FLEX TIME Most of us think the time to stretch isright before a cardiovascular or weightworkout. Were wrong: The biggestmyth about stretching is that its awarm-up, says exercise researcher LenKravitz. You shouldnt stretch untilyoure already warmed up. A coldmuscle is easily injured, so you dontwant to stretch until youve alreadyraised the temperature in your musclesby several degrees. Stretching after aworkout, as part of your cool-down, isideal. On the other hand, you dont need awarm-up if you just get up from yourdesk a few times a day and gentlystretch out tight muscles.

Frequency: At leastthree times a week.Stretch duration: 15to 20 seconds perstretch.Technique: Toperform most of theexercises in thissection, simply getinto the positionshown in theillustration, feel agentle pull in thetargeted muscles,and hold thatposition. Dont try topush or pull yourselfinto dramaticallydeeper stretches; thatwill simply activatethe stretch reflex, andyour muscles willcontract while youretrying to stretchthem. This producesmuscle fatigue, if notinjury. Your flexibilitywill improve overtime without addingthat extra,unproductive effort.Try to perform each

stretch three times.You can do all of thestretches indicated incircuit fashion, oneright after the other,and do three circuits.Or you can do eachstretch three timesbefore moving on tothe next.Progress: Increaseeach stretch to 25 to30 seconds duration.How long: You canuse this programmeyour entire life, andadd other stretchesyou learn. But if youwant to increase yourstrength and flexibilityfor sportsperformance, moveup to theIntermediateprogramme.

WA L L C A L F S T R E T C H

S I D E B E N D

B U T T E R F LY G R O I N S T R E T C H

C AT S T R E T C H Start with your backrounded (A), and then allowit to sag (B). Hold eachposition for 3 to 5 seconds,and perform for a total of30 to 45 seconds.

A B

BEGINNER

F I G U R E O F F O U R S T R E T C H

T R I C E P S S T R E T C H S H O U L D E R S T R E T C H

B

A

Frequency: 3 to 5times a weekStretch duration: 20to 30 seconds forstatic stretches (inwhich you hold asingle position).Other stretches aredescribed below.Repeat all stretchesthree times formaximum benefit.Technique: Youll usethree techniques inthis routine: CR,CRAC and static.

CR stands forcontract-relax, but allyou need to know isthat you flex a musclehard for six seconds,then relax and stretchit for 12 seconds.

CRAC stands forcontract-relax-agonist-contract, butyou dont have toremember that. All itmeans is that you flexa muscle, thenstretch it, then flexthe opposite muscle,then stretch theoriginal muscleagain. As soon as youfeel that last stretch,youll realise whysomeone came upwith this complicatedtechnique. Youll seeyour muscles gofurther than they everhave before. Just asimportant is thatsecond-to-last step,flexing the muscleopposite the oneyoure stretching.Youll actually makeyour musclesstronger here, at thepoint where theyremost likely to beinjured in a match or

a strenuous workout.Finally, youll also

do some staticstretches; these aresimple get into aposition and hold itexercises, similar tothe ones in theBeginner section.Static stretches arefor your hip flexors,knees and lowerback, which mightget hurt during moreaggressive CR andCRAC stretches. Precautions: A studyat the University ofMississippi showedthat CR stretches canimprove flexibility byup to 18 per cent.Thats a hugeincrease, but it comeswith some risk. Youshould feel all thesestretches in themiddle of the muscle.If you feel it moststrongly in a joint,stop the stretch. The next time youtrain, try a gentlestatic stretch for thatbody part. Who needs them:These stretches arebest used duringperiods of hardtraining for specificgoals preparing fora sports season ortraining for anendurance event suchas a marathon. Atother times youllprobably want to goback to a programmethat includes onlystatic stretches.

C R O U T E R -T H I G H SG L U T E A L S T R E T C H Lift one leg as high as you can,then try to lower your leg towardsthe floor while resisting with yourhands for 6 seconds (A).Now relax your leg muscles andpull the leg into a deeper stretchfor 12 seconds (B).Repeat with the other leg.

S TAT I C S I D E - LY I N G Q UA D R I C E P S S T R E T C H

S TAT I C S T R A D D L E S T R E T C H

INTERMEDIATE

S TAT I C S P I N A L R O TAT I O N

Contract lefthamstrings for 6 seconds, trying to lower leg to thefloor while resistingwith a towel.Relax hamstringsand gently pull left leg

into a stretch for 12seconds (A).Contract leftquadriceps as you tryto push leg down withboth hands for 6seconds (B).Relax quadriceps

and pull hamstringsinto a deeper stretchfor 12 seconds (C).Repeat with theright leg.

Contract inner-thigh muscles for 6seconds, trying toraise knees towardseach other whileresisting by pushingdown on thighs.Relax inner-thigh

muscles and gentlypush them into astretch for 12seconds (A).Place handsunderneath thighs andtry to push legs up for6 seconds as you

contract gluteals (B).Relax gluteals,return hands to topsof thighs, and pushdown, bringing theinner-thigh musclesinto a deeper stretchfor 12 seconds (C).

INTERMEDIATE

C R A C G R O I N S T R E T C H C R A C H A M S T R I N G S T R E T C H

A

B

C

A

B

C

Static Get into a position and hold it, usually for15 to 30 seconds.

A safe and effective way to increase rangeof motion and limit injuries.

No downside here; it seems to workwell for everyone.

Active-Isolated (AI) Contract a muscle for 2 seconds, then relax and stretch that same musclefor 2 seconds.

If you hold a muscle in a stretchedposition for longer than 2 seconds, thestretch reflex kicks in, rendering thestretch useless and possibly dangerous.

Two seconds in a stretched position is not enough time to fully stretchmuscle and connective tissue, unlessthe stretcher is already a highlyconditioned athlete.

ProprioceptiveNeuromuscularFacilitation (PNF);includes CR andCRAC techniquesdescribed previously

Contract a muscle for 6 seconds, relax it,and then push or pull the muscle into adeeper stretch. Often, a therapist ortrainer helps you perform the stretches.

These techniques switch off stretch-reflex mechanisms, allowing a greaterincrease in range of motion.

Physical therapists have been usingPNF successfully for 50 years. Itrequires far more effort than staticstretching though, making it a bad ideaif you have a muscle or bone disease.

For 6 seconds, try tostraighten your bentarm as you resist bypulling on a towel with

your other arm (A).Now relax your bent arm and pull itinto a deeper stretch

for a count of 12seconds (B).Repeat with theother arm.

C O B R A S T R E T C H

P E C T O R A L /S H O U L D E R S T R E T C H

C R T R I C E P S / L AT I S S I M U S S T R E T C H

S TAT I C S I D ES T R E T C H

TECHNIQUE HOW TO DO IT THEORY REALITYF L E X I B L E O P T I O N S C H E AT S H E E T

A B