Improve your static stretching fast
There are a number of different schools of thought
regarding how to improve flexibility and the specific stretches involved but
one of the most divisive elements among the martial arts, combat arts, and
general fitness communities is whether static stretches still have value.
As you read through this book you will discover a lot
of research about the negatives surrounding static stretches and how they can
actually reduce power before an exercise. That’s not to say they don’t have
value – they do, it’s simply that static stretches are best performed after a
good warm-up.
But if static stretches aren’t ideal, what are?
Some recommend ballistic stretches, others dynamic
stretches. One thing both these have in common is the element of movement. In
other words taking a muscle group, a joint or limb through a range of movement
to experience the stretch.
I’ve found these to be effective, but when I started
to design a specific routine for improving overall flexibility it became clear
that no single style of stretching held all the answers… but combined they just
might.
Static stretches work, but only after some movement in
the first place. Ballistic and dynamic stretches help get the body moving, but
alone they don’t achieve quite what most people are after. So what if we
combined the two?
I’m going to share with you a trick that many people
use to enhance their flexibility faster than traditional stretching alone. I
call it the ‘rocking method’ and I believe it’s one of the most powerful
tactics for increasing flexibility in the long term.
No, it doesn’t involve black t-shirts and head-banging
but instead includes a number of subtle body movements, followed by a small
manageable amount of static stretching to deliver the best of both worlds and
provide real long-term gains to your flexibility. As always, a light warm-up is
recommended before any stretching.
The rocking part, you might also call bumping or
bouncing, but I hesitate to use these terms because it often conjures ideas of
cranking the body beyond a healthy stretch and yanking the muscles into the
realm of injury. Instead, the idea is to reach the point of resistance and feel
that moment, then very gently rock
the body part against that point of resistance for a count of ten bumps. These
should be soft and subtle.
Following the rocks, the static stretch comes in,
offering a held unmoving stretch for ten seconds.
This sequence is then repeated two more times, moving
from ten rocks and ten seconds of holding to twenty and thirty. Each time
increasing the depth and range of motion.
How it
works.
Let’s take a forward fold as the example since it is a
common stretch many people wish to improve.
1.
Assess
your existing flexibility by bending forward and reaching to a point that feels
as far as you can go. Make a mental note of this.
2.
Relax,
shake your legs and arms off and prepare for the next step. Breathe.
3.
Go
back into the same stretch, but this time, when you hit that point of
resistance, gently rock up and down, bouncing your fingers over that point for
a count of ten times.
4.
After
the tenth one, grab onto your ankles, or toes, or whatever you are comfortable
with and hold the stretch in a static position for a mental count of ten
seconds.
5.
Relax
once more. Breathe.
6.
Go
back down and repeat step 3, but this time for a count of twenty rocks up and
down. You should find you are able to go a little further.
7.
Repeat
step 4, but now hold for twenty seconds in the static hold.
8.
Relax
and reset once more.
9.
Another
set of rocking, this time with thirty gentle bounces against the resistance
point
10.
Finish
with a static hold for thirty seconds. You will almost certainly find that you
are further down now.
11.
Finally,
relax and shake the arms and legs off one last time.
As you look at the stretches within this
book, consider for each how you can apply a slight rocking motion to the stretch
and how you can increase the effectiveness of each movement.
In summary:
- 10 rocks/bounces across the point of resistance.
- Hold the stretch for 10 seconds.
- 20 rocks.
- Hold 20 seconds.
- 30 rocks.
- Hold 30 seconds.
Give it a go!
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