Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute effects of passive static stretching and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation applied in antagonist muscles (shoulder horizontal adductors) in inter-set rest period on repetition performance and muscle activation. Methods: Fifteen (n = 15) resistance trained men completed three different protocols on wide-grip cable row exercise: traditional set - one set repetition to failure on cable row; antagonist static stretching - 40 s of static stretching on horizontal adductor muscles before each set of cable row; antagonist proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation - 40 s of contract-relax stretching was applied on horizontal adductor muscles before each set of cable row. Electromyographic signal of latissimus dorsi, pectoralis major, triceps brachii and biceps brachii were recorded. Results: Higher numbers of repetitions were found in static stretching protocol compared to traditional set and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation protocols for all sets (P < 0.05), respectively. Latissimus dorsi activation was higher over the three sets for static stretching and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation protocols when compared to traditional set. Conclusion: The antagonist static stretching applied in inter-set rest period may induce a potential effect on repetition performance and agonist muscle activity when compared to traditional set condition.
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