Acute effects of long-lasting stretching and strength training on maximal strength and flexibility in the calf muscle

Abstract

The so-called “stretch-induced force deficit” is known from a large amount of research. There are many theories trying to explain the stretch-induced force deficit and increases in the range of motion (ROM) which all offer a stretch training-specific explanation. However, when performing a commonly used strength training session, a reduced maximum strength (MSt) capacity can be assumed as well. Based on this, the aim of the study is to investigate the tension-induced force deficit due to a suprathreshold strength or stretching training stimulus. Therefore, 71 participants (age: 24.1 ± 4.2 years, height: 176.3 ± 5.7 cm, weight: 74.1 ± 7.5 kg) were divided into three groups: static stretching group (SST), strength training group (STR), and control group (CG). To investigate possible mechanical tension-induced force deficits, SST performed a long-lasting static stretching intervention for 1 h using an orthosis, while STR executed a common strength training intervention (5 × 12 repetition) for the plantar flexors. The results show a significant reduction of measured MSt as well as increased ROM for both SST and STR following the interventions. Consequently, we found similar acute effects of stretching and strength training regarding MSt and flexibility. We conclude that the decreased MSt capacities can possibly be attributed to mechanical tension-induced damage of the muscle that is not linked to a specific training method. The improvements in flexibility found in both intervention groups might be attributed to warm up effects when inducing high mechanical tension to large ankle joint angles.

Resistance Training Causes the Stretch-Induced Force Deficit—A Randomized Cross-Over Study

“…In accordance with previous literature [3,4] the present study revealed a stretchinduced force deficit ranging from However, with more than a 13% impairment, RT nearly doubled the deficit. In previous research, Warneke et al [12] showed similar acute plantar flexor strength decreases of −15.5-−16 ± 2.0% in response to 5 × 12 repetition 45 • leg press calf raises in comparison to one hour of stretching. Therefore, the so-called "stretch-induced force deficits" seem not stretch-specific, as they can also be induced via RT.…”

“…A 50 × 50 cm force plate, with a range of ±5000 N and a 13-bit Testing Procedure Prior to testing, a warm-up routine was performed using five minutes of ergometer cycling at 60 rpm. Afterwards, participants performed the maximal plantar flexors strength test, followed by the dorsiflexion (DF) ROM test with the extended knee joint and the knee-to-wall test (KtW) as a functional flexibility test [12].…”

P077 Upskilling rheumatology therapists in work rehabilitation: an evaluation of the Workwell training programme

“…Lastly, during our pilot testing, we observed that the vertical shin and neutral ankle angle adopted during the bilateral version of the SIPFT [11,[13][14][15][16][17]20] led to the ball of the foot being placed anterior to the contact point between the bar of the rig and the thighs. This is an issue when using single-axis-only force plates (i.e., those that record vertical forces only, which is typical of commercial-grade force plates), as the point of force application (i.e., the ball of the foot) is in front of the bar-thigh interface, which induces a large anterior-posterior force application that cannot be recorded with single-axis force plates.…”

“…Half of surveyed strength and conditioning coaches working in football use force plates to regularly assess the force-generating capabilities of their athletes [10]. Force plates have only been used to assess isometric plantar flexion force in studies published since 2022 [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Only one study involved football players and included the seated isometric plantar flexor test (SIPFT) to determine its reliability of quantifying peak force [20].…”

“…Despite the abovementioned limitations of the SIPFT protocol utilized by Rhodes et al [20], several other researchers have adopted a similar approach to assessing the isometric peak force capabilities of the plantar flexors [11,[13][14][15][16][17]19]. An alternative approach to conducting the SIPFT, whereby a novel device specifically designed to assess the isometric force capabilities of the plantar flexors was validated [18] and used to assess a large cohort of rugby players, was recently published, thus providing normative reference values [12].…”