Could inter-set stretching increase acute neuromuscular and metabolic responses during resistance exercise?

Abstract

This study investigated the acute effects of inter-set static stretching (ISS) during resistance exercise (RE) on the subsequent neuromuscular and metabolic responses. Twelve resistance-trained men performed three different knee extension RE protocols comprised of seven sets of 10 repetitions in a counterbalanced fashion. The three protocols were: 1) ISS (subjects performed 25 sec of quadriceps stretching between sets during 40 sec rest interval); 2) control (CON, subject passively rested between sets for 40 sec); 3) traditional (TRA, subject passively rested between sets for 120 sec). Total work was lower (p 0.05) in response to all protocols. These results indicate that ISS negatively impacts neuromuscular performance, and does not increase the metabolic stress compared to passive rest intervals.

Keywords

• inter-set static stretching
• strength exercise
• electromyography
• training volume
• muscle swelling