Stretching and Flexibility Training: Mobility Vs. Stability

The principles of stretching and flexibility, both for pre-workout warm-up and as a sole means to improve mobility have completely changed since when you and I were growing up in P.E. class.  In a nutshell, stretching can do more harm than good if not done correctly or if performed with the intent of hyper-mobility (exceeding bio-mechanical ranges).  We also now know that joint stability and strength, are more important to athletic performance and lower injury rates, than flexibility is.   Optimal range of motion is the goal, with flexibility as one tool to get there.  Hyper-mobility or maximizing joint flexibility is never the goal for an athlete!    In fact some pro-athletes do not stretch at all in a traditional since, but rather warm-up and cool-down, and loosen up occasional tight spots and trigger points with targeted stretches, foam-rolling and massage.  Strengthening exercises, massage and compression-wear have taken over many areas for today’s relevant athlete, where stretching fell short in the past.  Pre-workout stretching should be used only as a means to acclimate your body to its normal range of optimal motion, as well as loosening up any ‘tight’ spots or fascia adhesions.  Pre-workout stretching is not the time to try to improve overall flexibility or push joints or muscles past their bio-mechanical maximum range of motion.  Pre-workout stretching should only be done after you have first warmed up your core temperature and increased your heart rate with some form of mild cardio exercise, like spinning, jogging, jumping rope, or mild calisthenics.  A warm muscle is a pliable muscle.  A cold muscle is prone to high-risk of injury.  Never stretch cold muscles!  Ideally the time to work on your flexibility – if that is important to you, is after your workout when all your soft tissue are very warm and pliable.  This may also assist in removing lactic-acid and in muscle recovery.  However, while post-exercise stretching and massage may lower next day (DOMS) soreness, it may also inhibit muscle-gains by reducing inflammation and prostaglandins, which both trigger follow on muscle growth, and Growth Hormone secretion.

My primary 'stretching' goals are to simply 'loosen up', prevent fascia-adhesions, manage scar tissue and to maintain optimal mobility - not to join some sideshow circus act with hyper-mobile joints!!

Function Vs. Aesthetics: Finding Optimal Balance

     Athletes can't weight-train with the intent to completely blast a certain muscle group to total failure because then they're too damaged & sore to complete their functional workouts properly - Then it becomes like training with an injury at that point.  Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) caused by micro-tears in the muscle fibers due to heavy lifting, peaks up to 36 hours post workout, with full recovery taking up to 72 hours or longer.  That's a long time to have your other workouts or activities negatively affected to some degree.  It should at least cause you or your trainer or coach to pause to consider workout strategy and when it is ideal, if ever, to train to failure.

There's always a training trade-off but there is an optimal balance for all of us. #HolisticAthlete

     I rarely train to total failure in the weight-room: However I always give 100% on the 'court', which becomes a maximum effort workout in itself.  You have to ask yourself, "What is my primary training goal in the weight-room?", because it's always a trade-off:  Gaining muscle-mass or gaining function for your sport?  Aesthetics Vs. Performance?  For me I want to MOVE better & faster - so aesthetics is always secondary goal, but still important given my employment as a fitness-MODEL.