10 Ways You're Sabotaging Your Flexibility Training
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Everyone wants to be more flexible, especially aerialists and dancers. Increased range of movement has many benefits for us, including reducing risk of injury, more options for poses and skills, and more beautiful lines. The main issue with most amateur aerialists and dancers is that we're often starting from scratch and end up feeling like it takes forever to make any noticeable progress. For years I've been trying to train my flexibility and I was getting frustrated with my lack of progress.. feeling like I was never going to get to the point I so wanted to be at. I felt too old, too tight, even if I really disciplined myself in my training. But I've been doing more and more research on ROM and flexibility conditioning and I've actually discovered that I've been sabotaging my own training! Flexibility is way more complex than I thought and I've had to relearn things that trusted coaches have been telling me for years: see my previous post. Ive compiled a list of the worst offenders and laid them out here for you. If you are doing any of these things it's time to make some changes- you won't believe how fast you progress afterwards!!!
1. You're only static stretching
Surprise! Static stretching is actually the most ineffective and potentially dangerous way to gain flexibility. Static stretching consists of holding deep stretching poses for extended lengths of time. For years this has been an an integral part of any dancer's, gymnast's, or aerialist's training. The idea has always been that if your muscles are "tight", you can "lengthen" them by holding these static positions for extended periods. Science and sport has actually come to the conclusion that not only is this ineffective at increasing ROM but also can cause injury.
Flexibility starts in the brain. Your nervous system does its best to protect you from injury. This means if you force it into positions it is unfamiliar with, it will contract and resist the movements to protect you- even from yourself! This causes micro tears (and sometimes not-very-micro tears) in the muscle tissue. Do this enough times and you'll start to build up scar tissue. PS: Scar tissue doesn't stretch.
Muscles don't actually lengthen. They are similar to an elastic band in that after extending they return to a neutral position. Lengthening would rid them of their elasticity which we don't want. All flexibility conditioning is, is getting your nervous system comfortable with being at those extended ranges.
Here's the tricky bit: adding static stretching (15-45 second holds) to your training can have a positive impact. The issue comes with when you only perform static stretching, (as opposed to a combination of methods..) do static stretching as a warm-up, or go too deep for too long.
2. You aren't hydrating enough
Drinking enough water while you are training is SO IMPORTANT. Studies have shown a link between even a small amount of dehydration and a higher risk of injury. Chronic dehydration is a major problem in a lot of athletes. Water is needed to not only make cells function, but also provide lubrication for joints and fascia. Dehydration can lead to a huge number of psychological issues as well including; reduced motivation to exercise, reduced cognitive performance, mood changes, fatigue, irritability and more... All of these things can have an impact on your flexibility conditioning.
Drinking water is one of the easiest things you can do to improve your performance! So take it seriously and stay hydrated.
3. You aren't including strength training
Flexibility is not just about passive flexibility. What's the point of being able to lift your leg above your head if you can't hold it there on your own? Because your ROM is controlled by your nervous system's innate urge to protect you from injury, strengthening the muscles is a great way of making your system feel safe and stabilised and the edge of your range, thus allowing you to push further.
I talked about PNF techniques in my last blog post, and how it includes isometric contractions to increase strength at the edge of your range. This is a great method of flexibility conditioning that I highly recommend incorporating into your training. Isometric contractions of the muscle involve contractions that don't change the length of the muscle. For example, laying on your back while someone lifts your leg and pushes it to your head, you resist their force by contracting your hamstrings and quads. Their opposite force results in your leg staying in the same position, thus making it an isometric contraction.
4. You aren't warming up enough
Stretching is NOT a warm up. A warm up should do exactly that, warm you up. It should consist of 10-15 minutes of an activity that 1) gets your heart rate up - increasing blood flow to your joints, limbs, and organs, and 2) gently introducing your full range to your whole body. Warm ups should be dynamic in nature, kicking, jumping jacks, shoulder circles, wrist circles, hip circles.. lots of circles basically. Personally, I love starting with something to get my heart rate up; mountain climbers, jump rope, jogging. Then I move through my range starting with the top of my body: neck rolls (only rolling forward, never hyper extending the neck back), shoulder rolls, chest/ hip movements, kicks, ankles etc..
The more you warm up the better. Warm muscles go further, and there is less risk of nerves firing to protect you from injury. It is very important to keep in mind that your flexibility conditioning should be saved for AFTER your main training. Stretching the muscles, especially static stretching for extended lengths, can reduce your muscle strength, power, and speed significantly. Not only that, but when you stop your warm up in order to stretch, you're essentially cooling down, and you must warm up again before you train. It doesn't make a lot of sense.
5. You aren't consistent
One of the biggest things that will take your flexibility conditioning to the next level is to do it consistently. This means once a day at least, and twice a day if you're serious. As I said earlier, your nervous system plays a huge role in your ROM. Your body will make it easier to do things that you do frequently overtime. It's not enough to do your conditioning once in a while. You have to tell your body it's safe to be there by going there often and not freaking it out by pushing too deep. Even if it's just a matter of taking your body through its full range several times a day for a few minutes- that will make a difference.
Basically, the more often you hang out there, there more your nervous system will be like, "oh this again. Nothing bad happened last time, so yeah, let's go there again." Get it?
6. You're holding your stretches for too long
I see this ALL THE TIME. Some poor dancer or aerialist sitting in her splits with a timer going for 2 or 3 minutes. I cringe at the sight of it. All you're doing is causing injury to the muscle. You think your body will want to let you go that far again if all you do is cause the tissues to tear and bruise? Studies have shown time and again that there is virtually NO benefit to holding static poses for more than 15-45 seconds. Seriously, this is the biggest way you are sabotaging yourself! STOP IT! NOW!
7. You have bad form
Consult your coach for proper anatomical form. Just like skills on your apparatus, stretching and strengthening moves require proper form to 1) protect you from chronic and acute injury, 2) reduce the chance of forming bad habits and 3) actually be effective. Each drill is different but there are a few common cues for proper form, such as flat back, squaring hips, shoulders back/engaged etc..
Look in a mirror or take video of yourself, and compare yourself to images demonstrating correct form in the particular skills you want. Look for neck and head placement, the direction of the knees and feet, the angle of the elbows and knees, the tilt of the pelvis, and the curve (or lack thereof) in the spine/back.
8. You're not breathing
How many times have you come out of a difficult skill panting because you were unintentionally holding your breath? The same can happen with training your flexibility. You feel the tension and pressure, and you're concentrating so hard you forget. to. breathe.
It goes without saying that breathing is pretty important! Not only for, like, keeping you alive and stuff... but deep breathing helps you to relax. It releases endorphins and lowers stress levels. This can actually make your body feel safe. Which might let you go a little bit deeper. A good rule of thumb is to inhale on the contraction and exhale during the relaxation phase.
9. You're going too deep
This goes back to the idea that you can't injure the muscle and expect it to want to move there again. There is no need to rush. Especially because in this case, moving ahead too fast before your body is ready, will only set you back and hinder your progress.
Take it slow. Stretching should give you a bit of pressure. It's not comfortable, but it shouldn't be painful either. Pain is your body's way of telling you something is wrong. Pain usually indicates that you're going too far. Push yourself to your edge, but don't risk over-stretching and hurting yourself. Once your muscles are injured your nervous system will work even HARDER to protect them from further injury by really limiting your range of motion. This is the opposite of what we're going for here! So ease up a bit!
10. You fail to see the bigger picture
Your body is complex and interconnected. Every part of your body has the ability to affect another part. Every movement and skill requires multiple focuses. Your splits is not just about your hamstrings. It's also about your calves, your hip flexors, your psoas, your back.. etc. If you injure yourself, or are out of anatomical alignment, or have been working with bad form, you can expect your body to compensate for the damaged or weaker muscles by putting pressure on other muscles.
It's important to understand how your anatomy works. How your body is connected. Understanding your anatomy and how each skill uses particular muscles will help you get the most out of your training. It will also help you prevent injuries.
Overall, flexibility conditioning is not just about stretching. Theres a lot of stuff at work in your body- and understanding that, and nurturing that (rather than potentially working against it), will help you achieve your flexy goals.
-Samantha
