Revealed: The Most Common Stretching Mistake (Making Your Techniques Weaker!)

Flexibility Myth #1

We live in an incredible time of sports sciences. An age where technology and the latest research has enabled us to measure the tiniest details of an individual’s performance and track every slight movement during any event.

Whereas in the old days, recommendations for effectiveness were often based on anecdotes and hearsay from surly old ‘experts’, today we have the hard facts and figures backing up the claims, and revealing some surprising truths. Experts in the fields of sports science, psychology and kinesiology are now publishing strongly documented reports that indicate much of what we take for granted when training is actually outright wrong.

For example, it was recently revealed through large scale studies of athletes at several Universities, including Harvard, that running barefoot has significant benefits over using footwear of any kind. That’s right; those $200+ sneakers with air bubbles, ridges and suspension are statistically more likely to cause an injury to you than running around with your feet in the nude.

When running barefoot your foot strikes the ground in a more natural way. The toes splay correctly and the forefoot, instead of the heel, strikes the ground earlier, generating a better form and typically reducing the risk of injury.

Not surprising when you consider pre-historic humans did just fine running around without expensive Nikes.

Another field of study revealing surprising results is that of flexibility training.

Most of us have been doing the same type of limbering up since school. We’d stand in a cold field, and with no warm-up, start pulling our legs left and right while a sadistic gym coach prepares to force us on a freezing 6-mile run.

It’s a decades-old process ingrained into most people’s minds when it comes to stretching, but it turns out however that these static stretches, the type where you stand and slowly pull a limb until you meet resistance, are not only useless in warming up the muscles but actually reduces the strength of that muscle’s output for a short time afterward. This can be a major pitfall for athletes and fighters relying on kicking power.

A recent study carried out by the University of Nevada revealed that athletes produced less force from leg muscles after doing a series of static (traditional) stretches than if they had done no stretching at all. A number of other studies have revealed the same, showing that jumping straight into static stretches before an event can lead to up to a 30 percent decrease in muscle strength after stretching. These static stretches can even affect other limbs, reducing power and the ability of muscles to contract throughout the body for up to ten minutes after the stretch.

A “neuromuscular inhibitory response” is the culprit; effectively your body and muscles reacting negatively and resisting the static stretch. This early activation of the Myotatic reflex, before warm-up, causes inhibited movement and reduced range of motion. While you might feel more flexible initially, the actual muscular output is lessened and you’ve simply increased mental tolerance to the sensation.

Instead, all studies now point to Dynamic Stretching and whole-body Warm-Ups as the optimal way to prepare for activity.

Dynamic Stretching and Whole-Body Warm-Ups:

-        Increases blood flow.

-        Works full range of motion.

-        Increases power.

-        Improves flexibility

In fact, Dynamic techniques were shown in a recent CDC study to cut injury rates by around 50% compared with the alternatives.

Not Quite Down and Out

It’s worth remembering that static stretches aren’t completely without value. Sure they aren’t going to help you immediately before an event (in fact they can make things worse!) but they do have a place after exercise to help muscles remain loose, retain neural elasticity and ensure blood flow. This too is backed by numerous studies.

But what if you want to get the most from static stretches as part of your routine without losing power? Next I’m going to reveal a technique to maximize the benefits of these stretches and gain flexibility in minutes, not hours!