Increasing Muscle Elasticity Not Muscle Length

It has uccured to me in my research of athletic training that there is an on going debate about how and athletes stretches should be done. Some say that static strethcing is the only way to go while other insist that dynamic stretching is the better. It has also uccured to me that muscle elasticity plays a huge role in in the power production (what makes an athlete… well athletic.) What im trying to say here is that its better to have your muscle more elastic than just long. Long muscles or over strectch muscles ruin the stretch reflex cycle and create joint instability. Think of it as your muscles are rubber bands what u want as an athlete is thick rubber bands like the ones that come with the sunday newspaper or better yet multiple thick rubber bands. They are able to stretch just as far as a single rubber band but when they are released the creat more “power.” What u dont want is one of those skinny green rubber bands for muscles, when strechted the same lenght as the thick rubber bands they dont produce the same amout of “power.” Now if we think of long muscles as POOR athletic muscles and Elastic muscles as superior athletic muscles our goal as athletes is to increase muscle elaticity and not just lenghth. Ie. thick rubber band apon thick rubber ban apon thick rubber band anon anon anon… So finally the question how do we as athletes and trainers of athletes increase elasticity? How can we increase the effectivness of the stretch reflex cycle through proper … “stretching?” Do we just work to inhibit the golgi complex and increase structual strenght or is the answer to be found somwhere else? Anyone who can help or has further question or needs clerification of something ive written pls drop a line.
continued evolution…

But don’t static stretches have merit in terms of connective tissue and tendon strength? Though I don’t do them before any training, but sometimes during and allways at end of session.

i would have to say that static stretches really only belong at then end of excercise and never during. i say never during becasue static stretching relaxes the muscle and during explosive training that is not wut u want. u want as an athlete for your muscles to be “primed” so to speak. After i train i do static stretching but not in attempt to increase flexability but to relax the muscle. These stretches are very very lite. So back to the main topic how do we increase muscle elasticity and not muscle length.
continued evolution…

o yea ever flexible muscles are not desired once appropriate range of motion is accomplished focus shifts do increaseing athletic profiecency through “stretches” if u can call them that.

What is an appropriate standard in the sit and reach test?

Charlie,

On the phone you mentioned medballs being done daily, could muscle elasticty be a variable you work with and manipulate the volume and movements? I have added significant volume and we are much more fit.

ok guys im not really sure wut the lat post was about and i dont really know about sit and reach standards. but thats not the presented topic or question so if anyone has any helpful input pls chim in.

Factors that contribute to flexibility are tissue elasticity, lengths of the connective structures (i.e. ligaments and tendons) and the degree of muscle relaxation. Also remember, there is a relationship between flexibility and stability of a joint.

So why does a muscle become tight? Perhaps it is doing the job of stabilizing in case of a joint dysfunction. So tightness is a form of compensation (the tight muscle is doing the job of another muscle or muscle group). We shouldn’t look at flexibility simply as a stretch thing. For example the sit and reach test score can be increased within a few minutes without any stretching just correcting some muscle compensation patterns by a few simple exercises.

Goose2,
What are you looking for in the sit and reach test? There are so many factors that contrubute to this test that it is useless (length of the upper/lower extremities, amount of spine flexion, amount of hip flexion). What I mean is that you can get a high score on this test with major dysfunction by simply compensating (for example restricted hip flexion is compensated by excessive thoracic and/or lumbar flexion etc., excessive meaning hypermobility)

Ok, so what about the Evosport training method? (Adam Archuleta’s group )

Lots of eccentric exercises, static isometric holds for strengthening, but they wont stretch.

I am not saying I agree with this method, but they have very few hamstring or muscle injuries.

How soes this method work? or not work?

NV u hit on my point exactly, the ppl at evo sport dont stretch and proponnets of that type of training agree witht them. Mainly because 1 overstretching can cause joint instability and 2 they believe the stretching ruin the stretch reflex cycle ( the cycle of your muscles stretching during explosive movements to increase power output). So really wut i want with this post is to learn more about not stretching for performace. Wut do they do to make sure there is approprate range of motion and how do they warm up. ANY INPUT???

They use a machine called an ARP. It is an eccentric contraction. They will use it at a low volume to warm up and then start there workouts, otherwise the dont warm up at all, they just start form the get go.

do u know where this ARP machine can be bought or know where i can get some info on it. also where did u get the info on schroeders training system.
ive spnet days searching for info on his tech so any info would help.

http://www.arpprogram.com/arptrainer/index.html

I trained with Evosport. I also worked there.

man u are a god send i dont mean to be a nag but if u could give me more info about their training routines and your views on it you would be extremly helpful. i dont know if u can do that but if u can i would love to corespond with your regularly.

o yea thx pakewi for the link your were a big help.

I really think this is a point well worth discussing.
Correct management of medball work with swimmers has helped my programs a lot over the years, and I think the variable Clemson brings up has really to do with it.
Numbers and exercises modality are crucial in my experience.

im not quite sure wut u mean pakewi could u go into a little more depth for me pls.

What I am saying is that lower intensity (multiple response) medball work might actually bring along some benefits in terms of “muscle elasticity” and hence power, quite noticeable particularly if performed almost daily,as Clemson suggests.

/bump
continued evolution