Why stretching fails and how to fix it
How to make your stretches work for you (Stretch Lab - Part 1)
Its’s not that static stretching is bad, but its results are just so inconsistent. What are these inconsistencies that limit our results? How do we regain normal function? To answer these questions we need to (1) uncover what traditional static stretching is trying to accomplish. (2) Discover what our end goal looks and feels like and then we can easily (3) fills the gaps to help us get where we are going. In this article I will explain how the exercise below has the elements that static stretching misses then finish by giving you the top 5 reasons you should do this stretch.
CLASSIC LOW BACK STRETCHES | INTRO TO STRETCH LAB
When we think of the standard low back stretches, what comes to mind? The toe touch. The hamstring stretch. This is probably the most common and for good reason. Why the toe touch though? Why is that the go-to? I think there a few great reasons actually.
THE GOOD: When one has back pain it is very common that the muscles of the back spasm, tighten up and over power movement to such a degree that forward bending becomes hazardous. So if one were to be able to touch their toes it would be a sign that the muscles were no longer seized, but could lengthen and yield like normal healthy muscles. The toe touch is one end point not the end game of restoring normal function.
WHAT MUSCLES ACTUALLY DO | RESTORING WHAT?
Normal functioning muscles really do two things. They can produce an overpowering force. Like creating enough force to open a door (or seizing up your back). Or they can yield. Like when you quietly close the door (or when you sigh in relief). People with muscular pain are often “stuck” with their muscles in the overpowering phase which can severely limit their freedom of movement.
This is what static stretches like the toe touch are trying to accomplish. It’s slamming the yield side down in hopes that the muscle will stay in that relaxed state. So why is it so hard to maintain this relaxation?
WHY STRETCHING FAILS
THE BAD: How do you keep this yielding that we achieved by lengthening the muscles? Because it seems that once I finish the stretch and returned to normal positions the tension (overpowering state) of the muscle returns. Unless you’re prepared to endure more tension for more time then it’s hard for adaptation to occur and you will lose your stretch. Won’t it always go back? Knowing this, what can we do?
HOW TO MAKE YOUR STRETCHES LAST | STRETCH LAB 101
When it comes to restoring normal function “It’s about the journeying, not the destination”. Health is a process, an action word that must be unfrozen. Let me explain what I mean.