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What Happens When We Stretch?
The stretching of a muscle fibre begins with the sarcoma the basic unit
of contraction in the muscle fibre. As the sarcoma contracts, the area of
overlap between the thick and thin myofilaments increases. As it stretches, this
area of overlap decreases, allowing the muscle fibre to elongate. Once the
muscle fibre is at its maximum resting length (all
the sarcomas are fully stretched),
additional stretching places force on the surrounding connective tissue As the
tension increases, the collagen fibre's in the connective tissue align
themselves along the same line of force as the tension. Hence when you stretch,
the muscle fibre is pulled out to its full length sarcoma by sarcoma, and then
the connective tissue takes up the remaining slack. When this occurs, it helps
to realign any disorganized fibre's in the direction of the tension. This
realignment is what helps to rehabilitate scarred tissue back to health.
When a muscle is stretched, some of its fibre's lengthen, but other fibre's
may remain at rest. The current length of the entire muscle depends upon
the number of stretched fibre's (similar
to the way that the total strength of a contracting muscle depends on the number
of recruited fibre's contracting).
According to SynerStretch you should think of "little pockets of fibre's
distributed throughout the muscle body stretching, and other fibre's simply
going along for the ride". The more fibre's that are stretched, the greater
the length developed by the stretched muscle. P.N.F. Stretching
PNF stretching is currently the fastest and most effective way known to
increase static-passive
flexibility. PNF is an acronym for proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation. It
is not really a type of stretching but is a technique of combining passive
stretching and isometric stretching in order to achieve maximum static
flexibility. Actually, the term PNF stretching is itself a misnomer. PNF was
initially developed as a method of rehabilitating stroke victims. PNF refers to
any of several post-isometric
relaxation stretching techniques in which a muscle group is passively stretched,
then contracts isometrically against resistance while in the stretched position,
and then is passively stretched again through the resulting increased range of
motion. PNF
stretching usually employs the use of a partner to provide resistance against
the isometric contraction and then later to passively take the joint through its
increased range of motion. It may be performed, however, without a partner,
although it is usually more effective with a partner's assistance.
Most PNF stretching techniques employ isometric agonist contraction/relaxation
where the stretched muscles are contracted isometrically and then relaxed. Some
PNF techniques also employ isometric antagonist contraction where the
antagonists of the stretched muscles are contracted. In all cases, it is
important to note that the stretched muscle should be rested (and
relaxed)
for at least 20 seconds before performing another PNF technique. The most common
PNF stretching techniques are:
The
hold-relax This
technique is also called the contract-relax.
After assuming an initial passive stretch, the muscle being stretched is
isometrically contracted for 7-15
seconds, after which the muscle is briefly relaxed for 2-3
seconds, and then immediately subjected to a passive stretch which stretches the
muscle even further than the initial passive stretch. This final passive stretch
is held for 10-15
seconds. The muscle is then relaxed for 20 seconds before performing another PNF
technique. The
hold-relax-contract This
technique is also called the contract-relax-contract,
and the contract-relax-antagonist-contract
(or
CRAC).
It involves performing two isometric contractions:
first of the agonists, then, of the antagonists. The first part is similar to
the hold-relax
where, after assuming an initial passive stretch, the stretched muscle is
isometrically contracted for 7-15
seconds. Then the muscle is relaxed while its antagonist immediately performs an
isometric contraction that is held for 7-15
seconds. The muscles are then relaxed for 20 seconds before performing another
PNF technique. The
hold-relax-swing This
technique (and a similar
technique called the hold-relax-bounce)
actually involves the use of dynamic or ballistic stretches in conjunction with
static and isometric stretches. It is very risky, and is successfully used only
by the most advanced of athletes and dancers that have managed to achieve a high
level of control over their muscle stretch reflex it is similar to the hold-relax
technique except that a dynamic or ballistic stretch is employed in place of the
final passive stretch.
Notice that in the hold-relax-contract,
there is no final passive stretch. It is replaced by the antagonist-contraction
which, via reciprocal inhibition serves to relax and further stretch the muscle
that was subjected to the initial passive stretch. Because there is no final
passive stretch, this PNF technique is considered one of the safest PNF
techniques to perform (it
is less likely to result in torn muscle tissue).
Some
people like to make the technique even more intense by adding the final passive
stretch after the second isometric contraction. Although this can result in
greater flexibility gains, it also increases the likelihood of injury.
Even more risky are dynamic and ballistic PNF stretching techniques like
the hold-relax-swing,
and the hold-relax-bounce.
If you are not a professional athlete or dancer, you probably have no business
attempting either of these techniques (the
likelihood of injury is just too great).
Even professionals should not attempt these techniques without the guidance of a
professional coach or training advisor. These two techniques have the greatest
potential for rapid flexibility gains, but only when performed by people who
have a sufficiently high level of control of the stretch reflex in the muscles
that are being stretched. Like
isometric stretching PNF stretching is also not recommended for children and
people whose bones are still growing (for
the same reasons. Also like isometric stretching, PNF stretching helps
strengthen the muscles that are contracted and therefore is good for increasing
active flexibility as well as passive flexibility. Furthermore, as with
isometric stretching, PNF stretching is very strenuous and should be performed
for a given muscle group no more than once per day (ideally,
no more than once per 36 hour period).
The initial recommended procedure for PNF stretching is to perform the
desired PNF technique 3-5
times for a given muscle group (resting
20 seconds between each repetition).
However, HFLTA cites a 1987 study whose results suggest that performing 3-5
repetitions of a PNF technique for a given muscle group is not necessarily any
more effective than performing the technique only once. As a result, in order to
decrease the amount of time taken up by your stretching routine (without
decreasing its effectiveness),
HFLTA recommends performing only one PNF technique per muscle group stretched in
a given stretching session.
How
PNF Stretching Works
Remember that during an isometric stretch, when the muscle performing the
isometric contraction is relaxed, it retains its ability to stretch beyond its
initial maximum length, PNF tries to take immediate advantage of this increased
range of motion by immediately subjecting the contracted muscle to a passive
stretch. The
isometric contraction of the stretched muscle accomplishes several things:
As explained previously it helps to train the stretch receptors of the muscle
spindle to immediately accommodate a greater muscle length. The intense muscle
contraction, and the fact that it is maintained for a period of time, serves to
fatigue many of the fast-twitch
fibre's of the contracting muscles This makes it harder for the fatigued muscle
fibre's to contract in resistance to a subsequent stretch. The
tension generated by the contraction activates the Golgi tendon organ which
inhibits contraction of the muscle via the lengthening reaction Voluntary
contraction during a stretch increases tension on the muscle, activating the
Golgi tendon organs more than the stretch alone. So, when the voluntary
contraction is stopped, the muscle is even more inhibited from contracting
against a subsequent stretch.
PNF stretching techniques take advantage of the sudden
"vulnerability" of the muscle and its increased range of motion by
using the period of time immediately following the isometric contraction to
train the stretch receptors to get used to this new, increased, range of muscle
length. This is what the final passive (or
in some cases, dynamic)
stretch accomplishes. Performing Splits
A lot of people seem to desire the ability to perform splits. If you are
one such person, you should first ask yourself why you want to be able to
perform the splits. If the answer is "So I can kick high!" or
something along those lines, then being able to "do" the splits may
not be as much help as you think it might be in achieving your goal. Doing a
full split looks impressive, and a lot of people seem to use it as a benchmark
of flexibility, but it will not, in and of itself, enable you to kick high.
Kicking high requires dynamic flexibility (and,
to some extent, active flexibility)
whereas the splits requires passive flexibility. You need to discern what type
of flexibility will help to achieve your goal and then perform the types of
stretching exercises that will help you achieve that specific type of
flexibility.
If your goal really is "to be able to perform splits" (or
to achieve maximal lower-body
static-passive
flexibility), and
assuming that you already have the required range of motion in the hip joints to
even do the splits (most
people in reasonably good health without any hip problems do),
you will need to be patient. Everyone is built differently and so the amount of
time it will take to achieve splits will be different for different people (although
SynerStretch suggests that it should take about two months of regular PNF
stretching for most people to achieve their maximum split potential).
The
amount of time it takes will depend on your previous flexibility and body
makeup. Anyone will see improvements in flexibility within weeks with
consistent, frequent, and proper stretching. Trust your own body, take it
gently, and stretch often. Try not to dwell on the splits, concentrate more on
the stretch. Also, physiological differences in body mechanics may not allow you
to be very flexible. If so, take that into consideration when working out. A
stretching routine tailored to the purpose of achieving the ability to perform
splits may be found at the end of this document. First of all, there are two
kinds of splits:
front and side (the
side split is often called a Chinese split).
In a Front split, you have one leg stretched out to the front and the other leg
stretched out to the back. In a side split, both legs are stretched out to your
side. A common problem encountered
during a side split is pain in the hip joints. Usually, the reason for this is
that the split is being performed improperly (you
may need to tilt your pelvis forward).
Another common problem encountered during splits (both
front and side) is
pain in the knees. This pain can often (but
not always) be
alleviated by performing a slightly different variation of the split.
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