 |  |
Have you ever done the calf stretch on a step and felt how intense it is? Or the chest stretch in a doorway or in a corner?
When your body weight is behind/on top of the stretch, your muscles actually contract to prevent themselves from tearing. This is why it feels so intense. This is known as eccentric stretching, which should be avoided. For a muscle to lengthen, it has to be relaxed. Instead of trying to stretch your calf on a step, stretching on flat ground with hands on a wall to balance you wil allow your muscle to relax and lengthen (below).
Avoid pectoralis major corner or doorway chest stretches (pictured above, right). Instead, come in for a few sessions to learn how to use your lower fibres of serratus anterior (LFSA) and stretch pectoralis minor into proper alignment while doing other things all day. With stronger LFSA comes a stronger-looking physique/ square shoulders, and less rotator cuff and long head of biceps impingement.
When your body weight is behind/on top of the stretch, your muscles actually contract to prevent themselves from tearing. This is why it feels so intense. This is known as eccentric stretching, which should be avoided. For a muscle to lengthen, it has to be relaxed. Instead of trying to stretch your calf on a step, stretching on flat ground with hands on a wall to balance you wil allow your muscle to relax and lengthen (below).
Avoid pectoralis major corner or doorway chest stretches (pictured above, right). Instead, come in for a few sessions to learn how to use your lower fibres of serratus anterior (LFSA) and stretch pectoralis minor into proper alignment while doing other things all day. With stronger LFSA comes a stronger-looking physique/ square shoulders, and less rotator cuff and long head of biceps impingement.