You train hard to get strong, defined muscles. But no matter how awesome your physique looks, too-tight leg muscles can pull your joints out of alignment and set you up for injury. While you can do your best to stretch on your own, assisted stretching by a trained professional can dramatically improve your range of motion and restore healthy balance to muscle tension at your joints.
PNF Stretching
Assisted stretching is a highly effective way to increase joint range of motion. Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, or PNF, is a form of stretching based on the idea that stimulating the golgi tendon organ, which overrides muscle stretch inhibitors, allows your muscle to relax.
Sports coach Brian Mac cautions that the risk of injury from assisted stretching can be high if your partner does not understand his role. While you can recruit a friend to help you stretch, a trained professional will more safely adhere to the three principles of force application laid out by the American Council on Exercise: where, what direction and how much. For best results, Sports Fitness Advisor recommends performing two to five sets of only one exercise per muscle group per session, allowing at least 48 hours between sessions.
Hamstring Stretch
Lie on your back on the floor with your arms palms-down at your sides and your partner kneeling next to and facing you. Have your partner place his near hand just below your calf and far hand just above your knee. Relax your muscles and allow your partner to lift your straight leg until you feel mild discomfort. Hold for 10 seconds. Exhale and contract your hamstrings, applying force against your partner as he counter-resists, holding your leg in place for six seconds. Completely relax your muscles and allow your partner to move your leg upward, increasing your stretch.
Quadriceps Stretch
Lie face-down, resting your forehead on your hands. Have your partner kneel next to you, placing one hand just above your knee and the other beneath your ankle. Allow your partner to bend your knee by applying force at the ankle while simultaneously lifting your upper thigh off the floor. Hold at the point of discomfort for 10 seconds. Exhale and push your thigh downward while trying to straighten your knee against your partner's resistance for six seconds. Completely relax your muscles and allow your parter to increase the range of your stretch.
Abductor Stretch
Lie on you back with your partner kneeling next to you. Draw one knee to your chest. Have your partner place one hand just above your knee and the other at mid-shin, gently applying force while directing your knee toward your opposite shoulder. Hold at the point of discomfort for 10 seconds. Exhale and push against your partner for six seconds, then relax as your partner increases your stretch.
Adductor Stretch
Sit erect on the floor with your knees bent, the soles of your feet together, and your hands palms-down next to your hips. Have your partner kneel in front of you with his hands just above your knees and gently lean forward, opening your hip joints to the point of discomfort. Hold for 10 seconds. Exhale and contract your inner thigh muscles, pushing against your partner for six seconds. Inhale and relax, allowing your partner to increase the stretch.
Member Comments