Effects of dynamic and static stretching on vertical jump performance and electromyographic activity

The results of previous research have demonstrated that static stretching (SS) can reduce muscular performance and that dynamic stretching (DS) can enhance muscular performance. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of SS and DS on vertical jump (VJ) performance and electromyographic (EMG) activity of the m. vastus medialis. Eleven healthy men (age 21 +/- 2 years) took part in 3 conditions (no stretching [NS], SS, and DS), on separate occasions in a randomized, crossover design. During each condition, measurements of VJ height and EMG activity during the VJ were recorded. A repeated-measures analysis of variance and post hoc analysis indicated that VJ height was significantly less (4.19 +/- 4.47%) after SS than NS (p < 0.05) and significantly greater (9.44 +/- 4.25%) in DS than SS (p < 0.05). There was significantly greater EMG amplitude in the DS compared with the SS (p < 0.05). The results demonstrated that SS has a negative influence on VJ performance, whereas DS has a positive impact. Increased VJ performance after DS may be attributed to postactivation potentiation, whereas the reduction in VJ performance after SS may be attributable to neurological impairment and a possible alteration in the viscoelastic properties of the muscular tendon unit (MTU). This investigation provides some physiological basis for the inclusion of DS and exclusion of SS in preparation for activities requiring jumping performance.