Population-specific responses to static stretching: lack of acute effects on vertical jump height following high stretching volumes.
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy. [email protected].
- 2Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, eCampus University, Novedrate, Italy. [email protected].
- 3Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
- 4Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, eCampus University, Novedrate, Italy.
- 5A.S.D. "SportTiVà?", Turin, Italy.
Abstract
Background
Over the past two decades, numerous studies have identified a potential negative effect of muscle stretching on sports performance when performed for more than 45-60 s per muscle group. However, the behavior of the muscle-tendon unit in flexible individuals remains untested. Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether habitual stretching, performed by young elite artistic gymnastics athletes for over one minute, affects subsequent performance metrics.Methods
Forty-eight Gold-level athletes affiliated with the Italian Gymnastics Federation were recruited. A 5-repetition continuous Countermovement Jump test (CMJ5) was performed before and after static stretching on a contact platform; the outcomes analyzed were jump height, power, reactive strength index (RSI), stiffness, and contact time. Two lower-limb stretching protocols were completed: one with 90-second static holds per muscle group, and one with 60-second holds.Results
In our sample, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests showed no significant pre-post differences after 90 s for any variables. After 60 s, significant reductions were observed in jump height (p < .001), reactive strength index (RSI; p = .001), and power (p = .001), but not leg stiffness (p = .214). Females followed the same pattern for both durations, while males showed no worsening; however, RSI significantly improved after 90 s (p = .039).Conclusion
The decline in jump height after 60 s was not accompanied by decreases in contact time or leg stiffness, indicating unchanged elastic energy absorption and release capacity. No impairment occurred after 90 s. Overall, these findings mandate the implementation of future research targeting populations with chronic flexibility adaptations to better contextualize the impact of stretching on performance.
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BibTeX
@article{alessandria2026populationspecific,
title = {{Population-specific responses to static stretching: lack of acute effects on vertical jump height following high stretching volumes.}},
author = {Marco Alessandria and Arianna Manavella and Sara Ortuso and Sonia Angilletta and Andrea De Giorgio},
journal = {BMC sports science, medicine \& rehabilitation},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1186/s13102-026-01871-x},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42958316},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Population-specific responses to static stretching: lack of acute effects on vertical jump height following high stretching volumes.
AU - Marco Alessandria
AU - Arianna Manavella
AU - Sara Ortuso
AU - Sonia Angilletta
AU - Andrea De Giorgio
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation
DO - 10.1186/s13102-026-01871-x
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42958316
AB - Background Over the past two decades, numerous studies have identified a potential negative effect of muscle stretching on sports performance when performed for more than 45-60 s per muscle group. However, the behavior of the muscle-tendon unit in flexible individuals remains untested. Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether habitual stretching, performed by young elite artistic gymnastics athletes for over one minute, affects subsequent performance metrics.Methods Forty-eight Gold-level athletes affiliated with the Italian Gymnastics Federation were recruited. A 5-repetition continuous Countermovement Jump test (CMJ5) was performed before and after static stretching on a contact platform; the outcomes analyzed were jump height, power, reactive strength index (RSI), stiffness, and contact time. Two lower-limb stretching protocols were completed: one with 90-second static holds per muscle group, and one with 60-second holds.Results In our sample, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests showed no significant pre-post differences after 90 s for any variables. After 60 s, significant reductions were observed in jump height (p < .001), reactive strength index (RSI; p = .001), and power (p = .001), but not leg stiffness (p = .214). Females followed the same pattern for both durations, while males showed no worsening; however, RSI significantly improved after 90 s (p = .039).Conclusion The decline in jump height after 60 s was not accompanied by decreases in contact time or leg stiffness, indicating unchanged elastic energy absorption and release capacity. No impairment occurred after 90 s. Overall, these findings mandate the implementation of future research targeting populations with chronic flexibility adaptations to better contextualize the impact of stretching on performance.
SN - 2052-1847
ER -