“How stretching 10-15 minutes a day can add tremendous benefit to your life forever”
-David Lawrence, CEO and Founder
The two things we lose as we age are strength and flexibility.
These two physical qualities have a tremendous impact not only on our athletic performance, but also our longevity and aging well. Most serious athletes understand the benefits of increasing their range of motion but to be honest, so few take advantage of improving this physical ability. Why? Because it is not perceived as “difficult” and if it’s not difficult it must not matter. This is where most athletes miss the “low hanging fruit” that could greatly benefit them for improving in their sport. But this has greater consequences for us “older athletes” like myself because we tend to be less pliable.
How stretching works – Stretching works on multiple facets of the human organism on both the nervous and muscular system.
The greatest effects happen within the brain and how it communicates with the other structures within the body. This is called the neurological response. When a muscle is stretched, sensory receptors called muscle spindles and the Golgi Tendon Organ (GTOs) detect the change in length and tension. They send signals to the spinal cord, triggering reflexive contraction that protects the muscles and tendons from overstretching. Holding a stretch for 30 to 60 seconds helps the nervous system override this mechanism, allowing the muscle to relax preventing excessive tension. This is called autogenic inhibition. And this is just one of three systems that stretching acts on.
The benefits of stretching are again multiple.
The first I would like to focus on is reduction of pain and stress management. Most of us deal with some sort of tension or stress in our life. Exercise and mobility work can greatly combat this. Stretching specifically can reduce muscle tension, increasing blood flow, and releasing endorphins which are natural stress relievers that can reduce pain and improve mood. Stretching has been shown to increase serotonin levels which is the “happy chemical” or neurotransmitter produced by the brain. Improving flexibility through stretching also promotes relaxation and can relieve muscle tension and soreness. This is a game changer when trying to wind down at night to induce a good night’s sleep.
Understanding the athletic ability continuum.
One thing I have learned is that almost everything in biology runs on a continuum. The same rule applies for athletic ability, health, and longevity. When entering the Olympics, athletes have been peaked to perform at their best, they usually enter the competition with their lowest body fat, perfected amount of muscle mass, optimal conditioning, and skill training for the event that takes place only one time every four years. The opposite end of the continuum would be someone who has minimal amount of strength and mobility – potentially bedridden and very ill. They have lost the physical qualities needed to live a normal healthy life. These are two extremes and opposite sides of the spectrum. While most of won’t be competing in the Olympics, all of us have or will fall ill to some degree or another. And potentially have our strength and mobility impeded.
How to move to the positive side of the strength and flexibility continuum [i.e. increasing your ability.]
In one word – training. Training improves the physical qualities in strength and flexibility no matter your current ability, age, or level of proficiency. I have trained and consulted for over 100 professional and Olympic athletes in my career as a strength coach and personal trainer. Most of the athletes I see; not all, but many are coming off an injury and potentially on the backside of their career. The “ability;” speed, strength, and flexibility that they used to have been now diminished because of poor training or some type of physical trauma which leads to pain. Once someone is in pain, ability is diminished, and that individual is now operating below their upper limit of potential. Good training improves range of motion, strengthens the various tissues of the body, and ultimately reduces and eliminates pain allowing the body to move closer to its upper level of ability. The needs to be the first step in training and it’s how we work with all clients at MECA. No matter if they are a professional athlete or haven’t stepped foot in a gym before. From there we build on this starting point and look to improve ability through increased levels of strength (load), exercise (complexity), and range of motion (flexibility).
Different types of stretches you can use and when to incorporate them. I believe flexibility work should be progressive in nature, meaning that you should be able to improve as you go. A good plan would incorporate multiple stretching modalities, but to make it simple start with one.
Static Stretching. Static stretching involves holding a stretch for a sustained period, allowing the muscles to relax and lengthen. I personally found that this type of stretching is easy for most people to do so they do it. To make it simple we pick 3-5 stretches that are held one minute each and we perform 3 rounds improve a little bit in our range of motion as we go. This can make a massive impact on performance, longevity, and pain management. This type of stretching is best done at night before bed or after a workout.
Dynamic Stretching. This is what we call our dynamic warm up. Its stretching through movement. This involves active, controlled movements through range of motion which helps prepare muscles for activity. Before every strength training session, we perform this warm up and it greatly enhances blood flow and activates the muscles for greater levels of motor recruitment.
PNF or Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation: This involves contracting and relaxing the muscles during a stretch to increase range of motion. This is one of the fastest ways to improve flexibility and if you have been stuck for a while it’s probably the best option. This technique leverages both the stretch reflex and the GTO response. The downside to PNF stretching is that with many of the stretches or positions you need an expert partner or therapist. Lucky for us in Michigan, we have Tri-Covery Massage and Flexibility who have an entire team that specialize in this unique stretching technique as well as individualized deep tissue sports massage. Many of the top professional athletes we work with also see Tri-Covery in conjunction in strength training with us.
Ballistic Stretching: Involves rapid, bouncing movements to force a muscle beyond its range of motion. This method in my opinion should be only done with more advanced trainees as it can be risky. I personally have found this to be very effective for me and I use this technique 2-3x a week. Dick Hartsell an P.E. teacher and coach from Youngstown, Ohio invented something called flex bands. His company called JumpStretch created a revolutionary way of training and stretching. You can buy his bands here.
Final thoughts: Most of us know that stretching is important and yet it is undervalued. For those of us who are looking to “age well” or improve sports performance, increasing range of motion and flexibility is non-negotiable. I think that stretching should be part of almost everyone’s daily activity in some capacity or another.
Cheat Sheet guide on stretching
Static Stretching: Best Before Bed 4-6x a week Link to MECA Stretch Guide
Dynamic Stretching: Best before physical activity like strength training or playing sports
PNF: Best 1-2x a week: Hire a good therapist from Tri-Covery Massage & Flexibility
Ballistic Stretching: Best before physical activity to increase range of motion
With Gratitude and Love,
P.S. If you know an athlete or a parent of an athlete who you think could benefit from
this article please feel free to forward it to them and share it!
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