There are many misconceptions in the fitness world particularly with regard to stretching. Perhaps some of the most pervasive are based on the idea that we have to physically lengthen the muscle, ligaments or tendons in order to improve our suppleness. However such thinking can be extremely counter-productive and may even lead to the destabilization of joints and over exposure to injury.
So what makes you unable to do splits? The answer is there are two factors - fear and tension. The muscles tighten up and resist lengthening.
The human body is a wonderfully adaptive organism. Based on our habitual movements the nervous system has set a favourite length for every one of our muscles. Whenever you reach too far compared to this default the STRETCH REFLEX is activated and it stops your muscles going further in order to protect us from over extending and injuring ourselves.
So its not short muscles and connective tissues that make you tight, its your nervous system. Our muscle fibres can be compared to telescopic tubes, with tension restricting the ease that they can be extended. Master the muscular tension and you can be as flexible as you want to be, no matter what your age!
3 simple steps to super flexibility
1 - Trick your muscles into relaxation using natural reflexes
All reflexes including the stretch reflex are automatic. However some reflexes are higher up the food chain than others. By utilizing these overriding reflexes we can inhibit the stretch reflex response allowing us to move further.
2 - Convince your nervous system that the new range of motion is safe
Once you have tricked your muscles into relaxing against their will stage 2 kicks in. Your stretch reflex will think “Hey, the muscle is longer but it hasn’t ripped in half! This isn’t as bad as I thought.”
This is where progressing at a conservative pace is crucial. Keep a sense of safety in your training so your nervous system stays relaxed and calm. If you don’t feel safe your muscles will not relax fully. Also building strength in the extended position will help your system to stay happy.
3 - Create the new habitual muscle length
New habits can be formed in two ways EXTENSIVE and INTENSIVE. Extensive learning is like memorizing your office phone number by dialling it a hundred times. Intensive learning is the instant number memorization of the cute girl/guy you just met at the party.
When applied to stretching extensive means holding the final stretched out position for as long as you can stand it. Regular repetition of this will reset the default length of the muscle. Intensive requires short but intense stimulation, utilizing strong muscular contraction and specific breathing patterns. For the most effective development of flexibility both extensive and intensive methods should be used.
Next article we’ll look at relaxed stretching methods in detail - until then,
skateGREAT!