Flexibility training tips

The most efficient core technique of flexibility training is not to exert hard pressure at all, but to "first activate the antagonist muscles of the target stretch part, then explore the extreme edge of the stretch feeling during dynamic activities, and finally use 10-15 seconds of static maintenance to consolidate." Dozens of students I have taught using this method generally see significant progress within two weeks, which is at least three times more efficient than before.

To be honest, when I first started practicing, I believed what was said on the Internet: "It takes 3 minutes to press your legs, and it will hurt until you cry." At that time, I pressed my legs every morning on the playground.

Oh, by the way, there is quite a quarrel about stretching on the Internet now. One group says that static stretching is an IQ tax, and stretching before exercise will reduce strength. The other group says that dynamic stretching is useless and long-term static stretching is necessary to achieve long-term progress. In fact, both sides are right, but the applicable scenarios are different. For example, if you are going to run 5 kilometers or lift irons soon, you should do more dynamic stretching during warm-up, such as raising your legs, walking sideways, and circling your arms. Doing static stretching at this time will indeed reduce muscle explosiveness, affect your sports performance, and make you prone to injury. ； But if you want to relax after exercise, or want to stretch before going to bed, then the static method of adding PNF is indeed more effective, and you don’t have to score right or wrong.

Take the most common hamstring pull on the back of the thigh as an example. Don't bend down to reach your toes as soon as you come up. First, do 10 straight-leg hook kicks while standing, that is, don't bend your knees. When kicking, hook your feet hard in the direction of your face. Just kick as high as you can. You don't have to force it. At this time, the quadriceps muscle on the front of your thigh (that is, the antagonist muscle of the hamstring muscle) will contract. Our body There is a "reciprocal inhibition" mechanism. When the antagonist muscles contract, the target stretch muscles will automatically relax. At this time, you can slowly bend forward and feel the stretch on the back of the thigh. Stop at a position that is a little sore but not painful. When you exhale, go down a little. Hold for 10 seconds. You try it. You will definitely go down at least 3 centimeters more than if you press hard directly. My 180-pound programmer student screamed when he practiced this for the first time and said that he had never felt that forward bending was so easy.

There are also many people who say that they are "naturally stiff". 90% of the people I meet who say this are actually due to muscle tension caused by long-term sitting. There are very few people who are actually born with limited joint mobility. Let’s just talk about my programmer student. After sitting in an office for 8 years, I could bend my fingertips forward up to my ankles. I just practiced 3 times a week, 20 minutes each time, and I was able to reach the ground in 3 weeks. It’s really not that difficult. By the way, don't hold your breath when you stretch. I've seen many people's faces turn red when they stretch. It's like constipation. When you hold your breath, your muscles will naturally tighten. Even if you stretch for a long time, it won't help. Just use abdominal breathing. When you stretch to the limit, exhale slowly. After exhaling, you can relax a little more. I personally tested it and it works.

Oh, and there is a lazy way. You can find something to use when pulling. For example, if you can’t hold the opposite elbow with your shoulders apart, just use an elastic band or a towel to pull the two ends, and slowly move towards the middle without forcing it.； When stretching the inner thighs in the seated angle pose, don't push your hips down hard. Put a yoga brick or a thick mineral water bottle under your knees. When you feel that you can't feel it anymore, change to a thinner brick, and finally remove the brick. It will be much more comfortable than if you force it. I used to have a friend who practiced yoga. He tore his adductor muscles in order to quickly perform a straight line. The pain lasted for almost two months. I really couldn't do it.

If you want to practice advanced exercises such as split horses and horizontal splits, you can appropriately extend the static hold time, such as holding it to the limit for 30 seconds to 1 minute each time, but not more than 1 minute. If it is too long, it will cause minor damage to the muscles and make them tighter and tighter.； If you just want to be able to move around without strenuous effort and without pain when bending down to pick things up or raising your hands to pick up things from high places, then about 10 seconds each time is enough. You don’t need to pursue the ultimate range of motion. After all, most of us don’t want to be acrobats or yoga teachers. Being comfortable while practicing is more important than anything else.

In fact, flexibility is the most deceptive thing. If you practice it two or three times a week for ten minutes each time, you will see obvious changes in a month or two. Don’t rush for success, and don’t fish for three days and dry the net for two days. Over time, you will find that the back pain caused by sitting for a long time will be reduced a lot. Isn’t this better than anything else?