STRETCHING CAUSES HYPERTROPHY

STRETCHING CAUSES HYPERTROPHY⭕️

Stretching muscles definitely increases muscular hypertrophy, whether we intend it as static, passive stretching or active and more “dynamic” like muscular contractions under load.

That of course, provided sufficient intensity of effort and progression over time.

Recent evidence has shown that static stretching can indeed cause significant increases in strength, hypertrophy and ROM, even though protocols… seem to be rather “brutal” in some cases (Warneke et al, 2022).

On the other hand, we also have emerging evidence showing benefits of training muscles at longer lengths (although not for every single one of them). (Maeo et al, 2022; Maeo et al, 2021 and more).

And on top of that, we also know that eccentric contractions, basically the lengthening phase (under load) of a contraction, shows greater hypertrophy when compared to concentrics alone.

And that’s likely because we can lift more, thanks to Titin, which, besides contributing to producing force by resisting fiber deformation, it is also believed to be one of the primary mechanosensors, which sense mechanical tension.

But what should we do to maximize hypertrophy?

While both strategies can work, it really comes down to… what you’re trying to achieve and how flexible you “need” to be for your goal.

Static stretches will certainly benefit trainees whose focus will require specific flexible skills, and indeed induce stretch-mediated hypertrophy, as well as a lot of other benefits for those who’ll train it.

Other pops may find it beneficial to restore movement and enjoy greater ROMs, perhaps following an injury, or what have you.

For bodybuilders, I believe it’s less important especially because most movements won’t need that much flexibility (and flexibility will still be trained via RT movements!) and because we still want to keep fatigue at bay, by minimizing the amount of fiber damage we experience, which is more pronounced following Eccentric Contractions.