flexible muscles, well stretched = better?
- Thread starter Karky
- Start date
well i was wondering more about the long effect of actually HAVING muscles that are flexible? only thing i flex before i work out is my legs, before i do squats, as ive been told to do so to strenghten the weaker muscles in my legs, as i cant go all the way down yet.
but back to the case, if i have flexible muscles, like i can do the splits and all sorts of things, is that a good benifit compared to someone who doesnt have flexible muscles?
but back to the case, if i have flexible muscles, like i can do the splits and all sorts of things, is that a good benifit compared to someone who doesnt have flexible muscles?
greater range of motion it can be good. unless you over estend beyound a safe point and injure yourself that way. it depends on the person. form etc. there alot of variables. but yes its good better??? i don't know depends on what your doing. i'm not real flexible (i don't think) but i have no trouble going ass to grass when i squat and i don't strecth out first. warm up yes stretch no . so you tell me..
That is a really good question to be asking, Karky. The standard issue trainer paradigm is that you have to stretch to prevent injury. This is untrue.
First, you bring up a very good point by asking what good it does you other than being able to do the splits. Exactly! If you don't need a certain ROM, then being overly flexible is a liability. Remember this little rule: You only want to be as flexible as you need to be. If you are more flexible than you need to be, you are vulnerable. The difference between your active and passive flexibility is your "flexibility deficit"... The greater the deficit, the better your chances for injury.
Second, the whole idea that you can "prevent" an injury somehow by being more flexible is a misnomer. I prefer the term "injury minimization". In a perfect world, a well trained athlete under the perfect conditions can injure himself. That is the nature of living in 3D... Chaos rules, and opportunities to injure ourselves are everywhere. By being unflexible or too flexible, you aren't guaranteed an injury either. It is not black and white. You are just vulnerable, and have more opportunities to hurt yourself, but you may still dodge that bullet for a while.
The best way to increase your flexibility is through active stretching, which means that you stretch using motion, preferably under a light load. This way you are only increasing the ROM that you can control. Passive flexibility is increased by static stretching, which only increases your tolerance to pain and also can deform the muscle fiber. This is done by pushing slightly beyond the level of comfort on a stretch and holding it for 30 seconds. Another form of active stretching is isometric holds, which force you to actively contract a muscle in a stretched state.
Incased within each muscle fiber is a tiny little string called a "spindle fiber". This little piece of important fiber is what determines how much the muscle and shorten or lenthen. If you want to increase the ROM that you can control, you don't want to hold this in a stretched position, but you want to "re-educate" it by actively loading it in a gradually increasing ROM. As Alwyn Cosgrove CSCS says, "you only want your body to know that its going to be X range of motion, and it's going to be heavy."
The best method I have found to date is a complex given to me by strength coach, Bill Hartman. He calls it "Rufus Complex". Start with a 45 lb bar, and do each exercise for 5 reps each, performing all of them back to back with no rest between exercises. This will serve a dual purpose, as it will jack up your nervous system, and get your heart rate up preparing you for the coming onslaught of heavy resistance. Here are the exercises I would perform. Some can be dropped if there is an injury, and you may want to add other exercises as well. Basically you are just trying to get your body to prepare for a wide variety of movements.
That's 75 reps total. I think Bill's version had more like 100, but this seems to cover everything I do in my training of myself and my clients. If there is some specialized area that I need to do an active stretch, I would suggest getting a foam roller and buy Bill Hartman's DVD. Bill is one of the smartest fitness professional I have EVER encountered (and I have met many, trust me). Most of the best advice I ever give, I learned from him. Although this video is marketed to the golf industry, it is not just for them. I use the exercises in that video in some form or another on all of my clients. You will also just gain a basic understanding of flexibility and how to attain it.
Hope this was helpful.
First, you bring up a very good point by asking what good it does you other than being able to do the splits. Exactly! If you don't need a certain ROM, then being overly flexible is a liability. Remember this little rule: You only want to be as flexible as you need to be. If you are more flexible than you need to be, you are vulnerable. The difference between your active and passive flexibility is your "flexibility deficit"... The greater the deficit, the better your chances for injury.
Second, the whole idea that you can "prevent" an injury somehow by being more flexible is a misnomer. I prefer the term "injury minimization". In a perfect world, a well trained athlete under the perfect conditions can injure himself. That is the nature of living in 3D... Chaos rules, and opportunities to injure ourselves are everywhere. By being unflexible or too flexible, you aren't guaranteed an injury either. It is not black and white. You are just vulnerable, and have more opportunities to hurt yourself, but you may still dodge that bullet for a while.
The best way to increase your flexibility is through active stretching, which means that you stretch using motion, preferably under a light load. This way you are only increasing the ROM that you can control. Passive flexibility is increased by static stretching, which only increases your tolerance to pain and also can deform the muscle fiber. This is done by pushing slightly beyond the level of comfort on a stretch and holding it for 30 seconds. Another form of active stretching is isometric holds, which force you to actively contract a muscle in a stretched state.
Incased within each muscle fiber is a tiny little string called a "spindle fiber". This little piece of important fiber is what determines how much the muscle and shorten or lenthen. If you want to increase the ROM that you can control, you don't want to hold this in a stretched position, but you want to "re-educate" it by actively loading it in a gradually increasing ROM. As Alwyn Cosgrove CSCS says, "you only want your body to know that its going to be X range of motion, and it's going to be heavy."
The best method I have found to date is a complex given to me by strength coach, Bill Hartman. He calls it "Rufus Complex". Start with a 45 lb bar, and do each exercise for 5 reps each, performing all of them back to back with no rest between exercises. This will serve a dual purpose, as it will jack up your nervous system, and get your heart rate up preparing you for the coming onslaught of heavy resistance. Here are the exercises I would perform. Some can be dropped if there is an injury, and you may want to add other exercises as well. Basically you are just trying to get your body to prepare for a wide variety of movements.
Hang clean (from thigh)
hang clean (from knee)
hang clean (from shin)
power snatch (may want to drop this one)
RDL
bent over row
front squat
shoulder press
push press
goodmornings
squat
lunge
side lunge
reverse lunge
crossover lunge
hang clean (from knee)
hang clean (from shin)
power snatch (may want to drop this one)
RDL
bent over row
front squat
shoulder press
push press
goodmornings
squat
lunge
side lunge
reverse lunge
crossover lunge
That's 75 reps total. I think Bill's version had more like 100, but this seems to cover everything I do in my training of myself and my clients. If there is some specialized area that I need to do an active stretch, I would suggest getting a foam roller and buy Bill Hartman's DVD. Bill is one of the smartest fitness professional I have EVER encountered (and I have met many, trust me). Most of the best advice I ever give, I learned from him. Although this video is marketed to the golf industry, it is not just for them. I use the exercises in that video in some form or another on all of my clients. You will also just gain a basic understanding of flexibility and how to attain it.
Hope this was helpful.
thanks alot jp 
now i know theres no reason for me to really stretch alot, maybe just a bit more until i can do full olympic style squats.
what about soreness the day after? stretching after you exersice, does that make you less sore the day after the workout? does it have any effect on recovery?
now i know theres no reason for me to really stretch alot, maybe just a bit more until i can do full olympic style squats.what about soreness the day after? stretching after you exersice, does that make you less sore the day after the workout? does it have any effect on recovery?
Be better to do the same movement that made you sore, with much less weight to increase the blood flow.
As you continue to lift, your ROM can lessen, so you may need to stretch more in the future. But it should just be a reaction to a limited ROM.
You can also stretch the antagonist muscles that you're working at the time to increase strength on a particular lift. Like stretching your bi's and back before benching.
As you continue to lift, your ROM can lessen, so you may need to stretch more in the future. But it should just be a reaction to a limited ROM.
You can also stretch the antagonist muscles that you're working at the time to increase strength on a particular lift. Like stretching your bi's and back before benching.
seriously? will that make my bench muscles stronger? cool
"Be better to do the same movement that made you sore, with much less weight to increase the blood flow." by that you mean active recovery right? say, i benched on thureday and i feel it in my chest muscles, if i do 2 sets of maybe 15 pushups now, would that help them recover faster?
"Be better to do the same movement that made you sore, with much less weight to increase the blood flow." by that you mean active recovery right? say, i benched on thureday and i feel it in my chest muscles, if i do 2 sets of maybe 15 pushups now, would that help them recover faster?
Not necessarily stronger, but able to do more weight on a particular lift.... and I was just throwing that info out there, not suggesting it. I don't think that's worth doing personally though. You might be able to put more weight on the bar, but since your antagonists aren't making you work as hard, you aren't actually doing more work right? So unless it's a competition and the weight on the bar actually matters, I don't see the point.
And yes, active recovery, but make sure it's very low intensity. Whatever exercises I did the day before, I do as part of my warmup.
And yes, active recovery, but make sure it's very low intensity. Whatever exercises I did the day before, I do as part of my warmup.
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