Warning: Don’t Stretch Again Until You Read This Information On Flexibility Training!

I remember during one of my “tours of duty” in the fitness and wellness industry that I worked in a place similar to “Robogym” (see Dodgeball for details). Anyway, it was the type of place where if the client said,”I want you to stretch me out.” You did it and in the manner that they dictated. Trainers should be seen and not heard. All of your education be damned. Well, I had many clients who regardless of what I said wanted a 15 minute torture stretch at the end of EVERY training. One man especially would look at me and signal to keep going when stretching his hamstrings. It did not matter that I could feel that his tendons were going to pop off of their bony attachments. “Why do we do this?” I asked after not wanting to be a party to this toture another minute. “You do know that there is a better way?” “Really?” he answered “Well let’s go!” Thus, my career as a monk in the Spanish Inquisition ended.

One definition of flexibility as given by the American College of Sports Medicine is: Flexibility is the maximum ability abilty to move a joint through a range of motion. The manual goes on to state that: One must maintain adequate range of motion in all joints. Of particular importance is the maintenance of flexibility in the lower back and posterior thigh regions. In that definition there is nothing written about you needing the ability to wrap your foot around you head.

But I need to get loose

Well, “loose” is a pretty subjective term. What are you getting loose for? First, If you are doing this to prepare for an activity, there are better options than sitting in a pose for 30 seconds. Second, “loose” for a kickboxer, is different than “loose” for a volleyball player or even a dancer. Third, just because you can stretch doesn’t mean that you should. What if the muscle is already overstretched? You could possibly create an instability in the joint that you are trying to “get loose” What if the muscle is tight because of damage to the joints? Your nervous system does have control mechanisms to protect you from doing no more harm to an area that is compromised.
To get loose, it would be a much better idea do “old school” joint circles from high school phys. ed., a little belly dancing, and a few improvised movement patterns that will take all of your body’s joints through all of their possible movement planes.  Many authors including Master Trainers Pavel and Thomas Kurz feel that you only need a little flexibility reserve beyond the demands of your athletic activity to maintain proper alignment. For example, when the hamstrings are super tight, they do pull down on the sits bones or ischial tuberosities in the pelvis. This tightness can cause a change in the alignment of the pelvis which can affect the curvature of the lumbar spine. So, if you go to pick up a box or swing a golf club and the spine is not able to maintain its neutral or normal lordotic posture,…POW!! you could end up with a back injury. The same is true for other parts of the body as well.
Your goal is to take care of the strength and flexibility imbalances to 1)Maintain good posture and 2)Develop only a bit more flexibility than you need for your activities.

Let’s take a look at some of those postural imbalances and the relationships between length and the tension of the muscles affecting these imbalances. (Photos courtesy of Kendall and McCreary)

Here is an example of a Kyphotic Posture. In this example, which may describe approximately 80% of us walking around is common due to our sedentary, often times seated life and work related activities. The person in this example shows the forward head carriage which hyperextends the neck. This is caused by the neck extensors mainly the suboccipital muscles. Shoulders tend to be rounded as the shoulder blades are positioned away from the spine. The thoracic spine is flexed which can give the hunchback appearance. With the “hunchback” the upper back spinal erectors are “overstretched” and weak. The pectoralis minor muscles in the chest and the serratus anterior in the shoulder blades are tight. The upper trapezius is tight from shrugging. In the lumbar spine, the natural forward curve of the spine is accentuated which is some cases can lead to low back pain. The pelvis is tilted forward due to weak external oblique muscles in the trunk and the hip joints are flexed which are possibly caused by the shortening of the hip flexors that takes place while sitting for long periods of time.

This is an example of the Flatback Posture Again, we see that there forward head carriage and increased flexion of the thoracic spine although not as much as in the Kyphotic Posture. Due to weakness and elongation of the hip flexors the lumbar (lower) spine is straight and the pelvis is tilted back due to short and strong external oblique muscle. The hips are extended due to a tightness in the hamstrings.

In this example, notice the Swayback Posture. It should be noted that “swayback” should not be confused with lordosis or forward curve of the lumbar spine. In this posture, the thoracic spine has pronounced flexion like the kyphotic posture which again is related to elongated and weak upper back extensor muscles. Here, the lumbar spine is flat due to the weakness of hip flexors.  The pelvis is tilted back due to the strong internal oblique muscle. The hips are hyperextended and as a result the hamstrings are shortened. This posture appears more like a lordosis because the upper trunk is deviated back.

This is the Lordotic Posture. You’ve see this in almost every military recruit and Olympic gymnast. For the most part everything in this posture is normal. The cervical and thoracic spines are normal. In this case, the lumbar spine is hyperextended probably from the strong hip flexors as well as the strong lumbar spine extensors.

What should I do to stretch out then?

We aren’t going to stretch anything out just yet. Remember the old fashioned joint circles that I mentioned earlier? Well, let’s start with those joint movements. Mobility training involves making slow small range circles with the joints eventually working yourself up to the joint’s full range of motion.  When you adhere to a sedentary lifestyle or don’t learn any new movement patterns, the body gets a bit stale and the muscles tighten up around the joints, hence the stiffness. When you practice mobility drills, your body wakes up and you gradually start to limber up. Also, your mobility training will increase the blood flow to the joints and lubricate them and will keep the surface of the joints smooth and healthy.   So, here is your mission: You will do joint mobility drills upon rising every morning. The repetitions should equal your age until you are able to achieve full range of motion in the joint.  Once your desired range of motion has been reached, it is only necessary to do a maintenance set in the morning. The following is a list of mobility drills to get you started:

• Neck Movements
  1. Flexion/Extension – move the head forward and back
  2. Lateral Flexion – bend the neck side to side
  3. Rotation – turn the head left to right
  4. Forward Glide – stick the chin out then bring the chin to your throat
  5. Lateral Glide – try to move your entire head side to side
• Shoulder Movements
  1. Shoulder Rolls – Stand with your arms to the side and roll shoulders forward and backward
  2. Corkscrew – raise your arms to the sides parallel to the floor. Simultaneously rotate one shoulder forward and the other one back. So, you are going to point one thumb up and point it behind you then point the opposite thumb down and again try to point it behind you. Continue to alternate until you reach the desired amount of repetitions
  3. The Scarecrow – raise your arms to the sides parallel to the floor and bend the elbow 90 degrees so that your fingers are pointing in front of you. You will then point the fingers to the ceiling and then to the floor. Repeat.
  4. Arm Circles
     • Sagital Circles – This is done like swimming. Practice both the forward and back strokes. Remember to keep the elbows straight!
     • Frontal Circles – Your arms are now moving like they are on the face of a clock. Be sure to circle clockwise and counter clockwise. Again keep the elbows straight and go slowly.
     • Transverse Circles – hold your arms over your head and do the “double lasso” technique
• Elbow and Wrist Combo Circles – You will also do this movement in front of your body like you are on the face of a clock. Start with the elbows bent to 90 degrees then circle both hands to the center of your body as you are doing this motion, make circles with the wrists as well. Change directions and start the movement to the outside of your body and repeat
• Waist Rotations Think of belly dancing when you perform this one. Rotate the waist starting with a small circle and gradually get bigger.
• Hip Rotations Start in a standing position. Lift one leg with the knee bent and rotate the hip outward until you are able to place your foot on the floor behind you. Reverse the movement and repeat.
• Knee Rotations Start in a semi squat position. Place your hand on your thighs just above the kneecap and perform small circles SLOWLY both clockwise and counterclockwise.
• Ankle Rotations From the standing position, lift one foot off of the floor and slowly rotate the ankle in both directions.
• Sun Salutation A
  1. From the standing position, lift the arms above the head, interlock the fingers and point the palms to the ceiling.
  2. With the fingers interlocked, bend forward until you get the hands relatively close to the feet. Do not flex the spine. Keep the back slightly arched as you are doing this and pull your kneecaps up.
  3. Place your hands on the floor and kick both feet back to pushup position. Keep the abs very tight so that you don’t strain the lower back.
  4. From this position, lift the rear end up and try to place both heels on the floor like an inverted V
  5. Drop the pelvis to the floor and arch the back. Keep your glutes and abs tight and pull the shoulders down so that you are not shrugging.
  6. Get back to pushup position. Bring the feet in and stand up.
  7. Repeat the entire sequence 5 times
• Hindu Squats – From the standing position, Drop your rear end as low as you are able. Be certain that the feet are flat and that the knees aren’t tracking over the inside on your feet. Keep the back straight. As you stand up, swing the arms in front of your body parallel to the floor and row. The age to repetition rule applies.
• Pushups – You can do modified or standard pushups based on your level. Do 3 sets of up to 20 repetitions.
• Bridges – Lie down on your back with the knees bent and the feet flat on the floor. Push through the heels and lift your rear end off of the floor as high as you can while keeping the heels on the floor. Keep the abs and glutes tight. Next lower your body until the hips are 2-3 inches off of the floor. Repeat for 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
• Front Kicks Place your hand in front of your body at a height that you can easily reach with your leg. Hold on to a chair for balance. Your standing leg should be slightly bent with the foot pointing forward with a 45 degree angle. Very slowly kick your hand while keeping the leg straight. Gradually, increase the height of your hand and keep your kicking leg relaxed. It is important that you relax after every repetition so that you don’t get fatigued. Do not stretch any further when it feels like the hamstring is going to tighten up. If the hamstring does tighten up, you will not receive the full benefit of the stretch. Remember that this is a gradual process. You can perform 5-15 repetitions
• Side Kick Hold on to a chair again for balance. Your kicking leg should be the one that is farthest away from the chair. Place your standing foot so that it is perpendicular to your kicking leg. Swing your kicking leg out to the side of the body with the toes pointing slightly downward. Repeat for 5-15 repetitions.

This should take 15-20 minutes of your time and should be done first thing in the morning to help your body wake up. Of course you will modify the duration of the routine based what you have going on that day and also how you are feeling. The bottom line is that this routine should be done daily….No Excuses!!!

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