Stretching and Flexibility
Everything you never wanted to know
by Brad Appleton
This HTML version adapted by Mark Henderson-Thynne
Introduction
Disclaimer
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Physiology of Stretching
The Musculoskeletal System
Muscle Composition
How Muscles Contract
Fast and Slow Muscle Fibers
Connective Tissue
Cooperating Muscle Groups
Types of Muscle Contractions
What Happens When You Stretch
Proprioceptors
The Stretch Reflex
Components of the Stretch Reflex
The Lengthening Reaction
Reciprocal Inhibition
Flexibility
Types of Flexibility
Factors Limiting Flexibility
How Connective Tissue Affects Flexibility
How Aging Affects Flexibility
Strength and Flexibility
Why Bodybuilders Should Stretch
Why Contortionists Should Strengthen
Overflexibility
Types of Stretching
Ballistic Stretching
Dynamic Stretching
Active Stretching
Passive Stretching
Static Stretching
Isometric Stretching
How Isometric Stretching Works
PNF Stretching
How PNF Stretching Works
How to Stretch
Warming Up
General Warm-Up
Joint Rotations
Aerobic Activity
Warm-Up Stretching
Static Warm-Up Stretching
Dynamic Warm-Up Stretching
Sport-Specific Activity
Cooling Down
Massage
Elements of a Good Stretch
Isolation
Leverage
Risk
Some Risky Stretches
Duration, Counting, and Repetition
Breathing During Stretching
Exercise Order
When to Stretch
Early-Morning Stretching
Stretching With a Partner
Stretching to Increase Flexibility
Pain and Discomfort
Common Causes of Muscular Soreness
Stretching with Pain
Overstretching
Performing Splits
Common Problems When Performing Splits
The Front Split
The Side Split
Split-Stretching Machines
References on Stretching
Recommendations
Additional Comments
Working Toward the Splits
lower back stretches
lying buttock stretch
groin and inner-thigh stretch
seated leg stretches
seated calf stretch
seated hamstring stretch
seated inner-thigh stretch
psoas stretch
quadricep stretch
lying
`V'
stretch
Normal Ranges of Joint Motion
Neck
Lumbar Spine
Shoulder
Elbow
Wrist
Hip
Knee
Ankle
Index