This may come as a shock, but stretching has been shown more and more frequently to cause more harm than good when it comes to muscular health.
We have all been told for years and years by coaches, parents, friends, and professionals that stretching is a staple of injury prevention and mobility.
But in the past 10-15 years especially, studies have been rather unequivocally showing that stretching can actually hinder healing, strength, and performance.
So what should you do in place of stretching to maintain and solidify your mobility?
We have developed a replacement called Contraction Stretching (based off the principles of MAT that you have been experiencing in the office) that can largely take the place of traditional stretching.
Watch these videos recorded with Sam and Mike to learn more about what muscles actually do and how they work (in brief), see a couple of studies that debunk the efficacy of traditional stretching, learn how to start implementing Contraction Stretching (CS) in place of its traditional counterpart, as well as how to start using the concepts in your own life as needed.
Clients who master this concept report how empowered it makes them feel to have such a useful tool in their quest for physical health.
What muscles do, how they work, what they don’t do, what tightness actually means
Traditional stretching (what, why, how), why we should reconsider its place/use/efficacy, studies highlighting why it might not be such a good idea
The 5 step process of CSing laid out in detail with an example
CS Practice 1: the toe touch stretch - 5 steps illustrated
CS Practice 2: the butterfly stretch - 5 steps illustrated
CS Practice 3: tricep stretch/reach across - 5 steps illustrated
CS Practice 4: calf stretch - 5 steps illustrated
Applying CSing, how to troubleshoot if issues arise, choosing an intensity, duration, etc., coming up with your own CSes as needed
The sense of agency and confidence that comes from learning, practicing, and gaining fluency with this concept is SO powerful.
This is the concept that we use on ourselves when our bodies get beat up from lifting people up all day doing MAT, and its power can be yours too.
It will take some practice, but refer back to the videos, practice the examples as much as you need, and feel free to ask us questions if you’re having issues you can’t seem to troubleshoot on your own!
