Skeletal muscles have the capacity to adapt their size and tension-length characteristics to meet the functional demands of everyday life. During the development of the human body from birth to adulthood, but also during regular physical activity, skeletal muscles have a strong capacity to adapt, and undergo changes in both their architecture and their contractile properties.
Static stretching is an effective way of increasing the tolerance of muscular structures to stretching, thereby improving joint range of motion. And while they may reduce post-stretch muscle performance by reducing the stiffness of the musculotendinous complex (although this effect is temporary, lasting no more than 30 minutes), regular practice of static stretching can improve the efficiency of concentric, eccentric and/or plyometric tasks. Take, for example, fighting sports or gymnastics.
In recent years, some research has drawn attention to their potential to improve maximum strength and muscle hypertrophy when applied over several weeks. Emerging research suggests that with sufficiently high intensity, volume and duration, static stretching could serve as an alternative to traditional strength training methods, producing comparable results in terms of strength, hypertrophy and mobility. It is therefore necessary to further explore the morphological and functional adaptations associated with static stretching compared to traditional strength training.
In an attempt to gain a clearer picture, an international team of researchers investigated the effects of a static stretching program on maximum strength and hypertrophy of the pectoralis major and on shoulder joint mobility, and compared these effects with those of traditional resistance training. To do this, the researchers recruited 81 physically active people and divided them into 3 groups: a group of 27 persons who performed static stretching of the pectoralis major, 15 minutes a day, 4 days a week, for 8 weeks; a group of 27 persons who performed an exercise targeting the pectoralis major on the Pec Deck machine (5 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions at 10-12 RM), 3 times a week; and a control group of 27 persons who continued their daily activities.
For static stretching, participants lay on a bench with knees and hips flexed at 90°. Shoulders were placed in external rotation, arms in 90° abduction and elbows flexed to 90°. Straps were attached to the elbows and connected to a force transducer, so that participants underwent maximal stretching of the pectoralis major. The tension applied was measured every 10s. And since, following the stretch, mechanical tension gradually decreased over the 15-minute period, the strap was automatically readjusted to maintain continuous tension.
Maximum isometric force and pectoralis major thickness were measured before and after the 8-week protocol. A shoulder joint mobility test was also performed by all participants.
The results of this study show that static stretching of the pectoralis major is as effective as resistance training in improving isometric strength and muscle hypertrophy. While static stretching is superior to Pec Deck exercise for improving shoulder joint mobility.
While strength training is a well-established method, high-intensity stretching performed with high volume shows promising results in inducing muscle hypertrophy and strength. Mechanotransduction, and in particular stretching of the rigid titin segment, are considered to be the main potential mechanisms of stretch-induced hypertrophy.
Whether during stretching or muscle contraction, the amount of passive mechanical tension that is produced by a muscle fiber is determined by the extent to which the rigid segment of the titin is stretched. Thus, the number of sarcomeres that make up a fiber is decisive for the amount of passive mechanical tension that can be generated.
When a fiber contains few sarcomeres, each sarcomere is already relatively stretched when the muscle has a normal physiological length. So when the muscle starts to stretch, the sarcomeres very quickly reach a long length. The compliant segment of the titin can no longer stretch, so the stiff segment must. This phase corresponds to the descending part of the tension-length relationship. This generates passive mechanical tension, which stimulates sarcomerogenesis. The fiber will undergo passive mechanical tension even before the muscle is fully stretched. And when it is, the fiber will undergo an even greater amount of passive tension.
When a fiber contains many sarcomeres, each sarcomere will be very short when the muscle is of normal physiological length. Muscles with very long fibers exhibit slack. So, before you start generating passive mechanical tension, you'll need to stretch the muscle to a certain length before each sarcomere starts to stretch (and for some muscles and joint movements, this simply won't happen). The stiff segment of the titin rarely stretches very far... so little passive tension and little or no sarcomerogenesis.
Eight weeks of 15-minute static stretching, 4 days a week, performed for the pectoralis major induces increases in strength and muscle hypertrophy comparable to those of strength training, and superior improvements in shoulder joint mobility in physically active individuals.
However, the practical application of this type of stretching remains limited by logistical problems, such as the need for assistance and equipment. Bodyweight exercises, using dumbbells, elastics or machines are much simpler and quicker to set up. Strength training is generally more effective and offers wider health benefits, including prevention of sarcopenia and osteoporosis, and improved cardiovascular health. Stretching is very interesting for a superior range of motion, but using it to gain strength and muscle mass seems, to us, non-optimal.
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