Forums > Social Chat > Stretching, does anyone know any good sites

Posted: 27th May 2002
I hope that this helps.

There are three kinds of flexibility:

Dynamic—The ability to perform dynamic movements within a full range of motion in the joints. High kicks are a display of dynamic flexibility.

Static passive—The ability to assume and maintain extended positions using your weight (splits), or using strength not coming from the stretched limbs, such as lifting and holding a leg with your arm or by other external means.

Static active—The ability to assume and maintain extended positions using only the tension of the agonists and synergists while the antagonists are being stretched. One example is lifting the leg and keeping it high without any support.

The principles of flexibility training are the same in all sports. Only the required level of a given kind of flexibility varies from sport to sport.

Flexibility training is speed-specific because in the muscle there are two kinds of stretch receptors, one detecting the magnitude and speed of stretching, the other detecting magnitude only. Dynamic stretches improve dynamic flexibility and static stretches improve mostly static flexibility, which is why it does not make sense to use static stretches as a warm-up for dynamic action.

Flexibility training is also joint-specific. One person may have great flexibility in some joints but not in others, some joints may have great range of motion in one plane of motion but not in all planes. Finally, flexibility training is position-specific. If you stretch lying down but display your flexibility standing up, your range of motion is going to be worse than if you stretched standing up (Breit 1977).

Dynamic stretching by using movements similar to the task—for example, leg raises before kicking, lunges before fencing, arm and racquet swings before playing tennis, done with gradually increasing range and speed of motion—facilitates neural pathways that will be used in the task. (Facilitates means “increases the excitability or receptivity of the neurons involved in the movements because of repetitive use or because of the accumulation of impulses arriving from other neurons.”) These movements of gradually increasing similarity in range and speed of motion require muscular contractions increasingly similar to those of the task (e.g., kick, fencing attack, serve). These contractions cause arterioles and capillaries in the working muscles to dilate in proportion to the force of contraction.

Static stretches do not facilitate these neural pathways, do not prepare the nervous system and blood vessels in the muscles for the dynamic task. You even sweat differently when warming up with dynamic actions than when doing static stretches. During dynamic exercises you sweat all over and your sweat is hot. During static stretching you sweat little, mainly on the face. This tells you that static stretching, such as attempting splits, is a poor warm-up. That takes care of the common misconception that sitting or standing in stretched positions, and attempting to do splits during a warm-up, improves one's range of motion for kicking. (In a future column I might address the misconception that static stretching before a workout prevents injuries.) Static stretches are most effective at the end of your workout, during cool-down

Referances

Breit, N. J. 1977. The effects of body position and stretching technique on development of hip and back flexibility. Dissertation for degree of Doctor of Physical Education. Springfield College

Kurz, T. 1990. Secrets of Stretching: Exercises for the Lower Body. Island Pond, VT: Stadion Publishing Co. Inc.

Kurz, T. 1994. Stretching Scientifically: A Guide to Flexibility Training. Island Pond, VT: Stadion Publishing Co. Inc.

Blessings to all,
Peter
When you find yourself in the company of a halfling and an ill-tempered Dragon, remember, you do not have to outrun the Dragon ...you just have to outrun the halfling.

Posted: 27th May 2002
thanks. but, i am looking specifically for diagrams i can print out.

Posted: 30th May 2002
Anyone?

Posted: 30th May 2002
John - I don;t know any sites, but I have an excellent yoga book. Covers all Asanas (stretching), Meditation positions, and pranayama.
Title: Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha
Publisher: Saraswati
I highly, highly recommend it to anyone & everyone. Amazon.com sell it, but it's not easy to get hold of.

[ 31 May 2002, 11:11: Message edited by: FireMorph ]

Posted: 30th May 2002
Thanks, but i need a website with some pictures on it, that i can print out.

otherwise i will be handing out hand scrawled drawings of stickmen stretching..

hmm.. maybe i could get a buddy with a digicam to take some pictures of me stretching..

hmm...

*walks away thinking*