We all know how to stretch….right?
Bend over, touch your toes and hold for 30 seconds.
So, why is it that after years and years of static stretching after each and every workout, my hip flexors, hamstrings, abductors, calves, traps, pecs and entire shoulder girdle were always uber-tight and I was suffering from lower back spasms every few months?
- Could it be that what we thought was right wasn’t?
- Could it be that just about every personal trainer in the world is wrong?
- Could it be that Mr. Toe Touch was wasting his time and perhaps even making things worse?
This is where I found myself about a year ago.
So I went looking for another way to stretch my tight muscles back into balance.
And I found two very different techniques that worked very well for me.
Today, I am going to introduce you to microStretching.
Micro Stretching from Micro FC on Vimeo.
For those of you that need more info – here is an article written by microStretch guru Nikos Apostolopoulos that explains things in more detail.
Microstretching – Nikos C. Apostolopoulos
That’s it for today.
I am going to let you chew on this concept for a little bit before we get into the “how to” details.
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In tomorrow’s post, I am going to introduce you to Resistance Stretching. If you thought that microStretching is weird, wait until you see this stuff.
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So if you target 5 main muscle groups (calves, quads, hamstrings, chest and shoulders), it should take just over 30 minutes? Who has time for that?
Kevin,
How many minutes a day does the average person watch tv, play video games, surf the net, etc….?
You find the time to do your Crossfit workouts…after work, before work, on weekends. And I am sure that you have friends that just don’t have the time to workout with you.
Isn’t microSTRETCHing the same as static stretching?
In which case doessn’t it provide the same problems as you describe above?
Stretching cannot be carried out successfully without the counter contraction – and the only useful stretch is one that moves in and out of it’s comfortable max range – determined by the body. It’s often surprising how much range there is about a joint when stretching in motion.
The problem with static stretching, as you say, is simply that it’s static and the body isn’t designed to be static.
Love the site Doug, looking forward to seeing what resistance stretching is all about…
Gary
Hey Gary
On one level, yes…it is similar to regular static stretching, but on another level it is completely different.
The aim of microstretching is reduction of inflammation to accelerate recovery and the creation of a flexibility reserve. The author’s belief is that traditional static stretching may be doing more harm than good.
Take a look at his paper on the subject – link below the video.
I would appreciate your pov on his concept as your knowledge re flexibility training goes well beyond mine.