Discussion Board

To read this article in its entirety, click HERE >>>


April 28, 2011

Stretching: Why you don't want to phone this one in

I fell off the deck.

Not today - no need to rush to emergency with flowers and treats, not that I wouldn't enjoy that

It was a couple of years ago. We were laying down new deck boards. Our deck is high off the ground. It's more like a platform in the woods. You know, don't fence me in. I was nudging closer and closer to the edge until finally I went one step too far and...over I went, smack dab into the dirt and tree stumps below.

My instinct was to tuck and roll, go with it and hope for the best.

Luckily my flexibility allowed me to do just that. The tuck and roll trick I'd learned in judo class in college that never left me and serves me on falls and bloopers to this day. And my sustained yoga and stretching practices kept me more bendy than I would have been without them. It saved me arse.

Why Stretch? When?

Make no mistake. Stretching and staying flexible are important components of fitness and well being. And believe it or not, critical for top-notch body shaping.

After all, what's going to save you in a fall if not your ability to bend, reach, and otherwise go with the flow?

So, when is the best time to stretch? Have you heard conflicting advice about stretching before or AFTER a workout? I know I have.

There are two central issues to consider when approaching flexibility training via stretching.

These two highly related issues are:


1. Thermo-Elasticity, and

2. The Stretch Reflex

Stretching protocol

The practice I have followed personally and in coaching and training is to follow this protocol to enhance your flexibility via stretching:

1) perform light activity to warm the muscles

2) proceed to more intense activity, depending on your goals for that particular training session (1.e. strength or endurance)

3) decrease exercise intensity as needed at the end of the intensity phase (#2 above)

4) proceed to stretching, or muscle elongation.

These considerations are essential for not only enhanced flexibility, but injury prevention as well.

The science of the stretch...For the rest of this article, click HERE>>>>


Salud!
Lani

I've read foam rolling the muscles is a great addition to stretching. Do you have an opinion on it?

Michael

Hey Michael,

Rolling the muscles - as in massage?

Lani

I am interested in increasing my flexibility and your response in this post answers one of my questions about when to stretch. Regarding how vigorous to stretch, once the muscles have been warmed up, do you recommend using aids to increase stretching (such as pulling on ropes or rubber tubing around your feet from a standing or sitting position, or having someone help gently push on you?) I am just not sure how far to go to increase my flexibility. I currently cannot touch my toes, but I am getting a little closer on my own with daily stretching without the use of any aids.

Rijman,

I like to remind people that flexibility refers to the total range of motion of a joint or group of joints. It differs from one person to the next. It differs from one joint to the next, too. The characteristics of the joints, including their structure as well as the mechanical properties of the connective tissues have a great impact as well on the extent of movement around any joint.

There are 4 kinds of stretching: passive, ballistic, static, and pnf (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation), which I am becoming quite fond of. With pnf, you can use a tool such as strap or belt to stretch a muscle to the edge of its range, hold a few seconds, and then, to help the muscle release for more stretch, you fire it up by contracting the muscle concentrically, hold that for 8- 10 seconds, release and then stretch again. It has fired up the muscles in a way that curtails action of the stretch inhibitors. So for example, if you were stretching your hamstrings with a held over the arch of the foot and straight leg in the air, you would stretch it to its edge, then after a few seconds contract the muscles as if to pull the strap away from you with your leg, then release and gently stretch again. Try it and you'll see what I mean.

Static stretch would just be holding the stretch with the strap as described above.

Both of these are safer than passive (someone else pushes or pulls you into position) or ballistic (bouncing and pulsing into a stretch).

The point of all of this is you can use a variety of methods, yet play safe, be sure that the muscle fascia is warm, and if you are tight in the stretch, implement some pnf and it will cause some release. Stretching may be mildly uncomfortable but it should not hurt. And if the muscles start to 'shake' on a stretch, that means you have invoked the contraction reflex and are working against yourself.

Lani

Thank you, this information is very helpful. My main purpose is to regain flexibility for my neglected golf swing. I have started practicing again and I noticed I have lost quite of bit of distance and I lack the range of motion I remember having. Because I exercise everyday lately, looking for physical and mental benefits, I started taking advantage of the opportunity to stretch afterward.

We use our foam roller for massage. It's works really well on sore muscles, and great for those muscles you can't reach like the back.

Greentea, there is evidence that massage for the muscles increases relaxation, decreases tension, and causes an increase in blood supply to the muscle. These benefits prime the muscle to relax into a stretch.

One way in which this works is that massage is a powerful way to move the lymphatic fluid as well as 'knots' in the muscle, which are often a gathering of fluid around muscle fibers.

Lani