A recent study on stretching showed that those who regularly stretch can make some impressive strength gains even without weight training.
Muscle Stretching Study
32% average strength gains, a 7% increase on a vertical? Those are things that should get the attention of all athletes.
The study is just one study, was done on sedentary people and not active trainers, and so it is a bit limited. You can bet with the results found on rats and now this one human study, there will be more studies to come and muscle building stretching may become a hot topic in a few years time.
As of now, stretching isn’t exactly a high-priority among lifters looking for muscle gains. Just maybe it should be.
In reviewing all of the current muscle building programs out there, only Vince Delmonte seems to be putting an emphasis on stretching and flexibility (see my review of Delmonte’s No-Nonsense Muscle Building).