Charlie, are you suggesting that static stretching volume should not be high?
I seriously need to improve range of motion in some of my hip muscles, so I thought I’d need a lot of static stretches which i began in earnest a month ago.
I have copie and pasted a quote from C.Francis on the TYSON / Spearmon thread.
“Using BB exercises at times will not necessarily lead to significant hypertrophy if balanced with an adequate volume of Speed and Speed End.
This is a case- like static stretching- where we may limit the possibilities in training.” …C.Francis.
I was suprised static stretching was mentioned their…(Goose232)
Anyone have any ideas about volume of static stretching?
I am now doing static stretches at ends of all my sessions, a fair number- especially hip region, an area I had been lazy on for a few years.
He says bodybuilding work may not lead to hypertrophy because of the training done, just like static stretching may not improve or lead to significant improvements in flexibility because of the training being done (ie max strength work). That doesn’t really imply that static stretching volume should be high or low.
[i]Flexibility is imperative. You simply cannot achieve the necessary positions without it. Incorporate stretching as part of your warm up. A shortfall in flexibility should be addressed with stretching after a session however you have to do what is necessary. If an athlete is tight and you have to perform PNF or static stretching before a race then that is what you have to do. Better that than them trying to race as they were.
During the practical sessions Charlie performed some PNF work on the athletes, I was amazed at the effort used. Some of the guys were quite strong and he was really working hard to maintain the resistance, harder than I expected he would do. I was also intrigued to see mid session he would call athletes out and give them a ‘straighten out’ (back to Charlie, arms across body, breath out and he would lift them off the ground).
There is often debate about appropriate squat depth, full range versus 1/2 ….it doesn’t matter that much. Flexibility is not gained in the weight room! It is done outside of that. The weight room is for gaining strength and flexibility is dealt with separately.
Always stretch after a session and it doesn’t always have to be a lot. Top athletes are so flexible that often them hitting a position is more of a spot check lasting a second or so to ensure adequate range of motion is in place. If it weren’t it would be addressed. When static stretching just go to full range of motion not necessarily hold for X amount of time.
If you only ever do ballistic stretching how do you increase your range of motion?[/i]
