TENSION & FLEXIBILITY AS YOU AGE.. WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT? DOES STRETCHING EVEN WORK?
Everybody says we have to STRETCH. We can all agree that stretching is important.. but does it actually work?
After heading to the Yankees Wild Card Game the other night with my good friends, Brandon and Riley, every game you see A LOT of stretching before the game..
For years, I would stretch players in the clubhouse before the games, but the amazing thing was that I never saw a dramatic change in muscle length.
NEVER.
You would think stretching players for 9 months out of the year, just about every day, you would see dramatic gains.
NOT THE CASE.
The gains were actually minimal. At times, I felt the gains were actually more psychological.
I mean honestly, many of you reading this I am sure have stretched in your life.
Some of you stretch every day I bet before activity.. have you really felt a dramatic improvement?
Or better yet.. have those gains in flexibility stuck with you?
I am not sure that "length" is the answer.
On the other side of the coin, I have met trainers that stretch every day, multiple times per day, and never feel "loose"..
They actually feel tighter more often that not.. and if you were to test their "flexibility" they would pass every test with flying colors...
So.. AM I TELLING YOU THAT STRETCHING DOESN'T WORK? YES.. kind of..
Tension is actually more important to release in the muscle then to gain length.
When the muscle is stuck together or tight..you can stretch it all you want.. you will still feel "tight" or un-stretched if you do not address the tension problem.
Massage, hot water soaks, using tools like foam rollers, trigger sticks, and theraguns are all great ways to release tension..
Stretching without releasing the tension will not work..
Start every day with a "release" session and you will feel better every day. The results are compounding.. so the more the better... then go into your stretching.. some of you may realize you won't have to stretch as much!
YOU MUST RELEASE TENSION in the muscle to reduce pain and "feel loose"...
Dana Cavalea
Dana Cavalea is the World Champion Director of Strength and Conditioning & Performance of the New York Yankees.
Currently, he is a High Performance Speaker & Consultant to Pro Athletes, Entrepreneurs, Business Executives, and Workforces on lifestyle strategies to reduce stress, improve work/life integration, and most importantly improve daily performance /outcomes.
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