Length Training for Your Muscles Instead of Stretching
“My muscles have shortened.” Now that’s something that most of us have heard before. What’s interesting about this, however, is that up until just recently it hadn’t actually been proved that muscles could indeed become shorter. It certainly was not definitively known that we could train them to lengthen again.
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Share Muscular Imbalances Are the Root Cause of Approx. 80% of Back and Joint Problems
If you know that these muscular imbalances are caused by shortened muscles and a lack of muscle activation, then you clearly know why flexibility and strength training is so valuable for your body.
In present-day society, our lives are typically forward-looking, both literally and figuratively. Our back neck muscles as well as our chest, abdominal and hip flexor muscles thus gradually adjust to this position and our muscles “shorten” as a result.
Actively Working out in a Pre-stretched Joint Position Promotes the Lengthening of Muscles
Compared to traditional strength training or static/passive stretching, the muscle is actively trained in a “pre-stretched” position during muscle length training. This stimulates muscles into growing and lengthening as desired. Consequently, the muscle has more sarcomeres (the smallest muscle unit) than before.
It feels like you are “stretching,” but instead the muscles are statically being trained by stretching them to the farthest point. Lengthening muscles and working on flexibility is the principle behind EGYM Smart Flex.
Traditional Passive/Static Stretching Does Not Lengthen Muscles
Anyone who thinks they can obtain the same results by “stretching” is mistaken. Stimulating muscles (along the Z-lines) is the key to lengthening muscles with proven results. Muscle fibers are temporarily torn apart with traditional stretching methods. After stretching, there is lower muscle toning, but the number of sarcomeres (smallest muscle unit) has not changed.
Only in physiotherapy can treatments, such as bottleneck stretches developed by Liebscher & Bracht, obtain comparable results.
Conclusion
Generally speaking, classic “stretching” is not required if you utilise the largest possible amplitude (maximum range of motion) in conventional strength training and use EGYM Smart Flex to specifically stimulate the lengthening of muscles.
