Although not everyone agrees about when to stretch, how long to stretch or what to stretch, most people include stretching as a regular part of their exercise routine. Research has shown that flexibility and range of motion decrease as we age. Regular stretching has a number of benefits, including increased range of motion, reduced muscular tension and increased circulation. But could there be another way to improve flexibility without having to stretch? New research shows that something else can help improve flexibility just as much- if not more- than stretching. What is it? Surprisingly, the answer is strength training. The study was presented at the American College of Sports Medicine's annual meeting. 25 college-age volunteers were separated into two groups for a 5- week strength training or stretching program (which both focused on the same muscle groups.) A third control group engaged in neither kind of exercise. According to the research, "Tests of flexibility and strength at the end of the five weeks showed: • Both stretching and strength training performed equally well at improving hamstring flexibility, and both were superior to no exercise. • Resistance training was superior to no intervention at improving hip flexibility, but stretch training was no better than doing nothing. • There were no differences between the groups when it came to shoulder extension flexibility. • Resistance training was superior to no intervention at building knee strength." In short, the result showed no statistically significant advantage of stretching over resistance training. It's important to note that this was a small study, and the findings are preliminary. That means they have yet-to-be published in any peer-reviewed journals. Certainly more studies will follow that can either refute or validate the results of this research. What do you think? Do you enjoy stretching? Would you continue to stretch regardless of what the research says? |
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