Don’t bounce

The second crucial guideline to keep in mind is no bouncing! Bouncing during your stretching actually causes damage to the muscle. Stretching a muscle quickly or forcefully makes your body kick into a natural protective mechanism called the stretch reflex — a nerve response to stress that tells the muscle to contract to protect itself. In other words, bouncing to help your muscles relax and let go can actually cause them to contract and get tighter.
And what’s more, every time you forcefully bounce while in a stretch you actually create microscopic tears in the muscle fibers. You may feel like bouncing increases your flexibility immediately, but that’s only because you have damaged the muscle. In the end, your body heals those little tears with scar tissue, which actually decreases your long-term flexibility, because scar tissue is far less flexible than muscle.

Go slowly

If stretching had a theme song it would be “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)” by Simon and Garfunkel. You may know the words:

Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feelin’ groovy

When you stretch you should move slowly; breathe and hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds. At first you may actually need to watch a clock to know how long 30 seconds is, but as you get more comfortable with stretching and more in tune with your body, you instinctively know how long to hold the stretch. For me, it’s about four or five deep breaths. Keep your mind focused on the stretch and on breathing slowly and deeply. Don’t think about all the things you have to do today or what you’re going to cook for dinner, just stay focused on going slow and feelin’ groovy!
To help prevent injuries, start each stretch in what I call the comfort zone — the point in the stretch where you just begin to feel mild tension in the muscle. Start out by stretching for 30 seconds or four to five slow, deep breaths before trying a second repetition. As you increase repetitions, it helps if you imagine every exhale you take as allowing you to move an inch deeper into the stretch. Believe it or not, the slower you go in the beginning, the more quickly you’ll see results!

Warm-up

The number-one rule with stretching is to warm up before you stretch! Many people think that stretching and warming up are synonymous, but stretching involves lengthening your muscles, while warming up means that you’re elevating your core body temperature.
A muscle can’t stretch properly if it’s cold. Elevating your body temperature makes the process of extending and lengthening your muscles and the connective tissue around your muscles easier. These lengthenings and extensions reduce the chances of injury caused by stretching and actually increase the effectiveness of the stretch.
Here are some simple five-minute exercises to get those muscles warmed up:

• Performing jumping jacks
• Jumping rope
• Jogging in place
• Swimming laps
• Dancing around to your favorite song

I know this section probably shattered your conception of warming up, but now that you know the truth (that stretching and warming up describe two completely different processes), remember this: You can warm up without stretching, but you should never stretch without warming up.

Using foam roller as props

The foam roller is a lightweight cylinder that comes in many different sizes. When stretching, you can use the foam roller as a prop to make positions more comfortable by supporting your back or other body parts, thereby allowing you to keep good form and proper alignment.
Physical therapists and private trainers use this prop to improve balance, body awareness, and flexibility in their patients. But what really makes the foam roller unique from other props is that you can actually use it to release muscular tension and pain. Imagine a rubber band that has a knot in it — no matter how much you stretch that rubber band you’ll never get rid of the knot. Everyone gets a muscle with a knot (localized tightness often caused by tension or overuse) and sometimes stretching isn’t enough. That’s where the foam roller comes in handy.
By positioning your body to slowly roll on the foam roller you can actually release the knots in your muscles. Here’s a great example of how you use a foam roller to release tension in your back:

1. Lie on the floor with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and your feet flat on the floor.

2. Flatten your back by pressing your back into the floor and gently contracting your abdominal muscles and buttocks without raising your ribcage.

3. Repeat the same flat back position with a foam roller.

• Lie on the roller with hips and knees flexed and feet flat on the floor.
• Keep your back flat and in contact with the roam roller.

4. Add a few movements to your stable core position by slowly rolling your body back and forth while the foam roller is pressing into your back.

5. To strengthen your core, raise one leg while maintaining a neutral spine and lower the leg and raise the other leg.

Alternate raising and lowering your legs, making sure to keep your back in contact with the foam roller at all times.
The cost of a foam roller is about $25 — a heck of a lot cheaper than a massage or a visit to your chiropractor!

Using Blocks, Chair and Swiss Ball as Props

Using a yoga block under your buttocks, feet, or hands helps you maintain proper body alignment during stretches so you can focus on deepening your stretch without pain. The cost of one block is usually around $10, and you can find blocks at most yoga studios or your local superstore.
If you love to shop online, hop on the Internet and type in yoga props and choose from the nearly one million sites that pop up.
Also, if you don’t want to invest in a block just yet, I bet you have a phone book sitting

A chair can add stability to standing stretches and can also help you get into stretches that require stress-free support of your torso. A chair is particularly useful for seniors or anyone with mobility issues. It’s also one of the best props to help a sedentary person get started with a flexibility program Make sure to use a sturdy chair without arms or wheels and that’s not too cushy.

No, the Swiss ball isn’t a ball of cheese. It’s similar to the chair, but it allows you to get into some stretches more comfortably than if you had to lie down on the floor. Lying with your tummy on the ball is great for stretching out your lower back, and using the Swiss ball to replace your chair at work helps you strengthen your core as you stretch out your legs and back. If you’ve never used a stretching ball before or if you just want some stretches that use the Swiss ball.

Using strap or towel as props

A stretching strap is a length of slightly elastic material that you can use to increase your reach. Many brands have several loops in which you can place your hands or feet to customize the strap to your height and flexibility. This elasticity helps increase your chance of achieving a comfortable, passive static stretch for a variety of muscles. No matter what the stretch, a strap can also help keep your upper back relaxed, which keeps your spine in neutral position and avoids scrunching or rounding of your back. A yoga strap is another prop that you can use and it’s usually made of cotton and comes in 6- or 8-foot lengths. Yoga straps typically don’t have the loops usually found on stretching straps. Instead, a yoga strap has a buckle that allows you to create a loop in one end of the strap. The 6-foot strap will probably be long enough for most of you, but if you’re over 6 feet tall, you may want to try the 8-foot length. These straps are easy to find on the Internet or at a local yoga center.
A towel isn’t as customizable as a stretching strap or a yoga strap, but it’s a great substitute if neither of the straps is available or if you simply don’t want to spend the money. A hand towel is a little small, so use a gym towel or small bath towel to have plenty of length to work with. But if you plan on making stretching a permanent part of your fitness routine (which I highly recommend), purchase a strap of your own. It’s a small investment of less than ten bucks, and you won’t regret it.

Using prop

A prop isn’t just part of a movie set anymore. A prop can be used for stretching and is something such as a strap, a towel, a chair, or a block that you can use to make a stretch more comfortable, accessible, and even more effective
Props have a wide variety of benefits:

• Beginners and the less flexible can use them to perform a stretch that they may otherwise not be able to manage.
• By providing support and reducing tension, props can help you position your body more correctly, which not only helps make your stretches as deep and effective as possible but also helps decrease the chance of injury.
• For more experienced exercisers, props allow you to deepen and intensify the stretch. I recommend using props for any stretch that you want to help make more comfortable, well balanced, and tension free. The next sections include some of my favorite props that enhance your stretching experience.

Getting dressed

Unlike in packed, sweaty group exercise classes, the optimum outfit for stretching isn’t one that makes you look good, it’s one that makes you feel good. And what I find makes me feel good is clothes that don’t get in the way. Always wear comfortable clothing that doesn’t bind or restrict your movement but that still enables you to see your body so you can tell what you’re actually doing.
Ballet dancers wear leotards and tights so they can see if their back is arched or straight and the same principle applies for stretching . . . you have to be able to see what your body is doing so you can focus on specific muscles.

Preparing Space

One of the most fundamental and most often overlooked aspects of flexibility training (as with most workout programs) is commitment, and true commitment is reflected both externally — by creating a specific, special place to stretch — and internally — getting yourself into the right frame of mind.
If you’ve ever been to a yoga class, you know what I mean by getting in the right frame of mind (an open neat space with soft, serene music and a teacher who whispers). All these external and internal factors add up to a better stretching experience, so you can look forward to your next stretching session even more.
Organizing your surroundings
Here are a few things you can do to keep your space (external factor) uncluttered:

• Establish a space large enough to extend your body fully. You may have to move some of the furniture around you, but there’s nothing more annoying than having to move things while you’re stretching. Get it taken care of ahead of time and you won’t have to deal with the interruption while you’re stretching.
• Make the room warm. An ideal stretching room is a warm room because your muscles respond more to stretching when they’re warm. So don’t crank up the air conditioner just because you hate to sweat.

Because stretching can’t be hurried or rushed, you have to move slowly and deliberately.
Such an attitude should also be reflected in your mental approach (next section).
Collecting your thoughts
Here are a few things you can do to keep your mind (internal factor) uncluttered:

• Relaxing music: You can buy instrumental or relaxation CDs that definitely allow you to unwind more easily and help you have a great mind/body experience.
• Planning ahead: Make sure that your workout isn’t interrupted. Turn off the phone, put your Blackberry where you can’t see it, and tell your kids you’ve moved away to join the circus.

You stand taller, look thinner,and your body works its best

Correct posture not only makes you look taller and thinner, but also it allows your body to perform the way it was meant to. What’s more, good posture aids dramatically in facilitating free and effective breathing.
The main enemy of good posture however is tight muscles! Stretching can help you correct muscular imbalances that lead to incorrect skeletal alignment. One cause of this kind of imbalance is using one side of your body more than the other. Times that you may do this include

* Carrying your toddler on the same side of your body
* Carrying your briefcase in the same hand everyday
* Wearing your shoulder bag on the same shoulder
* Sleeping on the same side
* Using the same shoulder to cradle the phone while you’re talking
* Using the same arm to put around your sweetie on a date

Such chronic imbalances can rob you of energy and efficiency in movement, or even result in back pain. So switch it up, and stretch regularly to help balance out these bad habits. Also be sure to stand up straight!

You can twist farther and feel looser

Over time, muscles naturally tend to shorten and become tight. So as you age, your ability to fully utilize movement in your body becomes compromised. Think about it: If a muscle is already in a chronically shortened state, then it can never attain its full power potential when you try to contract it because it’s already semicontracted. A tight muscle limits your range of motion, and you can easily hurt yourself.
A few words to live by: Don’t eat seafood in a month without an “R” in it, let sleeping dogs lie, and a tight muscle is a weak muscle. Ignore any of these time-tested maxims at your peril, and chances are, one way or another, you’re going to get bitten. Stretching increases your ability to function daily — called functional flexibility. This flexibility helps dramatically increase the range of motion in your joints, which enhances your performance in your chosen sport and helps in your everyday life by making it possible for you to reach higher or lower, bend farther, and reduce nagging aches and pains from tight, tense muscles.
Lack of functional flexibility can make small everyday movements annoying and even painful.

You help nip injuries in the bud

Numerous studies claim that stretching exercises increase flexibility and decrease the severity of injuries and the time it takes to recover from an injury. Stretching can actually reduce the chance of being injured in the first place, too!
Stretching reduces muscle sprain or joint strain in case of accidental overstretching of muscles or joints when engaging in sports or other physical activities. In short, although nothing can prevent injury completely, stretching can be a very low-cost, long-term insurance policy for your body — whether you engage in sports or not.

You can keep stress from getting the best of you

Stress is a part of life! Some stress (even a little) is good because it can spur you on to take action and achieve great things. But too much stress can actually threaten your health and well being, resulting in depression, anxiety, and memory loss. Stretching can be therapeutic for many people as one way to relieve stress. (You may already have an entire arsenal of things you do to relieve stress.) Of course, stretching can help individual muscles release and relax, but the deep, regular breathing that’s so important to effective stretching can also oxygenate your blood and reduce overall stress and anxiety. What’s more, the slow, meticulous movements in a good flexibility program can provide a meditative effect. And focusing intensely on the muscles you’re stretching can help clear your mind of distractions. In the end, stretching can help make you more flexible, inside and out.

You can keep your muscles from feeling achy

Current research suggests that stretching can reduce that post-exercise tight, tender feeling called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). For decades many people thought this achy feeling was the result of lactic acid buildup in the tissues of your muscles. But it turns out they were wrong because lactic acid is a normal byproduct, resulting from the chemical reaction of muscle contraction during exercise.
So now cutting-edge thinking attributes this discomfort to tiny tears in muscle fibers caused by the requirements of unfamiliar training (also known as eccentric movements). By ensuring that your muscles are elastic and you have full range of motion in your joints, stretching protects you from sustaining the microscopic injuries caused by newly intense levels of exercise.
Stretching also decreases tension in your muscles and joints. Persistent muscle tightness can take a toll on your body by choking off blood flow to the muscles, which can result in raised blood pressure. This tightness can also decrease oxygen and nutrients in the muscle tissues, which in turn can cause the buildup of toxic waste products in the cells. The end result is persistent fatigue, as well as aches and pains in your tense muscles. What’s more, if a muscle stays partially contracted for an abnormally long time, the muscle can actually begin to shorten, which decreases range of motion and weakens the muscle, creating tightness and making the muscle less effective. A perpetually contracted muscle requires more energy to move than a relaxed muscle, so you wind up wasting energy with every movement.
So start a regular stretching program today to help reduce tension and tenderness in your muscles; the exercise can actually elevate the level of your overall health. Pretty amazing just from bending over and touching your toes!

Stretching FAQ

When should I stretch?
Many trainers tell you to stretch either first thing in the morning or at the end of the day —or both. However, the rule of thumb is that you may stretch any time as long as your muscles are first warmed up (which means you’ve done at least five minutes of walking, hiking, biking, swimming, or calisthenics such as jumping jacks). Warming up your body properly allows you to gradually increase your circulation and get your blood flowing, which in turn makes you more flexible.
Picking a time that’s just right for you, on the other hand, is an entirely different problem. And trying to force yourself into a schedule that doesn’t really work certainly won’t help you to stick with any flexibility program. So it’s best to find a time of day that’s most convenient for you and make that your special time for stretching . . . your body will thank you for the regular routine, and you’ll soon see results.

How often should I stretch a particular muscle?
To increase flexibility in a muscle, generally you should stretch that muscle at least once a day. Elite athletes stretch even more than that — two to three times a day. But being realistic, the majority of people aren’t professional athletes (and aren’t getting paid the big bucks to stay stretched and fit), so finding the time to stretch that much can be difficult. If you want to increase your present level of flexibility, engage in a focused flexibility program every other day to give your body a chance to rest and rejuvenate in between sessions. And when this pace of stretching becomes comfortable for you, maintain your new range of motion by stretching four to five times a week.

How long should I hold each stretch?
Studies demonstrate that the optimum effectiveness of a stretching exercise is reached after holding that stretch for approximately 30 seconds. If you stretch less, you don’t really give your muscles time to fully lengthen and adapt to the exercise; stretching longer hasn’t been proven to provide any additional benefits either. So stick with the 30-second rule, which equates to four to five slow, deep breaths.

Static stretches

Static stretching involves stretching to the farthest point you comfortably can and then holding the stretch (usually for 30 seconds). This technique is used primarily throughout this blog for two reasons:

• They’re the simplest and easiest form of stretching to master and perform correctly, so they’re excellent for anyone new to flexibility training.
• The simplicity of the movements and the slow and gentle pace allow for mindful relaxation of the entire body.

Holding a comfortable position for 30 seconds or so allows your muscles to actually become accustomed to being stretched, which reduces your stretch reflex — a natural mechanism whereby a muscle under stress automatically contracts to protect itself. A gentle static stretch overcomes this natural defense mechanism and allows your muscles to efficiently relax and let go.
In the interests of full disclosure, static stretching can be further divided into two different types: static-passive and static-active.

• Static-passive stretches are stretches in which you assume a position and hold it for an extended period of time, using an external force such as your hands or strap or some type of stationary support such as a chair or a dancer’s barre. Because this type of stretch is so accessible and straightforward, I choose to recommend it in this book.
• Static-active stretches are more advanced positions in which you stretch one muscle by contracting the opposing muscle (for example, stretching your hamstring by holding your extended leg as high off the ground as you can).

Although this stretching technique is highly effective when it comes to improving sports performance, it requires a more advanced level of strength and balance, which usually comes after a few months of routine stretching sessions.

Dynamic stretches

Simply put, dynamic stretching is a stretching technique that involves movement. When performing a dynamic stretch you simply use the weight of a portion of your body, such as a limb, to help overcome inertia in a tight muscle. You gently control the twisting of your torso or the swinging of your arms or legs in a movement that approaches the limit of your range of motion. The key word in that last sentence is control — dynamic stretches shouldn’t be executed by bouncing or jerking. Think of your twisting or swinging motions as purposeful movements, almost like choreography.
A dynamic stretch that’s being repeatedly forced beyond a comfortable range of motion is called a ballistic stretch. Ballistic stretching can be painful, counterproductive, and even cause injury. Bent over toe touching with a bouncing movement is a good example and is usually used by athletes who want to increase their range of motion. This type of stretching isn’t used in this book.
Dynamic stretches should also develop progressively. Start moving through the stretch slowly and with a small range of motion. Gradually increase the range of motion until, eventually, after 8 to 12 repetitions, the move has reached its full range of motion and maximum controlled pace.

Stretching with a Partner

A helpful, caring partner can

* Gently urge you deeper into a position than you may be able to do yourself
* Help you get far more out of your flexibility routine than you may be able to on your own

Nevertheless, there are some disadvantages:

* Your partner can’t feel what you feel every moment.
* Your partner can’t respond to your discomfort as quickly as you may like.
* Your partner may force you into a deeper position than you’re ready for.
* Your partner can move you too quickly, which can initiate the stretch reflex

These instances can be a source of accidental injury, so maintain consistent communication with your partner to avoid uncomfortable situations. In addition, using a partner is ideal for two types of stretches: isometric stretching and PNF stretching. Although I don’t describe any of these types of exercises in this book, more advanced exercisers can adapt these techniques to the stretches I describe for beginners. Check out the next sections for the lowdown on these types of partner stretches.

Isometric stretching

Isometric stretching is a type of static stretch in which you tense a muscle in order to reduce tension in it. Sounds counterintuitive, doesn’t it? Think of it as stretching in reverse. The word isometric is comprised of the prefix “iso” (same) with “metric” (distance), indicating that in this type of exercise the length of the muscle doesn’t change as a result of the flexing of a joint.
One of the best ways to perform an isometric stretch is to have a partner apply resistance against the muscle you want to stretch. For example, have a partner hold your extended leg up while you try to push it back down to the ground. Tensing your hamstring against that resistance actually reduces tension in the hamstring muscle. Plus, an extra added bonus of this type of stretching is that you can actually increase strength (a little) in the muscles you contract.

Static-isometric-static stretching

Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching is a big, fat phrase that means a static stretch, followed by an isometric stretch, followed by a deeper static stretch. In fact, PNF isn’t really a type of stretch at all; it’s more properly a stretching technique. After comfortably holding a static stretch, your partner can add resistance to create an isometric stretch (see preceding section). The big payoff comes when the isometric stretch is released, and then after 10 to 15 seconds, your partner helps you move even deeper into the stretch than you were in the initial passive stretch. This addition is only made possible because of the concentrated stretch provided by the isometric stretch. But the end result is a more thorough stretch than you would ever have been able to achieve on your own. I don’t recommend PNF stretching (or isometric stretching for that matter) for children or anyone who may still be growing. Also, this type of stretch shouldn’t be performed on a given muscle group more than once a day, or ideally, once per 36-hour period.

What happens inside my muscles when I stretch them?

Visualizing and knowing what your body is doing while you’re stretching is just as important as visualizing and knowing what muscle you’re using when you’re lifting weights. So begins your science lesson for today . . . and, if you’re anything like me, you have little interest in science, so I’ll try to be brief and get right to the point!
The stretching of a muscle begins with the most elementary unit in the muscle fiber —the sarcomere. As the sarcomere is stretched, the overlap of the myofilaments decreases, allowing the muscle fiber to elongate (Whew! Now that’s a mouthful). At that point, the surrounding connective tissue gives way to the force of your stretch and it also stretches. In other words, the greater number of myofilaments you can stretch, the greater flexibility you have in the muscle.

What is flexibility?

Flexibility is the extent to which your body is able to bend — without breaking or injury. So when you get right down to it, flexibility is a function of the number of muscle fibers you have been able to coerce into lengthening and the number of them you can keep lengthened.
Flexibility occurs when an electrical signal transmits from a nerve into the muscle fibers and stimulates the flow of calcium, causing the sarcomere to shorten, which generates force. When billions of sarcomeres in the muscle shorten all at once, the result is a total and complete contraction of the entire muscle fiber. Think of muscle fibers as being digital —they’re either contracted or they’re not. On/Off. But if there’s no such thing as a partially contracted muscle fiber, how does the force of a muscle contraction vary in strength from strong to weak? Strength is a function of total muscle fibers involved — the greater the demand, the larger number of muscle fibers recruited to do the work. Likewise, the length of the stretched muscle depends on the number of stretched fibers, which means that the more precise and thorough your stretching movements are — the more fibers you can involve — the greater benefit you receive from them.

How can I keep my muscles and joints stretched?
If you don’t take your flexibility for granted, you can keep your muscle and joints stretched. Muscles are naturally inclined to contract for their own protection, so the only way to keep them elongated, and to keep your connective tissue lengthened, is to regularly stretch them. Remember, when it comes to stretching, the old saying “use it or lose it” truly applies.