STRETCHING The forgotten workout

Benefits of Regular Stretching Maintain optimal joint range of motion Prevent injury Optimize sports performance

Stretching Physiology-What Happens When you stretch? As sarcomeres lengthen, muscle spindles (also called stretch receptors) lengthen also This triggers the “stretch reflex”, causing the muscle motor unit to fire, in turn causing contraction of the stretched muscle – Simultaneously, reciprocal inhibition relaxes opposing muscle groups – These autonomic reflexes are there to protect you from stretching too far and potentially tearing soft tissue When tension in a stretched muscle reaches the tendon, a 2 nd proprioceptor (golgi tendon organ) triggers a message to the spine to initiate a lengthening reaction, thus suppressing the stretch reflex

Types of Stretching Ballistic -“bouncing” stretches use the momentum of the moving body segment to produce the stretch. Dynamic - slow movement stretching involves a gradual transition from one body position to another, and a progressive increase in reach and range of motion as the movement is repeated several times.

Types of Stretching Static - involves slowly stretching a muscle/tendon group and holding the position for a period of time (i.e., 10–30 s). Static stretches can be active or passive. – Active static stretching involves holding the stretched position using the strength of the agonist muscle as is common in many forms of yoga. – Passive static stretching involves assuming a position while holding a limb or other part of the body with or without the assistance of a partner or device (such as elastic bands or a ballet barre).

Types of Stretching Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) – 2.5 times more effective than normal static stretching – Three step process Stretch is held for 10 seconds Hold(resist the stretch) for 6 seconds or concentrically contract the muscle being stretched Stretchee then relaxes and passive stretch is then held by partner for up to 30s with greater ROM – Three typical types Hold-Relax Contract-Relax Hold-Relax with Antagonist contraction Active Isolation – Mattes Method – Similar to PNF but uses rhythmic antagonist contraction during the stretch which is only held for 2 seconds – There is no pre-stretch – Very light pressure is used (1 pound) – Joints return to relaxed position after each 2 second stretch – Repeated up to 10 times with increased ROM

How long should I hold a stretch? ACSM recommends a total of 60 s – Example: Four 15 s stretches, 10 s in between Other methods may be less – Active Isolation (10 – 2 s holds) Others may be more – Relax Into Stretch (Pavel Tsatsouline) says stretch as long as you can to ensure full relaxation of the stretching muscle

How often should I stretch? The ROM around a joint is improved immediately after performing flexibility exercise and shows chronic improvement after about 3–4 wk of regular stretching at a frequency of at least 2–3 times ∙ wk −1. Daily is most effective

When should I stretch: before or after exercise? Stretching exercises may result in an immediate, short-term decrease in muscle strength, power, and sports performance, with the negative effect particularly apparent when strength and power is important to performance. Dynamic stretching is preferred before performance events Static stretching is best done after exercise