The “Looseness” Factor in Speed and O2Consumption of an Anaerobic 100-Yard Dash

Abstract

This study tested the hypothesis that the “looseness” factor in sprint running would be enhanced through lessening the resistance of antagonistic muscles and/or their connective tissues by stretching. On the basis of this hypothesis, it was predicted that running times would be improved and metabolic cost reduced as the result of improving joint mobility through stretching. Static stretching was used as a warm-up procedure to allow evaluation of a relatively pure flexibility factor as a contributor to muscular efficiency or “looseness.” Four subjects each ran ten 100-yd. time trials anaerobically. Five trials followed no warm-up and five followed a period of static stretching. Respiratory gas samples were analyzed for gross and net O₂, CO₂, ventilation rate, and true O₂. Differences in running time and all respiratory measures were small in magnitude and none achieved significance at the .05 level.