The Effect of Static and Dynamic Stretching during Warm-Up on Running Economy and Perception of Effort in Recreational Endurance Runners

Emanuela Faelli, Marco Panascì, Vittoria Ferrando, Ambra Bisio, Luca Filipas, Piero Ruggeri and Marco Bove
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Emanuela Faelli: Section of Human Physiology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Università degli Studi di Genova, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Marco Panascì: Section of Human Physiology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Università degli Studi di Genova, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Vittoria Ferrando: Section of Human Physiology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Università degli Studi di Genova, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Ambra Bisio: Section of Human Physiology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Università degli Studi di Genova, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Luca Filipas: Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
Piero Ruggeri: Section of Human Physiology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Università degli Studi di Genova, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Marco Bove: Section of Human Physiology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Università degli Studi di Genova, 16132 Genoa, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-12

Abstract: This randomized crossover counterbalanced study investigated, in recreational runners, the acute effects of pre-exercise stretching on physiological and metabolic responses, endurance performance, and perception of effort. Eight male endurance runners (age 36 ± 11 years) performed three running-until-exhaustion tests, preceded by three warm-ups, including the following different stretching protocols: static (SS), dynamic (DS), and no-stretching (NS). During the SS and DS sessions, the warm-up consisted of 10 min of running plus 5 min of SS or DS, respectively, while during the NS session, the warm-up consisted of 15 min of running. Physiological and metabolic responses, and endurance running performance parameters, were evaluated. The perception of effort was derived from the rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Running economy significantly improved after SS ( p < 0.05) and DS ( p < 0.01), and RPE values were significantly lower in SS ( p < 0.05) and DS ( p < 0.01), compared to NS. No differences in physiological and metabolic responses among the sessions were found. This study showed that including SS and DS within the warm-up ameliorated running economy and decreased the perception of effort during a running-until-exhaustion test, highlighting the benefits of stretching on endurance performance. These results should encourage recreational runners to insert stretching during warm-up, to optimize the running energy costs, reducing the perception of effort and making the training sessions more enjoyable.

Keywords: stretching; warm-up; time to exhaustion; rate of perceived exertion; running economy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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