Resistance Flexibility Training in Holland

[RodrigoBasketball04]

Thanks to Bob Cooley for changing my life with this stretching. My game is better and injury free. Most people aren't ready for the challenge so they should just stick to their useless static stretching. I can't believe everyone thinks it would hurt, just the opposite.

[AngelLuvsU2]

this looks very horrible... is this for gymnastics or something..?

[flexiblestrength]

@AngelLuvsU2 For gymnastics and other sports, pain relief, rehabilitation, increasing flexibility/strength, improving emotional/psychological health, keep in shape...

[RodrigoBasketball04]

@AngelLuvsU2 Seriously? I read Bob's book, self stretch every day, and got to experience even more intense stretching than what's shown here back in 07. I can tell you it DOES NOT HURT but it's a lot more WORK than normal USELESS flexibility training. It really helped my game and vertical leap. ALSO no more injuries since I started stretching, and before I had several sprained ankles, knee problems, back problems. Give it a shot.

[SamuelWelshans]

This is a form of physical therapy then? Ballistic as in exceeding his range of motion, not necessarily bouncing.

[SamuelWelshans]

Stretching and gaining flexibility is a personal journey with one’s own body. Stretching, when done right, Is a peaceful, tranquil and invigorating experience also. This is merely a quite inhumane form of isometric ballistic stretching in my eyes.

[flexiblestrength]

@SamuelWelshans I couldn't agree more, except for your unfortunate conclusion. Funny that you label it inhumane with no understanding of what it's about and how it has helped so many. RE: "personal journey," consider that this work developed from one person's desire to rebuild his body after being struck by an automobile - how much more personal does it get? Ballistic = bouncing which is not happening here. My tip: check out thegeniusofflexibility website before making up your mind.

[RodrigoBasketball04]

@SamuelWelshans @AngelLuvsU2 Seriously? I read Bob's book, self stretch every day, and got to experience even more intense stretching than what's shown here back in 07. I can tell you it DOES NOT HURT but it's a lot more WORK than normal USELESS flexibility training. It really helped my game and vertical leap. ALSO no more injuries since I started stretching, and before I had several sprained ankles, knee problems, back problems. Give it a shot.

[SamuelWelshans]

It is true that a muscle has more stretching capacity when it is being isometrically flexed… but as a veteran of progressive static stretching for ten years, every other day, mastering the splits, wushu stretchkicks, bridge stretches , pike stretches, etc. I’d say static stretching ALONE is a much more effective and meaningful method of stretching.

[flexiblestrength]

@SamuelWelshans It depends on what your definition of flexibility is. We define flexibility not by mere range of motion, but by the ability of the muscle to maximally contract throughout its entire range. Using resistance when stretching strips out excessive fascia from the body which is usually the neglected issue in terms of flexibility. Just because you can do it alone doesn't mean you can't benefit from the help of others. ie. you can cut your own hair but you can also go to a hairstylist.

[RodrigoBasketball04]

@SamuelWelshans @AngelLuvsU2 Seriously? As a D-1 athlete I can tell you normal stretching does not work and this does. Static stretching causes injuries, every NBA player knows it. Get with the program!

[SamuelWelshans]

Not to offend you, or what you do... but, I think this is pretty ridiculous.

"Hey. Berry, Jerry, Bob, Ben, would you all come over here please? I need to stretch."

This is, most certainly, an absurd dependency to accomplish a simple and basic task.

Joint rotations, cardio and stretching are part of the warm up for a workout to prevent injury and promote health in individuals. If you can't even do the warm up by yourself, how could you possibly accomplish a whole workout?

[flexiblestrength]

@SamuelWelshans Many people think it's ridiculous until they get stretched themselves. Stretching is no simple and basic task for an Olympic athlete. The fascia is excessively dense in most gymnast's bodies and requires assistance from others in order to exceed it's tensile strength and create true flexibility. Stretching can be practiced alone, but any successful athlete or performer knows that they need a team of people on hand to help put themselves together.

[TheSquidge1000]

takes 4 men to stretch his legs...standard

[vibratingstring]

To me, I see one of the greatest benefits of doing stretching this way as an injury-reduction technique. I had found, years ago, that I could easily injure a muscle doing non-resistive self-stretching. I found that by eccentrically loading and stretching, I could prevent the tearing, and yet get a really good range of motion.

If you carry out eccentric resistance stretching with weights, you cannot adjust the load, if it is too hard to fight it. The machine wins ,and you are overstretched.

[greyhatkid]

Hmm, interesting. I guess this is a good method of stretching, but what about over flexibility? The full 360 degree rotation of the wrist/forearm looked like a little to much.

[greyhatkid]

No nevermind, this isn't isometric is it? The athlete is contracting his muscles in an isometric manner, but force is being put against them by a partner, right? So what type of stretching would this actually be considered, contraction-wise? Eccentric?

[flexiblestrength]

@greyhatkid This training involves isometric, concentric, and eccentric contractions. The stretching is eccentric, this is where the person being stretched continuously resists while the assisters overcome their force to elongate the muscle. Reverse that for concentric strength training, the assisters slow down the movement of the person as the muscle shortens while contracting. Or isometric contractions can be used where the person continuously resists while in a static position.

[greyhatkid]

Oh, and, are you even sure this good for the ligaments/tendons?

[flexiblestrength]

@greyhatkid Yes it's the best thing for them. The person being assisted is protecting themselves from overstretching by resisting. A person would be considered overstretched when they have a range of motion that is greater than their ability to actively resist through that full range. Resistance stretching prevents this by only moving the person through ranges where they are able to continuously resist. This protects and strengthens the tissue so that it does not lose its elasticity.

[greyhatkid]

And yes, I realize this is not PNF stretching, but the concept here is the same, isometric stretching with a partner.

[greyhatkid]

I've done partner-type stretching before. The point is, athletes develop a dependency and don't know how to stretch themselves.

[flexiblestrength]

@greyhatkid An athlete that is aiming for optimal performance will not slack off on self stretching, as it too is integral for maintaining flexibility. But, the fact remains that more can be accomplished with the assistance of others and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Think about getting a haircut, sure you can do it yourself, but the results will most likely be better if you had a professional stylist do it. How about self massage vs. a massage from someone else? There is no comparison.

[greyhatkid]

And this guy is no genius. This method of stretching has been around since the 1940's. It's actually called PNF stretching.

[flexiblestrength]

@greyhatkid I think you have mistaken... it's the *flexibility* that is the genius. And, if I had a nickel for every time people mistakenly assume this is PNF stretching... Seriously though, PNF stretching uses resistance briefly while the muscle is already elongated through hold/contract/relax. RFST uses resistance throughout the entire range of the muscle, specifically eccentric contractions during the elongation... which is dramatically different as you should be able to tell from this video.

[greyhatkid]

Screw this. Just do static stretching everyday and you'll be more flexible than these goons.

[flexiblestrength]

@greyhatkid Your strong opinion has been noted. There are many others who prefer this method over static stretching for many reasons, but you seem to already be convinced, so I'll spare the details. I know that the concept of using resistance to stretch seems very foreign to a person until they are able to experience it first hand via assisted stretching. My advice, don't knock it till you try it.

[LilMizzMalteser097x]

I dont really see he point in it reallly???

[flexiblestrength]

@LilMizzMalteser097x You don't see the point in improving your health? What specifically are you referring to?

[yokamotoh]

Geeez!

[StevenSWM]

So, it sounds like anyone who does much strength training, begins to suffer from the muscles drawing the skeletal system out of it's most proper alignment, and you use this method of stretching to free up the tension placed on the bones by the muscle. But be honest...how often does one have a muscle, ligament, or tendon injured or torn during this sort of procedure? Applying that much force against a contracting muscle has to have it's mishaps.

[flexiblestrength]

Quite the opposite actually. It's the contraction that actually prevents muscles and tissues from being overstretched and injured.

[henrysinaga]

I fainted @ 0:21 this video is too scary

[gnemick]

So if i'm a swimmer and want to incorporate this stretching into my routine do i need a team of people and someone willing to stand on me or can i just do the self stretching with the help of the book?

[flexiblestrength]

You can accomplish quite a bit alone through self stretching. But, you definitely need people to assist you for maximal results. It takes twice the force to stretch a muscle as it does to strengthen it, which therefore requires an amount of force that you cannot generate alone.

[Nizm0350z]

How about some nice resistance training instead (weights)

[flexiblestrength]

That would be one way to concentrically train the muscles, which is the opposite of what is occurring here.

[buzzkilling]

What is the difference between this and the eccentric portion of resistance training?

[flexiblestrength]

The difference is that it takes twice the force to stretch a muscle than it does to strengthen it. The eccentric portion of resistance training uses the same amount of weight as the concentric portion. You could also use weights to eccentrically train your muscles using twice the force, but having people assist provides an optimal stretch for each muscle group using twice the force while simultaneously incorporating abduction/adduction, flexion/extension, internal/external rotation.

[Nizm0350z]

Ok, so I think this would be similar to a forced negative rep (referring to weight training)..for instance, bicep curl, start with more weight than you could curl, but start at the top and let the weight pull your arms down while you try to keep it up. Or have a partnet hold the bar as you go through a negative repetition....or maybe i'm way off here lol.

[flexiblestrength]

Yes, this would be the same as negative reps in weight training, as you described. The difference here is that people, instead of weights, provide the eccentric force, which allows for muscle specific training throughout it's entire range of motion, rotational pattern, etc.

[Nizm0350z]

Gotcha, I could see how these techniques would give you a better stretch and range of motion though.

[buzzkilling]

So I understand you are saying that the eccentric loading is greater but the advantage is that it can be manipulated in a PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) patterns, or spiraling ranges to target and stretch relevant muscles in functional movement patterns. Is this close?

[flexiblestrength]

Yes, the distinction from PNF is that to get a resistance stretch, a person would continuously contract the target muscle group with maximal resistance from where it is as short as possible to where it is as long as possible through all planes of movement. For example, if the assisters are externally rotating, abducting, and flexing a persons leg, the person getting stretched would continuously resist by internally rotating, adducting, and extending their leg.

[kruegda]

this is pretty interesting, but I don't see how this is an effective way of working out or stretching, if you need 3 or 4 guys all working on you at once. Even if I need more than myself to do these stretches, that's too many for every day workouts/stretches.

[kruegda]

I guess effective isn't the right word.  I question the practicality of these exercises.

[flexiblestrength]

I agree that it's impractical for most people to have 3 or 4 people stretch them regularly. Olympic & professional athletes, however, are able to set the bar higher than the average person. As far as the everyday person goes, it is possible to stretch alone with this method. However, in order to get a maximal stretch, it's essential to have at least one person assist you. This is something that can easily be accomplished. For example, meeting up with a friend twice a week to trade stretching.

[kruegda]

I'll look through your vids for demos on doing these stretches alone. I'd love some suggestions too.

Yeah I try to workout with a buddy, but sometimes my schedule is so out of whack that it's hard to create a solid meeting schedule. It's also kinds hard to find someone my age who's willing to get up at 5am or 6am to workout during their summer break. :)

Now that I'm back at school it's a lot easier.

[flexiblestrength]

I'll have some more videos up soon with self stretching, assisted stretching, and tandem stretching examples.

I totally understand the struggle of finding a workout buddy. The lifestyle that most of us lead does not leave much time for health and wellness. That's where self stretches come in handy as you can do them whenever and wherever since you are using your own resistance (no equipment).

[x1y1l1e1m]

oh that will be awesome, I am training for a meet, and self stretching video will be awesome.

Thanks in advance.