Fascia is tough connective tissue and some experts believe it may limit muscle growth by reducing the ability of muscles to expand.
We don’t know for sure if this happens in humans but it merits more research.Īnother theory is that stretching boosts muscle hypertrophy by loosening up the fascia that surrounds the muscle. But, remember, evidence that stretching turns on mTOR is mainly in animals. So, if stretching activates mTOR, it’s a positive for muscle growth. When you strength train and consume amino acids, particularly branched-chain amino acids, it powers up the activity of mTOR and this pathway helps with muscle repair and muscle protein synthesis. If you’re not familiar with the mTOR pathway, it’s the “head honcho” in terms of muscle growth because it turns on muscle protein synthesis. One study found that stretching increased the activity of protein kinase that interacts with the mTOR pathway. How Stretching Boosts Muscle SizeĬan you boost muscle growth by stretching between sets? It sounds intriguing, but how might stretching boost hypertrophy gains? It’s not clear, but there are some keys from animal studies. In fact, one of the quad muscles, the vastus lateralis, experienced substantially greater hypertrophy in response to static stretching between sets.
REST TIME BETWEEN SETS HYPERTROPHY FULL
The rest period between sets was 90 seconds with the conventional strength training group resting the full 90 seconds while the second group doing static stretches for 30 seconds of the 90 second rest period.ĭid stretching make a difference in muscle growth? When the researchers measured muscle hypertrophy for the two groups of strength trainers, they found that hypertrophy was greater in the group who did static stretches during the rest period between sets. Each group trained twice per week for 8 weeks and completed 8 to 12 reps. The other group did the same strength training sets, however, they replaced some of the rest time with static stretching between each set. The strength exercises included hamstring curls, quad extensions, seated rows, bicep curls, and triceps extension. One group did a conventional strength-training routine that included upper and lower body strength-training movements with a rest period between exercises, the routine most people do. What a Study Showed about Stretching Between Setsįor the study, researchers divided a group of healthy, untrained individuals into two groups.
It could change your mind about stretching during a workout. The stretching can wait until later! But before dismissing stretching during a workout, let’s look at what research shows about stretching and muscle hypertrophy. These are all reasons to stretch once a workout is over, but what about stretching between resistance-training sets? Stretching between sets might sound counterproductive, after all, you’re training to build strength and muscle size.
Plus, it feels good too! Who doesn’t enjoy a slow stretch at the end of a workout? It’s a chance to unwind and reward yourself for a job well done. Stretching is something most people do after a strength-training workout to lengthen tight muscles, improve joint flexibility, and help overworked muscles relax.
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