What’s This Research About?
While passive stretching interventions increase flexibility for short periods of time (about 30 minutes), they do not appear to decrease risk of injury.
Lower limb injuries are common in athletes. A few of the contributing factors can’t be changed, such as age, gender and previous injury history. However, there are training factors that can be modified, such as altered neuromuscular control, altered muscle length-tension curve, reduced strength, and reduced flexibility.
The aim of this database review was to determine whether eccentric training programs, which increase flexibility in animal models, have measurable increases in flexibility compared to other (or no) methods.
TITLE: The Effects of Eccentric Training on Lower Limb Flexibility: A Systematic Review
PUBLICATION: British Journal of Sport Medicine
DATE: 2012
AUTHORS : Kieran O’sullivan, Sean McAuliffe, and Neasa DeBurca
1RM: In weight training a one rep max is the maximum amount of force that can be generated in one contraction.
Eccentric training: Strengthening the muscle as it lengthens.
Length tension curve: The curve that demonstrates the isometric force that a muscle exerts depending on its length.
Muscle fascicle length: Muscle fascicles are bundles of muscle fibers, usually measured by ultrasound- length refers to how long they are. Muscle fascicle length increases with resistance training.
Sarcomeres: The fundamental contractile unit of a muscle.
Sarcomerogenesis: The addition of sarcomeres in a series.
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