Could relaxed stretches be used to lower muscle tone and therefor help the nervous systen to recover quicker between one day and the next?
I read on some other post that stretching can do nothing for running, but I also read that relaxed light three quater stretches for 1 minute in length can help release some of the tension from the muscle. Would this help nervous system recovery?
I expect you’d have to be carefull and selective as to when to use these stretches, for you don’t want to lose the stiffness for safe sprinting. Is it that the next day your warm up would have to be quite long to gradually and safely re-engage the tone/tonus/stiffness before doing the sprints?
i doubt it as fiber length (flexability) is a neurological factor and as such should be treated that way not manually. training itself can take on the issue of inflexablity. yes training with weights can make you more flexible not only that is usuable flexability ie you can actually generate force in the extended postion. americans have an obssession with flexability just remember studies have shown that stretching has absolutley no benefit to preventing injury. the way that most people stretch they do more harm than anything else.
In regards to the value of stretching, there is a fascinating study headed by M. Stone is this issue of the NSCA strength&conditioning journal…Some of the comments are astounding!