3 secrets to speed up your flexibility progress.

Jun 24

Introduction

Are you looking to improve your flexibility fast? Are you tired of reading blog posts that tell you to do some crazy stretches and take supplements, but never explain how to actually get flexible? If you have not read the previous blog post on why you are not making flexibility gains, I invite you to have a read before diving into this one. In this article, I'm going to give you three steps on how to improve your flexibility fast, with actual science.

1- Increase your nervous system's tolerance to the stretch.

The nervous system is the master controller of all movement. Increased flexibility, therefore, must be seen as a joint-by-joint process where the goal is to increase the tolerance of your nervous system to active, passive, and dynamic range of motion.

To facilitate this process, you should use end range conditioning and functional range conditioning exercises progressively over time to help strengthen the tissue in the joint capsule (bones and soft tissues). End-range conditioning involves using progressive and regressive loads to stimulate the nervous system in the area to build a better neural response. This will require that you use appropriate alignment and build awareness of your compensation (as discussed in the previous blog post).

Breathing is key when it comes to successful flexibility training because it provides oxygenation and relaxation to muscles, tendons, and ligaments which allows for better blood flow into these areas helping them become more flexible. Understanding how to breathe in dynamic movement, active stretching and passive stretching can make all the difference in your progress. This is because your nervous system is at work again and if your sympathetic nerve is active during a passive stretch it will not let you relax into it. This detail will be discussed in the third point of this article.

2- Warm up with some low-intensity muscle contractions before stretching.

Before you begin stretching, it's important to warm up your muscles with some low-intensity muscle contractions or end-range conditioning exercises. The purpose of this is to get the body ready for a higher level of activity. You can do this by either warming up before you stretch or after you stretch.

When warming up before stretching, it's best to use PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) techniques. These are methods that use muscle contraction and relaxation to stimulate the muscle without having to go through a full range of motion at first. This allows you to increase blood flow, loosen tight muscles, and improve joint stability without using a full range of motion right off the bat—which will allow for greater flexibility gains over time by reducing the risk for injury during training sessions later down the road!

Some light mobility work including controlled articulated rotations can also be beneficial to activate your nervous system and lubricate your joints before the heavier work of your practice.

3- Hold stretches for the minimum amount of time necessary to see results.

If you are a beginner in flexibility training, you should hold each stretch for at least 20 seconds, but no more than 30 seconds. This is to prevent hyper-extending your limbs or joints, which can cause injury and muscle tears. It also ensures that the muscles in question will relax, instead of fighting against you while they’re being stretched out.

When you first begin to practice passive stretches, it will take time for your nervous system to adapt and allow the stretch. In fact, even after years of stretching and practicing yoga poses, your nervous system still has a lot more to learn about how far you can go into a stretch.

When you stretch beyond the appropriate time, you risk bypassing your stretch reflex, which means that regardless of the readiness of your joint to get into the range, your nervous system will give in and let you take your stretch deeper. However, this is a risky game and can create long-term injuries. If you are hypermobile this can create disastrous consequences, so ensure that you build strength and awareness first. If you are a heavyweight lifter looking to increase your range, then your challenge will be to find relaxation in passive stretches so take time to build tolerance.

The trick here is to gauge how long it takes before you feel a slight burn—about 20% less than when you first started stretching out that muscle group—and then continue holding the stretch until it subsides completely (which could take as much as a minute). This way, you’ll know exactly how long to keep up with each exercise based on your unique circumstances rather than simply guessing at how long is “long enough” for results! Progressive overload is also valid when it comes to stretching and understanding how to build your training plan is the safest and best way to see positive results fast.

Conclusion

We’ve covered the basics of what it takes to improve your flexibility, whether you’re looking to be able to do the splits or just want to be able to bend over without your back seizing up. Remember the key steps: identify where you need improvement, choose a stretch that will help you work towards that goal, and then practice frequently.

You can speed up your flexibility progress without taking any unnecessary risks or being overzealous. Increasing the range of motion in flexibility training should be helping preventing injuries and not the other way around. With those in mind, we hope you can make big strides towards improving your flexibility!

If you are a beginner aerialist and want to speed up your strength gains and flexibility progress, I am launching a programme at the end of June called The Aerialist's Starter Toolkit. It is the ultimate blueprint to help you become strong and flexible for aerial arts.

It will include:

-conditioning exercises to build stamina.

-home and gym workouts to help you fast track your strength.

-flexibility tutorials to create those beautiful shapes.

-carefully curated to maximise efficiency and guarantee results within weeks.

-support from your favourite coach.

AND MORE

All based on my proven coaching techniques used in my classes and approved by hundreds of students.

Since this will be a live launch, you will have to register in advance.

This will also give you access to exclusive pre-launch discounts and extra benefits.

https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62963935fcd62d77ac3e4b37

Try one of my flexibility classes here!