|
About
active isolated stretching
Your muscles have two basic actions, they can either contract
or relax. Each muscle has an opposite (antagonistic) muscle.
When you contract one muscle, it's paired muscle will then relax
into a stretch. A good example of this is the relationship of
the quadriceps and the hamstrings. When you contract the quads
in order to lift the leg, the hamstrings then relax (stretch)
to allow the leg to be lifted.
Of
all of the aspects of fitness, flexibility is often the
most neglected. While strength and stamina decline only slightly
as we age, the suppleness of the muscle tissue is radically reduced
from childhood to maturity and the assumption is made that it
is normal to get stiffer as we age. This is largely a myth. In
the same way that we may increase and preserve the strength of
muscle by daily training, we may increase and preserve flexibility
by stretching daily. Many people avoid stretching because it is
considered painful or they are simply unsure of how to do it.
Using precise bodily positioning, AIS isolates specific
muscles for a stretch lasting no more than 2.0 seconds. This 2
second stretch allows for optimal blood flow, oxygen, nourishment
into the muscle while avoiding painful tears caused by prolonged
static stretching. This stretch is then repeated up to 10 times
in order to gradually increase the Range of Motion & Flexibility.
Why 2 seconds? One of the most profound realisations of
AIS is the practice of the 2 second stretch. Muscles have a protective
mechanism called the stretch (mytatic) reflex which prevents the
body from being damaged through radical movements. This stretch
reflex is normally activated in the muscle at about 3 seconds.
Therefore, using the 2 second stretch avoids the protective reflex,
allowing for maximum elongation of the muscle and deep myofascial
tissue. Repeating the stretch up to 10 times will allow the muscle
length to gradually increase without ever signaling the stretch
reflex which can actually cause muscles to tighten in order to
protect the body from injury.
Pain free: People are rarely if ever sore after AI Stretching.
The AI Stretch reduces lactic acid by pumping fresh blood and
oxygen into the muscle tissue. This is a departure from standard
stretching techniques which can cause micro-tearing, reduction
of blood flow, and the build up of scar tissue as the muscle heals.
This is one of the main reasons that so many of us assume that
stretching is painful or even dangerous. AIS avoids painful tears.
In fact, pain is in direct opposition to the AIS principle of
bypassing the protective stretch reflex. When the body experiences
pain, we tighten up as to avoid injury. AIS is typically a very
pleasant experience, similar to having the muscles massaged from
the inside out.
Building
Strength: By
the way, AIS builds specific strength in the antagonist muscles
due to isolated contractions.
AIS for fitness: National Public Radio did a story in 2006
on how AI Stretching may act as a fitness program in itself. Have
a listen
|
