IOL Strength and Conditioning

I don’t play hockey, but when I noticed Joseph Horrigan was one of the authors of the book Strength, Conditioning, and Injury Prevention for Hockey, I decided to flip through it. I read Horrigan’s Sportsmedicine column in Ironman magazine and it had a big influence on my training and health. The book is excellent overall, but one part in particular grabbed me.

Horrigan quotes Tudor Bompa’s prescription for flexibility, and I am paraphrasing here, but this is close:

If you want to improve your flexibility, stretch twice a day, hold the stretch for one minute three times, at a point you’d rate about a four on severity.

That little blurb would be very easy to motor past, but read it again. That is a very dense sentence. Following these instructions to the letter is quite a bit different from the prescriptions I had previously learned for stretching.

Frequency. I have never been specifically instructed to stretch twice a day, but this is good advice. Stretching in the manner described does not really put any demand on recovery. If you have an acute problem that is caused by tight muscles, it is worth this intensive effort to correct it. Twice a day is a lot for training, but frequent is the rule for rehab and corrective physical therapy.

Duration. This is the big one. I had been stretching for 10-30 seconds for years, often with little results. Increasing the duration will dramatically improve the effects. In simple terms it just takes longer than this for the tension to dissipate from the muscle. The effect isn’t double, it’s much greater than that. For me it’s the difference between good progress and no progress.

Intensity. Another biggie. I had been taught that stretching maximally was counterproductive, the pain inflicted will just cause the muscle to tighten up worse. True, but understated; the fact is, you don’t want to be anywhere close to the point of pain. I had been stretching at I’d say an 8 or 9 with little effect. Easing up is better.

Isn’t Static Stretching Out?
Tudor Bompa is referring to static stretching with these instructions. Lately there has been a minor flurry of writing about flexibility, with static stretching getting a black eye. I think a lot of this is misplaced.

There is certainly some merit to the writing. For one thing, static stretching has been misused as a warmup. Static stretching is a terrible idea for a warmup. You should be thoroughly warmed up before you do your static stretching. It also may leave the muscles at least temporarily “lazy” - less able to work hard and explosively. (How temporarily, is not yet settled.) But it fits very well at the end of a workout.

If you have a tight, overactive muscle that needs to relax so you can perform better, it makes sense to stretch before the activity. For example, to do squats, your calves and hamstrings need to be sufficiently loose and flexible so that you can achive the proper depth without round your lower back. If you need to stretch before squats to maintain optimum form, you should by all means do so. BUT, even in this case, you should do a general warmup before you stretch, then stretch before you squat.

The other reason static flexibility is getting bad-rapped is because static flexibility doesn’t necessarily deliver full functional flexibility. A good range of motion in your hamstrings in a relaxed static stretch does not assure that you’ll have functional flexibility. That is, even with good static passive flexibility, you may not be able to move through a good range of motion on the playing field, at work, or in day to day activities. (Functional flexibility is a conglomerate of what is variously called mobility, dynamic flexibility, active flexibilty, and probably a number of other terms we won’t worry about here today.)

This is a valid point, but it does not negate the value of static stretching. Many times if you take care of static flexibility, functional flexibility will take care of itself. This may tick off some people who have gone to the trouble of coming up with complex programs that develop functional flexibility, but most of us will prefer to try the simple solution first and complicate matters only when necessary.

Even if those complicated programs are necessary, it may be best to see static flexibility as a prerequisite for functional flexibility. Even if the complex methods are needed, it makes sense to address static flexibility first.

Stretching Priorities

A little frank talk is in order. Most people find stretching a bore, a chore, and something to be avoided. Few will be willing to even consider twice a day stretching, let alone do it. I don’t think anyone really wants or needs to go through the body from head to toe and stretch this way, twice a day. For one thing, that would take forever, and, well, it’s real dull.

Ask yourself this: Can I identify one, two, or three tight spots that are holding back my performance, interfering with good form or posture, or setting me up for injury?

If you honestly don’t know how to determine this, you ought to consider trying one of the basic screening tests that physical therapists use just to see where you stand. If you don’t have any tight spots, you are excused, go back to ballet class or the yoga room or where ever you people come from. Most of us will have no trouble identifying some tight spots that need work. The usual suspects: pectorals, hamstrings, hip adductors, lats, subscapularis, and calves.

Once you have identified some targets, consider this. Holding a stretch for one minute three times is going to take you five minutes or so, per stretch. We are talking about five, ten, or fifteen minutes here. In many cases, two weeks of this intensive remedial program will get you where you need to be. You can stand that.

Most people will have to do this stretching at home sometimes. Getting in the habit of doing little extra workouts is a good one. Short, easy feeder workouts let you add to your training and activity level without beating yourself down in the gym.

Things Tudor Bompa Left Out

That wonderful brief prescription from Tudor Bompa is not quite complete. A couple things are implied, but let’s spell them out now. This is mentioned above, but it bears repeating: A thorough warmup is absolutely essential before static stretching. It is very convenient to do it at the end of a workout. This will work fine for the elite athletes Bompa and Horrigan work with - they work out twice a day anyway. For the rest of us, we will have to figure out a way to warm up before stretching when there isn’t a workout prescribed.

There are lots of options here. The idea is just to get the blood flowing and raise the temperature of the muscles and connective tissues. If you’ve been out and about and active on a hot summer day, little warmup will be needed. A sauna, steam room, hot tub or even a long hot shower will work. You want to avoid jarring activities that themselves require a warmup. Walking is very good; running is a little too jarring. Easy calisthenics are fine. Dress appropriately or you’re swimming upstream. A sensible person doesn’t try to warm up wearing a string tank top in their unheated garage in Duluth in January.

Don’t rush your warmup.

The other missing key in Bompa’s blurb is selecting appropriate stretch positions. A static stretch position should be passive; the position should allow the target muscles to completely relax. For example, bending over to touch your toes is a poor choice for the hamstrings. In that position, the hamstrings must contract a little to keep you from falling over; they can’t really relax. A sit and reach type stretch is a better choice, as the hamstrings aren’t actively holding you up. If you aren’t sure how to pick the right positions, you’ll have to do some homework or consult with a physical therapist or, if you can find one, a trainer who’s smarter than his or her certificate.

Worth the Effort

Again, many readers dislike and avoid stretching and stopped reading long ago. The truth is, this simple measure can really pay off. I have seen a several people who couldn’t get their hands on the bar to squat loosen up their shoulders (subscapularis) and get back to it in no time. Others will manage to resolve stubborn rotator cuff problems just by loosening up the pectorals. Take your medicine, give it a try for two weeks, and let us know how you make out.