Strength recovery patterns following exercise with an imposed myotatic stretch.

An investigation was conducted to determine the effects of isometric exercise with an imposed myotatic stretch on the resultant pattern of strength recovery in trained and untrained subjects. Thirty 5-second maximal isometric contractions were administered to 12 trained and 12 untrained men with an intertrial interval of 10 seconds. On one day a 1-second stretch was delivered during each 5-second trial, while on another day, only isometric exercise was performed. Results showed that the pattern of strength recovery over the 10-minute recovery period was similar for both groups and both exercise conditions. However, during the first minute of the recovery period, the imposed stretch exercise resulted in a much faster rate of strength recovery than isometric exercise. It is concluded that the recovery of maximal isometric strength can be altered with the type of muscle contraction involved in the exercise task.