Thread: Stretching

When is it that you feel tight? If you feel tight during stretching, then you may not necessarily lack flexibility; pretty much anyone can put themselves in a position where they feel tight.

If you're only doing static stretching, you may also consider some soft tissue work and mobility exercises ("dynamic stretching") to help improve your mobility.

You want to attack this from three fronts. A lot of times you can improve your range of motion by altering tissue quality, which is what the foam rolling, or whatever soft tissue work you go for, can do for you. You can also improve the elasticity of the tissue. Static stretching is best for this type of improvement. However, you also must consider the nervous system, and that's where mobility work comes in. It doesn't matter what the tissue quality and elasticity is like if your nervous system maintains excess muscle tone, also known as hypertonicity. That is, at any given time, your muscle is contracted along a continuum. By improving mobility, you help reduce this unnecessary muscle tone which can leave you feeling tight even if the tissue itself support that range of motion.

Cowpimp, u Da Man!!!

Originally Posted by CowPimp

When is it that you feel tight? If you feel tight during stretching, then you may not necessarily lack flexibility; pretty much anyone can put themselves in a position where they feel tight.

If you're only doing static stretching, you may also consider some soft tissue work and mobility exercises ("dynamic stretching") to help improve your mobility.

You want to attack this from three fronts. A lot of times you can improve your range of motion by altering tissue quality, which is what the foam rolling, or whatever soft tissue work you go for, can do for you. You can also improve the elasticity of the tissue. Static stretching is best for this type of improvement. However, you also must consider the nervous system, and that's where mobility work comes in. It doesn't matter what the tissue quality and elasticity is like if your nervous system maintains excess muscle tone, also known as hypertonicity. That is, at any given time, your muscle is contracted along a continuum. By improving mobility, you help reduce this unnecessary muscle tone which can leave you feeling tight even if the tissue itself support that range of motion.

Thanks for the info, of course I feel tight after workouts and such but even then I'm always just "tight". I know it is a flexibility issue to a point but also understand that with the muscle I've packed on over the years I'm not goig to be as limber as I was. I'm more worried about staying flexible for injury prevention more than anything. I HATE massages, call it weird but I can never relax and if anything it makes me more tense lol.

damn I know I need to stretch more - got no patience for it.

Originally Posted by j-pet

damn I know I need to stretch more - got no patience for it.

I never have either, it's boring and I feel like Denise fucking Austin when I'm doing it. But I'd rather be Denise Austin than nursing a pec tear anyday.

Mike,
Ever checked out any book on beginning yoga?

Originally Posted by DBowden

Mike,
Ever checked out any book on beginning yoga?

No, but I wouldn't be opposed to it. At this point I feel like if I don't do SOMETHING it's going to be one of those things I look back on and thinking why didn't I do more earlier.

In 2003 I was involved in a rigorous training program that to my surprise incorporated Pilates and I'll be damned if that stuff isn't hard as hell lol.

Yoga is a good piece of advice though, much appreciated and I will look into it.

Stretching/flexability

Originally Posted by IainDaniel

Stretching/flexability

Awesome, bro. Much much appreciated as well. Good thing it's raining like a mofo here today, I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to read it over the next 8 hours of my day lol.