Abstract
The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of dynamic and static stretching on muscular peak power production and hip and knee range of motion in a sample of college age recreational males. Forty-two males (aged 18-24) healthy, physically active volunteers from a University of Pittsburgh physical education class participated as subjects in this investigation. Subjects performed pre and post test measures of sit and reach, hip and knee goniometry measures, and vertical jump test. A one repetition maximum leg press was performed prior to pre-tests to determine group differences in strength. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three stretch groups (dynamic, static, and control). All subjects began with a five minute warm-up on an upright cycle that elevated the heart rate to 110 beats per minute. Following the warm-up period, subjects immediately began their stretching program (dynamic or static), or remained seated for 12 minutes. A one-way ANOVA was conducted to detect group differences in strength levels conducted during pre-tests. A 3x2 factorial ANOVA was conducted to determine between and within group differences in treatment groups. Statistical significance was set at á = 0.05. Results of the investigation showed significant time effects for all dependent measures (p < 0.05). Significant time x treatment interactions were found for maximum jump height, maximum peak power, and sit and reach in the DS and SS + DS groups, respectively (p < 0.05). However, there was no time x treatment interactions for mean jump height, mean peak power, knee range of motion, or hip range of motion. The results of the present study suggest that static and dynamic stretching for 20 seconds prior to a vertical jump can improve mean vertical jump height, mean peak power, and hip and knee range of motion in a sample of male college age recreational athletes. Future research is needed to investigate the effect of intensity of stretch on force production, and the relationship between stretch intensity and duration on force production to establish a dose-response relationship between stretching and its effect on force production.
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