The stupidly simple reason why your stretching exercises don't work
The stupidly simple reason why your stretching exercises don't work
Working out and exercising in school was simple. If the physical education teacher told you to strap on your tiny little shorts and touch your toes and swing your arms around like a monkey, you did it. Because they knew more about stuff than you.
But now it’s not so simple.
Everyone is a health and fitness expert (especially the ones that aren’t), and a quick google has us questioning the advice of ev-ery-one, and rightfully so.
But how do we know who is right?
Stretching is one of these topics that has fallen under the dark veil of interweb confusion and opinion, which ranges from research article quotes on stretching reducing performance, to the “I don’t like stretching so you shouldn’t do it," crowd.
Then on the other hand we have yogi’s and physical therapists telling us we should stretch and improve range of motion, yet the fact that it doesn’t really seem to work to improve injury prevention and performance, means something is seriously messed up on this whole crazy shebang.
But what if we recognised that stretching isn't the problem, but rather, our approach to it.
I’ve spoken a lot about why stretching should be specific and outcome based, but here I want to talk a little more about why the way we are doing stretching is failing us.
What does stretching do?
Another grey area in stretching is that we still don’t really know what it does. The most popular theories are based around stretching mainly having an impact on the nervous system, sending us signals to chill the muscles out a bit so they can stretch further. This seems pretty solid, but there is also some emerging evidence of potential for structural change as well. Either way, let’s assume for now, that stretching as we have been approaching up until now, is temporary. You might be throwing parties at yoga that you touched your toes, but when the Saturday morning hangover kicks in, you’ll be lucky to let your twinkling fingers kick in a breeze over your little piggies.
It’s not that stretching doesn’t do anything or create change. It’s the fact that we don’t have a strategy to make that change last beyond a few hours when our previous range of motion takes over during our regular activities.
In the Not Really Yoga system, we don’t believe in “general stretching” and create targeted routines, that incorporate an integration strategy that ensures lasting change as the result of a stretching or flexibility session.
How to make stretching exercises last
One of these strategies is a concept I borrowed from my time learning the functional range conditioning (FRC) system, as well as previous yoga techniques and strength training.
In FRC this is known as PAILS and RAILS, and why isn’t the focus here. Whats important is that we have a strategy to teach our nervous system to understand how to use the new range of motion you have temporarily acquired, and make it part of your new movement patterns.
Without going into a step by step process, the chunky part of the info is that the strategy involves contracting the opposing muscle groups in the new range of motion so that we learn how to use this range. An example is obviously helpful here.
The technique to make stretching exercise last
Lets say the 90 minute yoga class you took this morning saw you reach a new range of motion with your hands on the floor in a forward fold. This is at least a solid 100 degrees of hip flexion, but I would bet that you struggle to stand and lift your straight leg anywhere near that range. As an example, if you were to stand next to a table at just above hip height, would getting this range in the forward fold yoga stretch, mean you could lift your leg up high enough to place your foot on the table. Nearly always, the answer is no.
What is needed is a strategy to contract the muscles that perform the lifting action (quads/hip flexors), in the new range of motion that has been gained in the hamstrings, essentially allowing the body to use the new range of motion.
This is as simple as performing some contract/relax type stretches in a seated forward fold, or leg up against the wall, and then contracting the quad to actively lift the leg up.
This teaches the body to utilise the new range of motion, and follow this up with some exercises that allow to use the new rage of motion in your chosen activity or exercises, and you are on a surefire course to making your stretching last, rather than a short term fizzle.