Are you getting the most out of your stretching?
If your nervous system isn't in on the game, probably not!
The overwhelming majority of people I've spoken to have a misconception of what stretching actually entails.
Without intending to, it's very common to invoke the stretch reflex (or myotatic reflex as it's also known), and in doing so prevent the muscle, or muscles, from releasing.
A more mindful approach is what's required.
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Brita Forsstrom (Friday, 29 October 2021 21:00)
I heard a sports physiologist giving a talk to massage therapists and Pilates instructors. He asked them “What is the first thing that happens when a muscle is stretched?” and was met with total silence. He asked it three times. I was standing at the back as I had just finished my own session with the group. I very quietly muttered “It contracts”. He heard it in the stony silence and said “Yes, it contracts”. He then said that for the rest of his presentation he would every now and then call out this question until they replied “It contracts” with one voice.