It’s a widely held belief in the fitness community that strength training causes a loss in flexibility. Martial artists, divers and dancers—people whose performance depends on flexibility—have thus tended to avoid strength training. Even athletes in sports that require less flexibility have tended to avoid strength training for fear of becoming “muscle-bound,” even though increased strength could improve their performance in their chosen sport.
There has been relatively little scientific research into the issue, and the concept of “muscle-boundness” had been left untested largely unchallenged until the late 1980s, when a study was published that shows strength training does not cause a loss of flexibility. If you’ve been following sports for a long time, you may have noticed the impact of this and other studies. While the notion might still be believed at your local gym, professional athletes ranging from basketball players to golfers and yes, even martial artists, divers and dancers—have taken to weight training to improve their performance. Compare, for example, the muscularity of today’s basketball players to those skinny guys in short-shorts from the 70s.
In the study, researchers tested 13 male college students for flexibility in shoulders, trunk and ankles, and for strength in all major muscle groups. The subjects then participated in an eleven week strength training program for all the major muscle groups. They were taught correct lifting technique, with an emphasis on performing each exercise through the full range of motion. Subjects were increased to train aggressively, increasing the weight they used in their training sessions as rapidly as they were able to.
After twenty-nine training sessions over the course of eleven weeks, the subjects’ strength and flexibility were tested yet again. Subjects, not surprisingly, demonstrated strength increases for each and every exercise they performed. More surprisingly, the subjects also showed increases in flexibility for all joint actions measured. It also showed significant increases in flexibility for two of the joint actions measured. The authors concluded that use of a properly performed weight training program not only does not decrease flexibility, it may in fact increase it.
It is worth noting that the experiment did not take note of whether the subjects consciously or unconsciously stretched on their own. Any stretching they may have done would blur the distinction as to whether the gains in flexibility are attributable directly to the weight training or these gains were caused by undocumented stretching on the parts of the study participants. However, even if the additional flexibility is not a direct result of the strength training, the study clearly indicates that fears of muscle-boundness are unfounded. Strength training, at least, does not inhibit flexibility. These days, top athletes know that. Tiger Woods trains with weights. There is no one currently active in the NBA who does not train with weights. Olympic divers have been known to train with weights. Even some dancers are starting to train with weights. Hopefully the knowledge will trickle down to local gyms and high school sports teams soon.
September 16, 2008
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