Fit & Bendy Tip of the Day: Why do different people achieve flexibility at different rates? For Nicole Stewart. Original question: Why is it some people can get their splits quite quickly and see gains in weeks and others like me just cant seem to get there even after 18 mths of stretching? I am working on doing the DVD about 4 times per week for about 2 months so I am hoping to achieve my goals. By the way, love the DVD, I feel great after doing it and now look forward to stretching. Previously my instructor would push me further into the stretch which didnt feel great at all. Wondering if this method should be used with caution or not at all? Just like different people learn cerebral skills at different rates, people will learn physical skills at different rates. There are so many factors that come into play when we stretch that will effect how quickly we are able to make progress towards our goals. Here are a few of them (by no means an exhaustive list): 1. The amount of collagen in your muscles: You will notice that some bodies have an easier time building strength, others are more flexible but struggle with strength moves. This is because different peoples muscles are designed differently, more collagen means more strength but less elasticity. There is no way to change this about yourself, but it is important to know how your body works so you can design your training regimen accordingly. 2. Past trauma: Past injuries, even from long, long ago, can affect your ability to gain flexibility now. Scar tissue can impede your ability to stretch, and muscles that have been injured become a bit gun shy and need to be gently coaxed into relaxation and lengthening. 3. Nervous system inhibition: Sometimes there is no structural impediment blocking us, it is our nervous system that kicks in instinctively to protect the body from going to deep into a stretch. When a stretch feels incredibly painful, traumatic, or a muscle is miserably tight, then its probably your nervous system that is worried you are going to hurt yourself. This needs to be addressed slowly, gently, and with great compassion. 4. Bone structure: Everyones skeleton is a little different. If your hip sockets are deep, you may be prevented from going into full splits or over splits by your bones. Sometimes the bones of the spine hit against each other in backbends. It is important to know if you are one of these people and stop pushing into bone-on-bone stretches. 5. Inconsistent training: We are all guilty of this from time to time, but one of the biggest factors in slowing down progress is not being consistent. Training flexibility is like training a dog. You need to do it all the time, always the same way. Otherwise the body becomes confused and you are more likely to injure yourself or just not see the progress you want. 6. Over training: Yes, this is a real problem. The body needs time to recover in between training sessions. Try not to stretch your back more than once a day, or go too far to fast. Take at least one day off a week, and if you are new to stretching dont start with two hours a day five days a week, ease into it! Above all, try not to compare yourself to anyone else. There is marvelous variation in the human body and no two are alike. Take the time to learn about your body, what works for you, how your body learns. Enjoy the process and celebrate your achievements! Addendum: To answer the second part of the questions, if someone is pushing on you and it feels absolutely awful, its probably not good for you. Stretching can be intense and sometimes painful but the more you do it the more you learn to distinguish between pain that is normal and expansive and pain that is damaging. With stretching, slow and steady is definitely a much healthier and more sustainable approach. Listen to your body!
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 10:13:06 +0000
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