What You Need to Know About Stretching

 You ever started to hold a stretch and then go DANG I am tight and immediately let go of it?

DON'T DO THAT

In short terms.

We have Golgi tendon organs and muscle spindles. Muscle spindles are in charge of sensing muscle length and muscle lengthening. Muscle spindles signal muscle contractions so that the muscle doesn't go too far. It signals the brain throwing up red flags that the joints and soft tissues near it are nearing injury.

Golgi tendon organs sense changes in muscle tension.

HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO STRETCHING?

Let's pretend...

We just started stretching and we go into the stretch and the muscle is TIGHT the muscle spindle starts yelling

to stop the muscle from going too far or signaling contraction of another muscle nearby. Then after roughly 7 seconds the Golgi tendon organ steps in and goes SHUT UP and turns it off, which allows the muscle to be stretched further. So, basically, to allow yourself to push further into a stretch due to your nervous systems proprioceptors, you need to at least hold it for 7 seconds or you are not stretching the muscle past its current state of 'normal' (even if that is super short and tight).

Alright now let's run off a few rules of thumb:

• We stretch WARM muscles. Don't show up in a gym and immediately start stretching. Do them after your muscles are warm, walk, dynamic movements, or at the end of the warmup
• The more often you stretch - the better it is for your body
• Stretching increases flexibility and range of motion
• Boost blood flow/circulation
• Helps to correct alignment issues (e.g., super tight psoas bringing down the pelvis causing an anterior pelvic tilt - stretching + then strengthening the area)
• Much like exercise, increases mood + overall well-being.
• There are A LOT of ways to stretch (static, dynamic, and more)
• Stretching should not be painful

- Kelsey - Head Of Fitness

In Progress: Master's of Science in Sports and Health Sciences w/ a focus in Exercise Science and Human Performance (2023). Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Online Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Women's Fitness Specialist, Pain Management Specialist, Adult & Pediatric CPR/AED Certified. Additional Certs: Nutrition Coaching: Changing Habits, Not Diets, The 3D Approach to Finding Nutritional Balance, NASM's OPTimal Living: Understanding Food Labels and Portion Sizes, NASM's OPTimal Living: Navigating Diets, NASM's OPTimal Living: Nutrition Hot Topics and Controversies, Low Back Health Begins with the Core, Kettlebells: Mastering the Swing, Training the Brain: The Neuroscience of Aerobic Exercise, NASM's Guide to Bodybuilding, Emotions in Motion: Exercise as an Anxiety Intervention, Special Olympics Inclusive Fitness Training, ACE IFT Model: Program Design for Every Client

Additional Education: B.A. in Business Management w/ a focus in HR, A.A. in Business Admin, A.A. in Early Childhood Education, A.A. in Natural Science, prior DODD certified respite care provider, TESOL 120 HR, TEFL 160 HR.