Abstract

Twenty-three female and thirty-two male subjects were assigned to four different groups. One group consisted of female ballet-academy students who were trained in ballet for an average of six years and were evaluated on muscle flexibility before and after a stretching routine. The other (males) were randomly assigned to three different groups. All the male subjects were squash players who were playing squash for an average of 5,5 years and with an average frequency of 2,8 x per week. A group of 17 male subjects was evaluated on muscle flexibility before and after a stretching routine; a group of 14 male subjects was evaluated right after and 30 minutes after a squash game before which they had performed a stretching routine; a group of 15 male subjects was evaluated before and right after a squash game and these subjects did not perform a stretching routine. The results show that muscle flexibility improves significantly after a static stretching routine. 30 minutes rest after a squash game did not significantly reduce the gained muscle flexibility. A squash game by itself also improved muscle flexibility but not as much as a stretching routine would do. Verf.-Referat