Stretching – All about sport xlsport.club

Tight hips? Stretch them out! Shoulder pain? Stretch out those pecs. Bad ankle mobility? Give your calves a good stretch. You’ve heard this advice before. You’ve been told by a personal trainer, physical therapist, or internet “expert” that stretching is the ultimate solution to all of your musculoskeletal woes. Over the years, static stretching has been dubbed somewhat of a panacea for a myriad of aches and pains. While it can be beneficial in certain scenarios, there are also many instances in which it could actually be harmful – especially if you’re stretching a muscle group into oblivion and getting no relief. Whether it’s a warm-up, a cooldown, or mobility work, some people look for ways to throw stretches into every workout. Many will even use assistance: bands, weights, partners, you name it, anything to get a deeper stretch. Sure, they may feel relaxed in that position, but it may not be eliciting the effects they actually need. Does Static Stretching Increase Range of Motion? This is why a lot of lifters stretch. If you want to get a better squat, or move like a gymnast, surely you need to stretch, right? The short answer is yes, it helps, but only if you do it consistently. Static stretching is really effective at improving range of motion (ROM) acutely. If you stretch your hamstrings for 30-plus seconds, you’ll stimulate the central nervous system, which will allow you to ultimately achieve a greater range of motion. Doing this consistently will help your body feel safer in an end range, allowing the muscles to extend a little bit more. The downside? If you aren’t stretching regularly, those effects will be limited. And to expect someone to stretch 3-5 times per week in perpetuity seems unreasonable. So yes, stretching CAN help improve your ROM in the short term, but studies show it doesn’t last. Researchers tested a 6-week stretching protocol to see if it would create lasting adaptations in ROM after a 4-week cessation. In the first 6-weeks during the stretching protocol, the mean knee ROM increased by an average of about 10 degrees. Unfortunately, as soon as the participants stopped stretching, their ROM returned to their baseline scores (Willy et. al. 2001). As such, stretching is only effective insofar as someone does it all of the time. It’s effective for creating temporary changes in the central nervous system to yield greater muscle extensibility, but it isn’t the way to go if you’re looking for a more sustainable improvement. A Better Approach Slow eccentrics (negatives) are preferable to develop long-term changes in range of motion. Interestingly, a study showed that eccentric training of the hamstrings actually increased the fascicle length of the biceps femoris (Potier et. al. 2009)! Effectively, eccentric exercise altered the architecture of the muscle. This would likely create a longer-lasting change than simply stimulating the nervous system, which is what we see with static stretching. Controlled eccentric exercises done once or twice per week can yield some pretty incredible changes in the end range. Eccentrics also give the added benefit of building strength in a movement, which makes it preferable to static stretching. For example, I might have someone with tight hamstrings do tempo Romanian deadlifts with a pause. Take a look: This will create a tremendous stretch in the hamstrings under load. Simply control a movement on the eccentric or lowering phase for 3-6 seconds with a 1-3 second pause in the bottom. A few sets of this is enough to leave you sore for days. Additionally, you’ll find that they’re stronger at end range. Is Stretching Beneficial for Tightness and Pain? It seems logical to stretch an area that feels tight. Stretching the muscle will help it relax, right? Well, not necessarily. Tight muscles can occur in two different scenarios: a muscle can be tight and weak or tight and strong. While these instances seem to contradict one another, I’ll explain how that happens. Our bodies have many different strategies of compensation. In the first case, for example, you might feel tension in your hamstrings because you actually have extremely weak hamstrings (and typically a weak core as well). The hamstrings become tight as a means of protecting the hips. In this case, eccentric training of the hamstrings is again the perfect remedy. Barbell good mornings would be a great option for building your hamstrings. By strengthening the muscle in question, you can effectively get the central nervous system to relax and feel safe enough to contract that muscle. Static stretching would certainly not be beneficial in training a weak muscle. While it may provide acute relief, in a few hours the tension will likely return to its original state. Conversely, a muscle that’s tight and strong may be compensating for another weak area. Let’s consider the latissimus dorsi. Men often have extremely tight lats. It can get so bad that they’re unable to lift their arms all the
Origin: Stretching Gone Wrong

Mobility matters. As many experienced lifters have learned, mobility restrictions have harmful repercussions when neglected. But remember when “functional training” began to take off? What started off as a good thing quickly became a circus act. Unfortunately, a similar trend is emerging alongside the rise of mobility training. It’s getting a bit goofy. Your goals are probably simple: you want to build muscle, lose fat, get stronger, improve performance, and feel better. Unless you’re trying to become a yoga instructor or make it as a contortionist, you aren’t going to the gym with the sole intent of moving like Gumby. Within the context of training and performance, the only “mobility” that matters is that which has a direct transfer to what you do in the gym, on the field, or throughout daily life. If your mobility enables you to move well and stay healthy while getting stronger, it doesn’t matter if you can touch your toes or do the splits. Stretching and mobility drills have their place, but there’s more to it. The reality is, if you want to improve your mobility and overall function, strength training reigns supreme. Without it, any transient changes that coincide with other modalities won’t “stick.” Let’s Look at the Facts Strength training is superior to static stretching for improving mobility and flexibility. Don’t fall for the antiquated notion that strength training will make you stiff. The research is clear: stretching is not superior to lifting in terms of improving mobility and flexibility. A plethora of studies show that lifting heavy loads through a full range of motion (ROM) is more effective than any other modality for increasing “functional” ROM in the hips, shoulders, hamstrings, ankles, lats, pecs, etc. One study compared the effects of strength training to static stretching in relation to mobility/flexibility in the hamstrings, hips, shoulders, and knees. The researchers concluded that lifting exercises performed through a full range of motion “can improve flexibility as well as, or better than, typical static stretching regimens.” (1) Another study conducted on a group of elite judo athletes looked at the effects of a 12-week strength training program on ROM. It concluded that lifting weights led to significant improvements in mobility/flexibility at the shoulders, trunk, and hips. (2) Greek researchers looked at a group of men who trained with loads at 40, 60, or 80% of their 1RM or one-rep max. The results showed that higher intensities were linked with greater improvements in mobility/flexibility. That is, the men who trained at 80% of their 1RM were the ones who saw the greatest improvements. (3) Strength training improves your ability to stabilize and control newfound mobility. A dead man can do the splits. Flexibility isn’t a physical limitation; it’s a neuromuscular state that helps limit your movement to prevent injury. The feeling of being “tight” when you stretch doesn’t necessarily mean you need to work on your flexibility. In reality, the “tightness” is a byproduct of your nervous system interpreting the stretch as a potential injury, thus shutting the muscle down. When you perform loaded exercises through a full ROM with a controlled eccentric descent (the “negative”), you’re getting a functional stretch within a stable position. At the bottom of a squat, for example, the muscles of the lower body are lengthened to their most optimal position while tension is maintained. Unlike static stretching, which is often performed with shoddy technique and compensatory movement patterns, a loaded exercise forces you to control the entire movement without exceeding your body’s natural range of motion. When you increase passive flexibility via stretching without being able to stabilize or control that extra ROM, you’re risking instability at the joints and increasing your likelihood of injury. If a lack of mobility is problematic, hypermobility paired with instability is catastrophic. Individuals with hypermobile joints are better off taking a jackhammer to their knees than they are getting under a heavy bar. Strength training, especially when performed with an eccentric focus, allows your body to find the ideal balance of stiffness, stability, and mobility. Strength training increases muscle length. Stretching doesn’t. The mechanisms that improve mobility and flexibility as a result of strength training are vastly different than they are for stretching. The notion that stretching increases a muscle’s length is completely false. Stretching is akin to pulling on a rubber band. Sure, it lengthens when you apply tension, but it returns to its normal length when you let go. During a stretch, temporary improvements in flexibility occur primarily due to an increased stretch tolerance and a decreased pain signal associated with reaching a specific muscle length. It’s a neurological process. Nothing within the structure of the muscle actually changes. You’re simply able to stretch
Origin: Stop Stretching, Start Lifting