Stretching: how and why!
Stretching or stretching the muscles, everyone knows it, but it is done far too little. Especially in motor sports, where it is desperately needed, just like in other sports. The subject was briefly discussed last time when listing and explaining the basic physical properties. This time we will go into it a little further.
The benefits of stretching
Why on earth would you spend your time stretching before and after the activity? During strength training, the muscles become shorter and thicker, which reduces joint mobility. This shortening can be prevented by regularly stretching the muscles. Stretching promotes both active and passive flexibility. Active agility (agility that you put into motion yourself, e.g. being able to extend your leg high enough and far enough when taking a bend, where the motorcycle has a decent angle of inclination) is necessary to develop good technique. This results in a greater speed and amplitude of movement. If there is insufficient flexibility, a movement requires more energy. Passive flexibility is especially important when it comes to injury prevention. If the muscles are not sufficiently elastic during an involuntary stretch (e.g. a fall), the risk of an injury is even greater and the severity of the injury may also increase. Another advantage of stretching is that it reduces the muscle pain associated with will reduce strenuous efforts. Stretching will also stimulate local blood circulation and thus facilitate the start of the warm-up, as it were. It is also important to relax the muscles after stretching.
The different stretching techniques
Now that we have listed the benefits of stretching, let us explain the different forms of stretching. Stretching was initially introduced into the ballistic method, a technique adopted from Swedish gymnastics. We will start stretching with a swing moment and then repeat the exercise with a springing movement to increase the maximum stretching moment. Nowadays this technique is rarely used because it is believed that in this case the stretching and tensing of the muscles follow each other too closely. Yet it has never been scientifically proven that this method is bad. It is recommended not to use this technique alone, but to use it in combination with it static stretching. You slowly reach your maximum stretch and hold this position for a few seconds. It is generally accepted that 8 – 10 seconds is sufficient, some authors say to maintain this for 20 – 25 seconds. Always be careful not to exceed the pain threshold. Static stretching can be done in one or two phases. With the one-phase technique you only stretch once, with the two-phase method you stretch limitedly the first time and then push your limits a lot the second time.
Both previous techniques mentioned above fall under the heading of the active method, and there is also the passive method. You will stretch the muscles using external forces, namely your own body weight or a partner who will provide the stretching. Here too you can perform the stretching in a static or ballistic manner. When passively stretching with parter, you must be careful not to overstretch. The partner must know clearly when the pain threshold has been reached.
To improve general flexibility, it is important to stretch the following joints: the spinal column, the shoulder joint, the hip joint, and the foot joint. As mentioned earlier, a stretching exercise consists of: a stretch of 8 – 10 seconds. You then repeat this 2 to 3 times. It is best to relax the muscles for 30 to 60 seconds between each repetition. Another option is to hold the stretch position only once, but for 20 – 30 seconds. It is also very important that you perform the different exercises correctly. If you don't do this, there is also a chance of injury or (most likely) that you actually did nothing. So you should feel the muscles stretch effectively. You can always increase or decrease the exercise by slightly adjusting your position.
Text: Bram Deboutte
Photos credit: CDS, Adidas, Rutgerpauw.com/Red Bull Photofiles
Source: basis for responsible training
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