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moderated by Chris Shugart
This article
originally appeared on www.T-nation.com
Last week in Part I the coaches
talked about stretching myths and how flexibility
affects muscle size and strength. This week they'll
delve even deeper into the subject, so warm up your
brain, do some dynamic stretches for the frontal lobe,
and dig in.
How should a person stretch before an athletic activity,
a sport, or really, really good sex? Does stretching
pre-sport differ from stretching pre-weight training?
Before sex, the only thing that you should
stretch is the front of your pants in preparation
for the activity ahead! Now, stretching pre-sport
shouldn't differ from stretching pre-weights. You've
heard it before: if you want to be flexible in motion,
you must stretch in motion.
Stretching is velocity
specific, so use that to your advantage. Hopefully,
everyone realizes by now that static stretching can
reduce strength. It can also decrease power output
by as much as 17% for up to 90 minutes. By that time,
the game or training session is over!
What do you think, Joe?
First, I gotta praise the benefits
of static stretching the hip flexors one more time.
Not only do flexible hip flexors help you get "deep
in the hole" while squatting, the same holds true
for really good sex! [laughing]
Okay, let me get my mind
out of the gutter and back to pre-event stretching.
First of all, I don't think the word "stretching"
should be the first thing to come to our minds when
we think about pre-event. The format I generally use
with my athletes before an athletic event or a conditioning
workout is as follows:
Phase 1: General Warm-up.
The first goal of your pre-event routine should
be to raise your core temperature with a general
warm-up. Bodyweight squats, jumping jacks, and various
forms of skipping are some common exercises. It's
important to increase core temperature before moving
onto the next phase of the warm-up. Remember that
as your body temperature increases, so does your
ability to produce force.
Phase 2: Mobility Drills.
Mobility training increases the blood flow to the
joints, lubricates them, and keeps their surfaces
smooth and healthy. I use either hurdle mobility
drills or ground-based mobility exercises during
this phase. The form of mobility training I choose
depends on what's more practical for the situation
or event.
Phase 3: Dynamic Flexibility.
Once the athlete's core temperature has increased
and the joints are lubricated, we move onto dynamic
stretches. It's important to start each dynamic
stretch with a limited range of motion and then
gradually increase the range. If you force a muscle
into a new range by building up too much momentum,
your dynamic stretching can backfire. This is because
forcing a muscle into an extreme range too quickly
will trigger the stretch reflex and your muscles
will contract instead of relax.
Phase 4: Frequency
Drills. Before moving into your competition or workout,
you want to excite your nervous system. I use exercises
or drills that are overspeed-type movements. Low
jumps in place for speed and quick steps are some
of my favorites.
Although this may seem
like a lot of work, it can be manipulated to suit
your needs. For example, college football players
I prepare for NFL workouts use a twelve-minute version
of this warm-up before their NFL auditions. This is
enough to prepare their bodies for a grueling workout,
yet it doesn't burn them out. On the other hand, I
can also expand this "warm-up" into a 45-minute killer
conditioning workout.
Good info! What's your pre-sport
routine, Don?
I start with a five to seven minute warm-up, then
dynamic stretching where we gradually increase the
range of motion with each rep. We use only sport specific
patterns. (That means prone trunk extensions
for sex in the missionary position!) Perform
three to five sets of 8 to 12 reps.
Back to the gym. We've talked
about stretching before lifting, but how about after
and during? Break it down for us please.
Generally speaking, I think that
people should warm-up properly before weight
training and stretch afterwards. Although I
sometimes perform PNF stretching during workouts on
my advanced athletes, stretching during your workouts
usually isn't practical for the average trainee.
As far as post-workout
stretching is concerned, I think that timing is everything.
None of my athletes stretch immediately after their
workouts. I stretched immediately after my workouts
for years and found it to be worthless. Immediately
after a workout, your muscles are engorged with blood
and your nervous system is fired up. It's almost impossible
to get a good stretch.
I have my athletes suck
down a post-workout shake the second the last rep
of their last set is completed. Most of my athletes
then go home and take a nap. That's the most important
thing to aid in your post-workout recovery. I have
my athletes perform a static stretching routine at
least three hours after they've completed their workout.
This gives the body time to "calm down," which will
lead to a more productive and relaxed stretch.
I like my trainees to perform movement-specific, dynamic
stretching pre-weight training and static or PNF stretching
on the tightest joints post-weight training. During
training is most variable and includes PNF or myofascial
release to gain proper exercise technique and even
weighted stretching to increase muscle mass.
What stretching-related problems
do you see the typical experienced trainee having?
The problems don't happen overnight,
but if he's inconsistent with his flexibility training,
many can arise. The three most common problems I see
are low back pain, shoulder problems, and an increased
incidence of sprains and strains.
When your hip flexors,
hamstrings, and gluteals become shortened, they create
a downward pull on your spine. This creates tension
and low-back pain. Most people then treat this problem
as a "bad back." Because they usually treat the problem,
not the cause of the problem, they end up living
an entire lifetime with their "bad backs."
Shoulder problems are
common because when people start to lift weights,
they're usually addicted to bench-pressing. They may
eventually throw in some lat pulldowns, but remember
that your lats, in addition to your pecs, are also
internal rotators of the humerus. Over time, the internal
rotators of the humerus become shortened as the external
rotators become stretched and weak. This inward pull
leads to poor posture and can cause shoulder problems.
One of the more common
problems is seen in the acromioclavicular joint. Once
again, instead of treating the actual joint, you should
treat the cause of the problem. I've had great
success by incorporating stretches for the internal
rotators while strengthening the external rotators
of the humerus.
I see problems mainly where "muscle boundness" and
stiffness influences joint mechanics. The regions
most affected include shoulder flexion flexibility,
internal shoulder rotation, wrist extension, and ankle
dosi-flexion.
Yes, in the Leighton study, strength
athletes had less flexibility due to increased muscle
mass in the shoulders and chest. This is common. Tight
calves and hip flexors are another issue where you
see many bodybuilders kissing their knees at the bottom
of a squat.
Also, a typical scenario
involves tight forearm flexors and huge elbow flexors.
This is quite evident during the front squat where
bodybuilders prefer to cross their arms in front of
them to support the bar rather than use an Olympic
style with the arms uncrossed.
How much does age affect stretching
and flexibility issues?
There's definitely a biological
decrease in natural flexibility as we age. A lifetime
of weight training and other physical activities causes
micro tears in our muscles. When these micro tears
heal, scar tissue is formed. The development of this
scar tissue pulls these tears together, which, over
time, shortens our muscles. If no flexibility or soft
tissue work is done, problems will undoubtedly occur
at some point in our lives.
And remember that muscle
tightness isn't the only problem to worry about as
we age. The stiffening of connective tissue is another
problem. Studies have shown that the elastin/collagen
ratio changes in favor of collagen as we grow older.
This decreases our joint flexibility as well.
But there's growing evidence
that the decreases in physical function we commonly
associate with age aren't entirely related to advancing
years. This decrease in flexibility and function can
be attributed to a sedentary lifestyle. I feel that
staying active may be our best line of defense against
this process. By taking care of your body with proper
flexibility training, soft tissue work and physical
activity, many of these problems can be dramatically
reduced or prevented.
Don, what do you think?
I believe age is the second most influential factor
next to training experience. Flexibility conditioning
can only minimally serve to rewind the fibrotic tissue
accumulation cause by disuse and aging. However,
regular full range exercise combined with flexibility
conditioning can virtually stop any future decline.
I agree, flexibility decreases with age and susceptibility
to injury increases. Studies show that flexibility
decreases 20 to 30% between the ages of 30 and 70.
As Joe said, collagen proteins become more cross-linked
as you age making connective tissue less flexible.
There's an increased amount of calcium deposits and
adhesions, and tissue begins to dehydrate. Keep in
mind that exercise helps decrease fibrosis of tissue.
Maximum flexibility seems to be reached between the
ages of 10 and 12 years.
How much of flexibility is genetic? If there
is a large genetic element, then how trainable
is it?
Flexibility definitely has a large genetic element,
just like everything else. We all know people who've
never paid any attention to stretching and they're
still flexible. On the other hand, there are people
who bust their asses to get more flexible and still
only have average flexibility!
I still feel that flexibility
is very trainable if people actually trained for it!
What I mean by this is, how many people actually train
for flexibility? I know a lot of athletes who'll spend
hours in the weight room and hours on the track, yet
their flexibility program is a post-workout afterthought.
These are the athletes who'll spend two minutes stretching
a couple of times a week and then claim they don't
have the genetics to become more flexible. This is
an excuse for being lazy. You wouldn't get stronger
if you only lifted weights for two minutes, three
times a week. Well, don't expect to get any more flexible
either!
You must be willing to
dedicate adequate time and entire sessions to flexibility
training if you want to see results. I think a combination
of static stretching, dynamic stretching, and mobility
training, performed at specific times, is the best
recipe for developing flexibility. If you're fortunate
enough to have a competent coach or therapist who's
skilled in PNF stretching, that should be incorporated
as well.
What's your take on genetics,
Don?
The articulating surfaces and joint structures are
genetic. Similar to tendon insertion placement, both
can be improved on but the rates and degrees of improvement
will vary. Gender plays a role too, with females tending
to be more flexible than males of the same age.
Good point about gender. Sum it all up for us, JP.
Flexibility is largely hereditary,
varies between individuals, and is influenced by training
history, age, gender, temperature, type of joint,
type of movement, type of sport, time of day, and
even breathing.
The body is a highly
adaptable organism. When you ask how trainable flexibility
is, it depends on the dose of the drug. Give a high
enough dose for a long enough time and eventually
you'll get the desired result even with poor genetics.
Okay, gotcha. But can you ever be too flexible?
Yes! There's an inverse relationship between
flexibility and stability. Being extremely stiff is
one thing, but going too far to the other extreme
can promote joint laxity and is also not desirable.
Optimum, not maximum, static and dynamic flexibility
is required for each joint.
I agree, you can be too flexible,
but this shouldn't deter people from stretching. I
say this because I've met lazy athletes who don't
work on their flexibility because they claim they
don't want to become too flexible. These are the same
athletes who aren't flexible enough to bend over and
tie their own shoes!
As if stretching a couple
times a week is going to turn them into contortionists!
This is equivalent to the fat aerobics instructor
who eats McDonald's every day, but she won't lift
weights because she doesn't want to get "big and bulky."
It's ridiculous.
The fact is, you should
try to achieve a level of flexibility that enables
you to feel good and optimally perform
your everyday tasks or your athletic event. Flexibility
can benefit everyone, but you don't have to take it
to the extreme. In other words, an NFL lineman shouldn't
try to achieve the flexibility of a 95-pound yoga
instructor.
With that being said,
I'd like to say that any football coach who has his
players doing yoga is a complete moron! Sorry, I had
to get that off my chest.
Agreed, you can definitely be too flexible. Hypermobility
increases joint laxity, decreases joint stability,
and can lead to permanent connective tissue deformation.
The rule is, only increase range of motion as necessary
for the activities being performed. If you're a golfer,
you only need optimal range of motion for golf, not
kickboxing.
Okay, some good info there. You guys may not have
agreed on everything, but you certainly cleared up
a lot of confusion. Thanks for helping out today.
I gotta go stretch!
is the founder of Alessi Personal Fitness Inc. and
the North American Training Certification Ltd. His
clients include various professional athletes and
a number of hotshot Fortune 500 executives. His specialties
are mass development and body transformation. For
information on a telephone consultation, e-mail him
at D_Strength@hotmail.com or visit his site
at AlessiFit.com.
training techniques have become a hot topic worldwide.
This did not happen by accident. The training programs
Joe develops and the athletes he produces speak for
themselves. You can learn more about Joe, his athletes,
and his techniques at http://www.defrancostraining.com/.
, B.Sc., C.K., P.F.L.C., is a certified
kinesiologist and professional fitness and lifestyle
consultant with a specialized honours Bachelor of
Science degree in Kinesiology and Health Science.
He owns and operates a private gym in Toronto, Ontario
providing training and nutritional consulting services.
For additional information, visit his website at http://www.bodyessence.ca/ or call 416-292-4356. John Paul also
has a DVD available with demonstrations of many types
of stretches. You can read more about it at his site.
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