching in warm-up needs to be
questioned.”
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So what does a warm-up consist of?
Post practice stretching facilitates ROM improvements
because of increased muscle temperature.
As a separate session
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http://www.brianmac.co.uk/stretchpaper.htm
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Following practice and competition
In this case, stretching should be preceded by a
thorough warm-up to allow for the increase in muscle
temperature necessary for effective stretching.
This type of session can be especially useful as a
recovery session.
Flexibility, Static and Dynamic Stretching and Warm-Up
So what does a warm-up consist of?
NSCA text:
 A general warm-up period may consist of 5 to 10
minutes of slow activity (e.g., jog, cycle)
 A specific warm-up period may involve 8 to 12
minutes of dynamic stretching
 Increasing intensity and/or duration as fitness
increases
www.brianmac.co.uk/warmup
 5 to 10 minutes of jogging
 10 to 15 minutes of dynamic stretching
 10 to 15 minutes of general and event specific
drills
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E.g., for runner:
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Lower leg drills
Leg drills
Technique drills
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So what does a warm-up consist of?
BUT some experts do include static
stretching as part of a warm-up
McGill text (pg 45)
 Overall characteristics: prepare but not tire
 General Preparation: easy walking, progressing
to jogging and calisthenic exercise
 Specific Preparation: ROM exercises may
enhance “active flexibility” and may or may not
include specific stretches.
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The Static Stretching Renaissance, Michael Boyle
(on course web site)
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Newest info: static stretching as part of a warm-up?
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Static stretching can briefly inhibit the ability to generate power. So if you
reach for your toes and hold that position, you might not then be able to
leap as high or start a sprint as forcefully as if you hadn’t stretched.
Those undesirable effects were generally found, however, only if each
stretch was held for more than 60 seconds and the subject then
immediately became fully active, with no further warm-up. Not real-world
conditions.
Most people are unlikely to hold a warm-up stretch for longer than about 30
seconds.
Few lingering negative impacts from these short stretches, especially if the
subjects followed that stretching with several minutes of jogging or other
basic warm-up movements.
Short static stretches turned out to have a positive correlation. People who
stretched in this way for at least five minutes during a warm-up were
significantly less likely to strain or tear a muscle subsequently.
Flexibility, Static and Dynamic Stretching and Warm-Up
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Static stretching (muscle is stretched “cold”,
stretch all areas)
Dynamic warm-up
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Proprioceptive Neuromuscular
Facilitation (PNF)
Stretching. What is it?
Behm DG et al., Acute effects of muscle stretching on physical performance, range
of motion, and injury incidence in healthy active individuals: a systematic review.
Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2016 Jan;41(1):1-11. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2015-0235.
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5 min foam rolling (like a massage)
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E.g., jumper & running performers progress to
acceleration runs, lifters elicit potentiation by lifting
unloaded bar and progress to some heavy exertions
Flexibility, Static and Dynamic Stretching and Warm-Up
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Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation is a
technique developed several decades ago by
physical therapists to FACILITATE the
contraction of muscles
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E.g., contracting the shoulder and chest muscles can
facilitate a stronger contraction of hip or knee extensors
in a patient having difficulty activating the leg muscles
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Many other patterns of muscle contraction facilitation
techniques exist in the rehabilitation PNF literature today
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PNF Stretching. What is it?
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PNF Stretching. What is it?
People in the EXERCISE world adapted the
technique, and borrowed the name, to develop
PNF STRETCHING
Contracting a muscle to facilitate a
greater stretch
 Requires a partner trained in PNF
procedures
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Some studies find PNF stretching techniques to
produce greater short term (acute) and long term
(chronic) increases in joint ROM compared to static
stretching,
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and others do not
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PNF Stretching. How does it
work?
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Various procedures
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with different names possible for the same or similar
procedures, depending on what source you are reading
BUT a reflex role for producing muscle relaxation in PNF
stretching has been demonstrated to be an incorrect
concept
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Chalmers G. Re-examination of the possible role of Golgi tendon organ and muscle spindle
reflexes in proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation muscle stretching. Sports biomechanics /
International Society of Biomechanics in Sports 2004;3(1):159-183
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Decoster LC, et al. The effects of hamstring stretching on range of motion: a systematic literature
review. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2005;35(6):377-387.
Marek SM, et al. Acute Effects of Static and Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Stretching on
Muscle Strength and Power Output. J Athl Train 2005;40(2):94-103.
PNF Stretching. How to do it?
PNF stretching is typically explained as invoking the
Golgi tendon organ &/or spindle stretch reflexes to
induce muscle relaxation, producing greater ROM
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Sady SP, et al. Flexibility training: ballistic, static or proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation? Arch
Phys Med Rehabil 1982;63(6):261-263
Wallin D, et al. Improvement of muscle flexibility. A comparison between two techniques. The
American journal of sports medicine 1985;13(4):263-268
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PNF Stretching. How to do it?
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PNF Stretching. How to do it?
Target muscle contract procedure (e.g., for Hamstrings)
2.
3.
4.
5.
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PNF Stretching. When to do it?
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Opposing muscle contract procedure (e.g., for Hamstrings)
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4.
Partner attempts to push target muscle to greater length, and joint to
greater ROM
Flexibility, Static and Dynamic Stretching and Warm-Up
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Requires a skilled stretching partner
Takes more time, than static stretching
Is not always superior for producing ROM increases,
compared to static stretching
Personal training clients can usually develop the ROM
needed for their activities by static stretching
“PNF methods have limited application in personal
training settings”
Flexibility, Static and Dynamic Stretching and Warm-Up
Subject relaxes and partner stretches target muscle to full ROM
Hold position 10 secs
Strong contraction of ANTAGONIST to target muscle
Relaxation of ANTAGONIST muscle (this step does not exist in some
variations of the this technique)
5.
PNF stretching can be dangerous. WHY?
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Assisted Stretching. What is it?
NSCA personal training text says:
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Subject relaxes and partner stretches target muscle to full ROM
Hold position 10 secs
Strong isometric contraction of target muscle against fixed resistance
(i.e., partner) (or shortening contraction of target muscle against high
resistance)
Relaxation of target muscle
Partner attempts to push target muscle to greater length, and joint to
greater ROM
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A stretch performed by a subject alone until a
limit is reached, at which point a partner assists
to gain a further stretch.
This type of stretching should be performed with
care. The partner must be competent and well
trained, and must have established good
communication and trust with the subject to prevent
overstretching
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Conclusion
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Conclusion
Flexibility, Stretching and Warm-Up are all
interrelated, and opinions vary on their
relationships, proper applications and effects
Understanding these topics can help you
design effective Stretching and Warm-Up
based on your client’s needs
Flexibility, Static and Dynamic Stretching and Warm-Up
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Flexibility, Static and Dynamic Stretching and Warm-Up
Conclusion
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Conclusion
Who is likely to need to do static stretching
to increase joint ROM?
Flexibility, Static and Dynamic Stretching and Warm-Up
Who needs to do static stretching to
increase joint ROM?
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When should a person do static stretching
to increase joint ROM?
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