Is there literature covering the relationship between stretching and strength?

[Aaron Wilson]

There's a lot of science that's been done out there on the relationship between stretching and strength, when it's contra-indicated, when it's not, that sort of thing. I know that the GB coursework emphasizes mobility and stretching ("liquid steel™", etc), but I was wondering if the community has any ready links to the literature that helps define the relationship between mobility and strength, when stretching might decrease performance, when it might increase it, and so on?

[Alessandro Mainente]

http://images.slideplayer.com/15/4594241/slides/slide_21.jpg

 

I think that this link clearly expose the fundamental law about length - tension relationship.

Independently on your actual level of muscles length you can show 3 points:

a-optimal length for maximal force production

b-length where no overlap exists and this is not the optimal length 

c-overlaps already completed

 

condition A it is what you are searching for.

on condition C notice that as you move on the left (point that corresponds to % of elongation that are lower than optimal) you cannot express the maximum tension . of course at certain level the body will compensate with muscles size and nervous stimuli but it is not infinity compensation. dependently on the percentage of 1RM you are using you obtain more intermuscular coordination or more intramuscular coordination, all depends on neural factors. btw when neural factor ends, you start to stall on your progress.

On other condition like b) you are in the situation as the end of a intense stretching session. here there is an important latency on time required to perform the contraction. the latency is the major cause of retarded muscles strength.

 

if you assume that a "tight"people starts from the left he needs year to develop the % of length that correspond to 2.25um. this % cannot be improved to infinite, the limit correspond at the point where you can reach certain level of poses accordingly to you genetic joint mobility limits.

My friend physio told me that the optimal joint mobility range to correctly express the maximum efficiency for muscles strength it is the ROM you can show at 5-6 years old.

 

I think that this is a little piece of science enough to show the importance of mobility. and this is only the first part of the puzzle.

[Aaron Wilson]

Interesting. Do you have links to the studies referred to by that image? I'd be interested in reading the context