Acute and chronic effects of long term static streching exercises on performance

Although static stretching is generally used as part of a warm up before physical activities to promote better performances and reduce the risk of injury, there hasn?t been an adequate and common information about the effects of static stretching exercises on performance. The aim of this study is to examine the acute and chronic effects of static stretching exercises and the effects of acute stretching after long term stretching exercises on flexibility, sprint, jump and isokinetic strength performances.Thirty-four healthy young male (control group=19; stretching group=15) who didn?t participate in any kind of regular exercise routine, volunteered to participate in this study devoted to research aims. Familiarization about performance tests and stretching exercises was given to subjects before the starting of research. Knee range of motion, sit and reach flexibility, CMJ and SJ, 30 meter sprint, isokinetic strength tests were performed before and after each of stretching exercises to determine the acute effects and the effects of acute stretching after long term stretching exercises. Tests were also performed before and after six week static stretching exercises to state the chronic effects. Static stretching exercises were practiced a total of 6 week, as 30 seconds of exercise, 15 seconds of rest, 3 times in a week for only five muscle groups in the lower extremity.As a result of this study, static stretching exercises was found to hinder sprint performance but to have positive effect on knee range of motion, flexibility and no effect on CMJ, SJ and 600/sn, 2400/sn isokinetic strength performance as acute effects. According to chronic effects, the present study demonstrated that static stretching significantly increases body mass,fat free mass, circumferences of thigh, calf and flexibility performance but reduces % fat mass, fat mass and also 60o/sn, 240o/sn flexion-extension right-left knee isokinetic strength and sprint performance. Furthermore, there is an increase on knee range of motion, flexibility performances; a decrease on CMJ, SJ, sprint performances and no alteration on isokinetic performance as the effects of acute stretching after long term stretching exercises.