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Welcome to factsaboutfitness.com.
Static stretching is defined as holding a stretched position at the end of a limb’s range of motion for a period of 15 to 60 seconds. Static stretching is beneficial for increasing range of motion (ROM) for athletes, rehabilitation, correctional movement programs and for the general population (Heisey & Kingsley, 2016). An example of a static stretch for the hamstrings would be to bend over and try to touch your toes and hold that position for 30-90 seconds without movement.
Dynamic Stretching is defined as performing movements through the full ROM by contracting agonist muscles, which allows the antagonist muscle group to elongate, without a held end position. Dynamic stretching is performed in a controlled manner (Oppolert & Babault, 2018). Examples of dynamic stretches for the legs are high knees and booty kicks. For the upper body, dynamic stretches for the arms are small and large arm circles, and arm scissors.
Bottom Line
Research has found that static stretching prior to an athletic event can decrease power in movements which require short maximal force output movements. The reduction of force can take anywhere from 10 to 120 min to regain depending on the duration of the stretch. However, short duration, static stretches (20 sec) followed by dynamic sport specific movements, can lighten these power reduction effects. Dynamic stretching elevates core temperature and results in increase joint range of motion, power and agility and vertical and horizontal jumps. Therefore, Dynamic stretching is recommended during warm up ( Gil et al. 2019) because it is a more efficient modality than static stretching prior to muscular performance and especially prior to explosive or high-speed activities (Opplert & Babault, 2018).
Resources
Gil, M. H., Neiva, H. P., Sousa, A. C., Marques, M. C., & Marinho, D. A. (2019). Current approaches on warming up for sports performance. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 41(4), 70–79. doi: 10.1519/ssc.0000000000000454
Heisey, C. F., & Kingsley, J. D. (2016). Effects of static stretching on squat performance in division I female athletes. International Journal of Exercise Science, 9(3), 359–367.
Opplert, J., & Babault, N. (2018). Acute effects of dynamic stretching on muscle flexibility and performance: An analysis of the current literature. Sports Medicine, 48(2), 299–325.
