Stretch to Win 2nd Edition

Stretch to Win-2nd EditionNames: Frederick, Ann, 1961- author. | Frederick, Chris, 1958- author. Title: Stretch to win / Ann Frederick, Christopher Frederick. Description: Second edition. | Champaign, IL : Human Kinetics, [2017] | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016053879 (print) | LCCN 2016053484 (ebook) | ISBN 9781492515876 (print) | ISBN 9781492551546 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Stretching exercises. Classification: LCC RA781.63 .F74 2017 (ebook) | LCC RA781.63 (print) | DDC 613.7/182--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016053879
ISBN: 978-1-4925-1587-6 (print)
Copyright © 2017, 2006 by Ann Frederick and Christopher Frederick
All rights reserved. Except for use in a review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, and in any information storage and retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
This publication is written and published to provide accurate and authoritative information relevant to the subject matter presented. It is published and sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, medical, or other professional services by reason of their authorship or publication of this work. If medical or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.
The web addresses cited in this text were current as of February 2017, unless otherwise noted.
Notice: Permission to reproduce the following material is granted to instructors and agencies who have purchased Stretch To Win, Second Edition : pp. 95-99. The reproduction of other parts of this book is expressly forbidden by the above copyright notice. Persons or agencies who have not purchased Stretch to Win, Sec- ond Edition may not reproduce any material.
Acquisitions Editor: Michelle Maloney; Developmental Editor: Laura Pulliam; Managing Editor: Ann C. Gindes; Indexer: Laurel Plotzke; Cover Designer: Keith Blomberg; Photograph (cover): petesaloutos/ iStock/Getty Images; Photographs (interior): © Human Kinetics; Visual Production Assistant: Joyce Brumfield; Photo Production Manager: Jason Allen; Senior Art Manager: Kelly Hendren; Illustrator: Bruce Hogarth; Illustrations: © Ann Frederick and Christopher Frederick (pages 26-29, 31-34, 84, 85, 96, and 97); all other illustrations © Human Kinetics, unless otherwise noted; Printer: Sheridan Books
We thank the Stretch to Win Institute in Tempe, Arizona, for assistance in providing the location for the photo shoot for this book.
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We dedicate this book to all those who seek more understanding about the human body, particularly how to assess and improve mobility for functional performance in sports, fitness, and life. It is also dedicated to those who have not been able to find optimal solutions for their pain or dysfunction and are willing to give this book a chance to provide relief and a lifelong strategy for success.
iv
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction xi
1 Ten Principles for Optimal Flexibility 1 Follow the 10 principles to form a foundation for your
flexibility program
Achieve flexibility using a multilayered approach
2 Anatomy and Physiology of Flexibility 15 Learn what fascia is and how it factors into the flexibility
of your body
Locate tight or restricted areas in your body using fascia mobility nets
3 Flexibility Training 39 Enhance athleticism and fitness with fascia mobility
training
Adjust parameters of a stretch for different needs and results
Understand the types of stretching and how they affect your flexibility
4 Flexibility for Sport Performance 57 Learn how flexibility can affect athletic performance
Use the performance pyramid to guide flexibility training for your sport
v
5 Flexibility Assessment 67 Locate the source of your pain, soreness, weakness,
or discomfort and find solutions
Create a flexibility program specific to your needs
6 Stretches for Fundamental Mobility 101 Learn how to improve your everyday flexibility
7 Dynamic Stretches for Sports 147 Prepare for and recover from sports activity using
flexibility
8 Assisted Stretching 173 Stretch with a coach or a therapist to solve mobility
problems and to improve athletic performance
Glossary 213
References 218
Index 219
vii
The journey that led to the development of our technique was in progress more than 40 years, and it will continue for as long as we practice and teach; therefore, there are many people to thank. This book would not have been possible without my beloved husband, Chris. He was instrumental in the entire creative process, and he has been my true partner. We have spent countless hours working together on the book, side by side on our dueling laptops, without a single disagreement. Although I spent many years studying the science of flexibility and stretching people before we met in 1998, his inspiration, guidance, support, vision, and love transformed my work and helped it evolve into what is today.
I especially want to thank my parents for having always been there for me, believing in me, and supporting all my dreams and endeavors. My mom taught me that I could become anything I desired as long as I kept my feet planted firmly on the earth and my spirit reaching for the heavens. My father advised me to find a special niche, become the very best at it, and never stop improving. I know they were proud of what I created and they smile down on me knowing I am living my dream.
Numerous influences have culminated in the beliefs Chris and I share about stretching and flexibility as a means of tapping into human potential, beginning with our mutual backgrounds in dance and movement. I began dance training at the age of 4, and Chris began dancing at the age of 10. I extend my thanks to the many dance teachers and students I have had the pleasure of working with over the past 40 years for providing endless inspiration as to all the possibilities that exist in movement and flexibility.
Special thanks to Tim McClellan and Rich Wenner, who introduced me to the world of strength and conditioning at Arizona State University in 1995. They gave me a chance to develop my techniques into a functional flexibility that transferred to the field for athletes. This opened the door to my being chosen as the flexibility specialist for the 1996 U.S. men’s Olympic wrestling team. The experience of working with athletes of this caliber set the benchmark for the role that sport-specific flexibility can have in athletic success.
I must thank my many clients over the nearly 20 years I ran my clinic for believing and trusting in my work. By sharing their lives and providing feed- back, they have participated in the development and growth of my vision. They have taught me a great deal about the many differences and similarities in the human body and about its unlimited potential.
Acknowledgments
viii Acknowledgments
A very special thank-you to my athletes for the time, trust, and devotion they have invested in me over the years. They have truly inspired me to continue improving the methods of stretching to help them reach their performance, prevent injuries, and achieve health and fitness goals. It has been an honor and a privilege to be a small part of their careers.
Last, but most important, is a heartfelt thank-you that I lovingly send out to all our students and our teaching teams in the United States and Canada. We have closed our clinic since writing the first edition of this book; we are now dedicating our time to teaching and writing. My present focus is how to best educate and inspire our students, teachers, and readers. The people who bring us joy and fulfillment are those whose lives have been influenced by our work, both professionally and personally. I feel truly blessed to have touched so many lives and to have those people touch and change so many more.
—Ann Frederick
First, I would like to thank my wife. This book is a product of and a testament to the joy that comes when we have the opportunity to create something together. I will never forget the first time I got on Ann’s table and, through her stretching techniques, experienced the magical sensation of pain and tension melting away; this is the feeling shared by her clients every day. She is a master teacher and a divine inspiration, and I thank her for personally training me in her original philosophy and system of stretching and for sharing with me all the things that drive her passion in this field.
Thanks to my parents for encouraging me to follow my heart in all my endeavors, even when the path I chose was not exactly what they had in mind for me. A very special thank-you to the first teacher and person who made a significant impact in my life, Sifu Sat Chuen Hon, for helping me create a solid spiritual and physical foundation. Special thanks to Dr. Mei-Hsiu Chan for her guidance in teaching me deeper levels of life experience through profound healing and training of the body and mind.
I am truly grateful for all the dance teachers who freely gave of themselves when teaching their passion and joy of movement to me: Wilhelm Burmann, David Howard, Melissa Haydn, Gloria Fokine, and Robert Blankshine. Thanks to Romana Kryzanowska and Kathy Grant for introducing me to Pilates and to Juliu Horvath for training me in his system of Gyrokinesis before it was known by any name.
I want to thank my mentor and guide in manual therapy, Marika Molnar, PT, LAc, and founder of the famed Westside Dance Physical Therapy practice in New York City. Without her inspiration, I would not be the kind of manual physical therapist that I am proud to be today. Liz Henry, PT, and Katie Keller, PT, were also wonderful guides on that journey. I am also thankful for the inspiration of the many creative collaborators who frequented that magical place, among them Jean Claude West, Ken Endelman (founder of Balanced Body), and Brent Anderson (founder of Polestar Pilates).
—Chris Frederick
ixAcknowledgments
There are many others who contributed to the creation of this book. A very special thanks to Michael J. Alter, whose first book in 1988, The Science of Stretching, provided scientific validation of an emerging field of flexibility science. Michael laid the groundwork and inspiration for others to follow, and we hope that we do his work some justice. He was kind enough to share his valuable time and knowledge by reviewing our first-edition manuscript, sending research, and discussing the future of flexibility science. Thanks also to Wayne Phillips, PhD, our dear friend and colleague, who was instrumental in the pursuit of research in the field, and to James Oschman, PhD, who was inspirational in his brilliant work relating to energy medicine and the won- ders of the fascial system. Special thanks to our friend, colleague, and mentor, Thomas Myers, who gave us a new perspective on how to see and experience the body. After spending 12 weeks training with him in Maine, and being exposed to the tremendous volume of work covered in his book Anatomy Trains, we can truly say that we “changed our bodies about our minds.”
To all the students who have trained in our technique, thank you for your trust, time, passion, and commitment. You motivate us to be our very best and to continue evolving. We learn so much from you every time we teach, and we are eternally grateful for your constant faith and never-ending inspiration.
Thanks also to our models—Jon Lempke, Emily Grout, and Christine Sijera—for donating their time and talent. Avery special thanks to Bertrand Berry, who is always a joy to work with and is one of our all-time favorite athletes. We thought it only appropriate to have one of our (now retired) NFL players be the model for the assisted stretches on the table in chapter 8.
We would like to thank all the fine folks at Human Kinetics who have made this second edition possible, particularly Michelle Maloney, Acquisitions Editor, Laura Pulliam, Developmental Editor, and Ann Gindes, Managing Editor. They were a pleasure to work with and were extremely helpful and understanding throughout the entire writing process.
We thank photographer Neil Bernstein both for his outstanding work and for his amazing ability to understand what we wanted to convey. Thanks so much to Bruce Hogarth, our artist, for helping us interpret our new concepts of depicting the fascial nets. We also thank all those we don’t know by name who had a part in helping this book come to fruition.
Finally, we’d like to thank the readers of the first edition of this book who e-mailed us with amazing testimonials of how this book eliminated chronic pain, radically improved mobility, and optimized fitness and athletic performance!
—Ann and Chris Frederick
xi
Introduction
Whether they are training for football, golf, a 10K race, or any sport in the Olympics, most athletes recognize the performance benefits of a progressive strength and conditioning program. Stretching programs, however, have been less popular for a variety of reasons. Research on stretching has produced mixed reviews, and athletes found it boring, painful, and a waste of time because there was no evident change in performance. Most of these negative reactions were to one specific type of stretching called static stretching. In addition, athletes were not aware of the positive outcomes of specific types of stretching paired with athletic goals. Fortunately, those details are addressed in this book.
In the last five years, neuroscience research has shown increasing evidence that the brain functions by way of movement patterns rather than isolated muscles. Therefore, professionals in sports, fitness, and rehabilitation have increasingly abandoned muscle-only approaches to training and therapy and are now focusing more on movement-based approaches. Consequently, mobility training has become the hottest trend in fitness and physical rehabilitation. Much of what is called mobility training today can also be called dynamic stretching; we clear up this confusion and discuss stretching and mobility in chapter 3.
Is a stretching program just as important as a strength and conditioning program for optimal athletic performance? Yes, if the stretches are performed both correctly and for the right reasons. This is not a matter of simply finding a correct stretching position; it is also a matter of using appropriate training parameters to get the most benefit from the stretch. This means properly warming up the body, developing each type of stretch, and customizing the intensity, duration, and frequency of each stretch for the intended goal.
You cannot establish these parameters unless you first evaluate your flexibility. As we teach you in this book, flexibility is much more than range of motion (ROM). Once your flexibility is evaluated, you can design an individualized program to increase your sport-specific flexibility. Instead of a generic stretching program, you can use a refined flexibility training program that will be responsive to your individual needs as they change over time. The comprehensive evaluation will also help you establish a baseline of flexibility that you can periodically refer back to when you reevaluate your progress. This way, you are sure to meet your mobility and sport performance goals. The program of stretching can be set up at intervals that complement your other sport training.
xii Introduction
In this book, we start by explaining the how, why, where, and when of stretching so you have a good reason to try the Stretch to Win® system of flexibility training. Once you have this base knowledge, we present easy-to- follow programs that will immediately start to make a major difference in your sport performance. If the thousands of clients we have worked with are any indication of the benefits of our system, you will experience more power, more strength, more endurance, and more flexibility than you have ever experienced up to now.
What’s more, you will eliminate or greatly reduce the incidence of injuries and of all types of pain. One of our clients, former NFL safety Brian Dawkins, who played 16 seasons and was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection, notes, “My coaches and teammates asked me what I was doing different because I was moving so much better on the field. I told them that I was doing the Stretch to Win program and it was getting me right.” Professional and elite athletes use this system because we provide a complete and clinically proven way to develop sport-specific flexibility. Ever since Ann Frederick showed in her master’s thesis in 1997 that the Stretch to Win system resulted in greater (36 to 52 percent) and longer-lasting gains in ROM than conventional methods of stretching, we have been constantly refining and improving it. (In fact, our clients attained permanent flexibility gains of between 100 and 200 percent during the last 10 years of our clinic.) This guarantees that our clients, our students, and you are getting the most up-to-date and cutting-edge information and techniques to optimize athletic performance and to reduce the time it takes to return to activity after injury or surgery.
The Stretch to Win system aligns with today’s philosophy of functional outcome training. This means that when you implement the program, you are not stretching just to increase ROM for the sake of improving general mobility, but rather you are performing a specific stretch program based on an analysis of your own flexibility requirements specific to your sport or movement. In our experience, customized programs always lead to superior results.
A stretching exercise is functional when it directly enhances an athlete’s performance in his or her specific sport. For example, a 100-meter sprinter should stretch differently than a marathoner. This is because the sprinter has a faster-responding nervous system and muscle reactions owing to her higher percentage of fast-twitch fibers, among many other things. These fast-twitch fibers help produce explosive power in a sprint from start to finish. The marathoner tends to have a higher percentage of slow-twitch muscle fibers than the sprinter. These slow-twitch fibers are accustomed to a much longer performance, and they do more to maintain correct postural alignment and form during distance running.
Another difference between these two athletes in relation to their flexibility programs is the contrast between their functional ROM requirements. The sprinter must start a race crouched down at the starting blocks, whereas the marathoner begins upright in a ready stance at the starting line. In addition
xiiiIntroduction
to being fast, the sprinter must have sufficient flexibility to effectively start off the blocks. When an athlete stretches using a training system that incorpo- rates principles of sport specificity, he or she can achieve optimal functional flexibility.
The idea behind this book is to provide athletes and coaches with the tools to create effective flexibility programs that contribute to optimal performance in any sport or training activity. Equally important goals are eliminating the myths and confusion surrounding the subject of stretching and flexibility training and educating and inspiring readers with all the new information and training that we are immersed in as specialists in human flexibility.
Before we help you create your program, we teach you how to evaluate your mobility and identify your restrictions to unhindered athletic movement. After you determine what imbalances and flexibility deficiencies you have, you will learn how to individualize your program to fit your needs. When you finally engage in a program that is suited to your needs, you will experience faster and greater gains in flexibility and overall mobility. These results will be evident after the very first time you perform the program, and they’ll get better over the following two weeks.
Chapter 1 takes you through the 10 basic principles of our program—the fundamentals for mastering the system. As you know from participating in sports, you must master the fundamentals before progressing. In chapter 2, we define and discuss the anatomy and physiology of flexibility and stretching to clear up the confusion that still exists even among professionals in sports, fitness, and rehabilitation. We go into the fascinating details of the connective tissue system, also called the fascia. Science shows that a person is a network of fascia under a normal amount of tension that helps transmit information about movement (and many other things essential for life) at the speed of sound. When you get chronic or nagging issues that don’t go away, such as tightness, soreness, heaviness, stiffness, and weakness, then your fascia may be out of balance. We provide solutions to these issues in later chapters.
Chapter 3 uses the latest fascia research to support incorporation of elastic recoil, undulating movement, and fascial stretching. These are the keys for the new generation of strength and conditioning and injury prevention programs, and the Stretch to Win system contains all of them.
In chapter 4, we relate flexibility to sports by discussing the importance of fundamental movement assessment and correction as a basis for optimal athletic performance. Core mobility as a basis for better core stability is discussed in a way that is not often recognized. These things plague many athletes’ performances throughout their careers if they are never identified and corrected. We address how flexibility affects athletic qualities such as strength, power, and speed, and then we discuss how the flow of an optimal flexibility program will determine the flow of athletic performance.
Chapter 5 helps you apply the information in the previous chapters by teaching you how to assess your own flexibility using a fascia mobility assessment
xiv Introduction
(FMA). This provides an honest look at what may be hindering your athletic performance. Based on the findings in the FMA, the chapter then guides you in building a customized stretching routine around your particular needs. You will be able to assess what has been preventing you from attaining your goals, and you will learn how to keep performing at your highest level. You will also learn how to recover faster and prevent injuries.
Chapter 6 offers corrections for any imbalances found in your assessments in chapter 5. You can also go directly to this chapter for restorative stretch programs that will help you rapidly recover from intense training and compe- tition, which often create unilateral and asymmetrical stress and strain. These programs will also help you recover from minor injuries due to overtraining or overexertion. Implementing the programs in this chapter will often prevent minor injuries from becoming major ones.
In chapter 7, we provide dynamic stretch programs that you can do within an hour of activity. These programs focus on dominant movement patterns common to most sports. You can choose whether to do all of them or only those that prepare your body for specific activities.
Finally, in chapter 8, we show you how we use assisted stretching to help our elite and professional athletes reach optimal levels of performance. This final chapter is intended for professionals in sports, fitness, and physical rehabilitation who are looking for the most effective ways to mobilize and stretch athletes. The chapter will also be helpful for others who want to know about assisted stretching.
This book reflects our passion for stretching and flexibility training. By taking advantage of the knowledge we’ve developed over decades of work with our clients, you will gain much more than flexibility. You will save time by being more efficient in your training; you will save money by not having to depend so much on professionals to get you out of pain; you will achieve athletic goals that were previously out of reach; and you will enjoy training and sport participation more as you increasingly experience the natural high of everything fitting into the right place at the right time. For the ultimate athletic experience, you must stretch to win! (Note: videos of all programs in this book and more can be accessed at www.stretchtowin.com.)
1
Ten Principles for Optimal Flexibility
After more than 50 combined years of personal experience, research, study, and professional practice as clinicians, instructors, and coaches, we have identified the following 10 essential elements that form the foundation of the Stretch to Win system:
1. Synchronize breathing with stretching.
2. Regulate your nervous system with stretching.
3. Stretch in the correct sequence.
4. Stretch without pain.
6. Stretch in multiple planes with movement.
7. Expand joints when stretching.
8. Use traction for maximal lengthening.
9. Use resistance when needed for optimal results.
10. Adjust parameters to match goals.
These 10 principles form the core of our system, but, like systems of the human body, they operate together in a nonlinear way. The principles are not numbered in order of importance, nor must they be followed in a strict order. Instead, they are organized to follow a multilayered approach, from the deepest and simplest layer of movement (breathing) to the most complex (multiple planes) movement, to help you achieve your goals. These layers are located in regions of the body—joint capsule and fascia—that have traditionally not
Chapter 1
2 Stretch to Win
been fully addressed in stretching and flexibility training. The fascia is the soft connective tissue system that forms a continuous tensional network throughout the human body (see figure 1.1). It connects the skin, every muscle, every organ, and every nerve (Schleip and Müller 2012). This is why we also refer to it as the fascial net in this book. Joint capsules are a type of differentiated fascia that cover all joints, integrate and function with joint ligaments, and help contain any fluid in the joints (see figure 1.2).
E6654/Frederick/f01.01/571801/pulled/R1
Joint cavity
Joint capsule
Figure 1.2 Joint capsules are made of fascia located in the deepest layer of the body, and they connect joints, ligaments, and periosteum (bone fascia).
Figure 1.1 Fascia is an extensive net of connective tissue that connects the skin, muscles, organs, and nerves.
3Ten Principles for Optimal Flexibility
Now, let’s take a look at each of the 10 principles in detail. These form the foundation for the flexibility programs we teach.
Principle 1: Synchronize Breathing With Stretching
Athletes understand the importance of breathing. How you breathe can influence your mental, emotional, and physical states. Anyone who has tried to hit a target by throwing a ball, using a bow and arrow, or shooting a gun knows that the timing of your breathing is crucial to accurately hitting a target.
Breathing can also affect muscle tone. For example, sleep apnea (in which sleep is disrupted due to breathing cessation) is associated with poor or hypotonic muscle tone in the upper airway region. As another example, if you are allergic to shellfish or to bee stings, you could die from anaphylactic shock if increased muscle tone and swelling close off your airway. In either case, faulty muscle tone has the undesired effect of greatly impairing proper breathing function.
In sports, if you are breathing rapidly when you are supposed to relax, such as in golf when you are ready to hit a putt, this makes focus, concentration, and being in the moment difficult or impossible. In contrast, if you are breathing very slowly when you are supposed to get ready to run or swim a 100-meter sprint, you are not ready to react to the starter’s gun with an effective push off the block. In either case, faulty breathing techniques negatively affect performance.
How does the connection between breathing and performance actually work? For a basic illustration of this connection, try this seemingly simple exercise:
• Stand up with your feet placed parallel beneath your hips.
• Make sure that your weight is not on the heels or on the toes but in the center of your arches.
• Slightly bend your knees without generating tension in your thighs.
• Your tailbone should feel like it is dropping to the floor and your head should feel like it is floating up to the ceiling.
• Close your eyes, and feel your abdomen relax and expand with the inhalation. It should stay relaxed as it contracts with the exhalation.
• Notice any areas of tension, discomfort, or pain, and then return to the same breathing noted previously. Feel yourself breathing more fully and getting more relaxed with each breath.
• Remain in this state for a count of 10, with one count being a full, slow inhalation and exhalation.
4 Stretch to Win
When we had our clients perform this simple awareness exercise, we got a range of responses, such as “I never knew how much tension I carry in my body” and “I never realized how hard it is for me to relax; why can’t I relax?” We also received responses such as “the pain that I had in my shoulder before this exercise is now gone!” From this simple exercise, our clients learned that they can become much more aware of where they store unnecessary tension, and, more important, through specific instruction they learned how to spon- taneously and immediately release any tension.
After performing this exercise, the basic connection between breathing and the state of your body becomes obvious and provides a launching pad that you can use in more advanced and specific ways. For example, you can take what you experienced in the breathing exercise and use it to direct your response to different tempos of stretching in order to achieve different flexibility training effects. Exactly how to do this is discussed in chapter 3.
We have observed that if you take this experience and knowledge of how breathing can influence muscle tension and apply it to stretching, the response you get from stretching will be far better. This is because you will learn how to accurately assess the current state of your body through synchronized breathing (and the other nine principles) and give it what it needs at that particular moment. This may mean something as simple as recognizing unnecessary tension that is causing movement restrictions and releasing it in less time than it takes to take a complete breath, as in the previous exercise. Or it may mean taking a little time before going to sleep and going through a short sequence of stretches (discussed in principle 3) that effectively and quickly restore your flexibility. This helps you unwind and release the accumulated tension or tightness of the day so you achieve complete overnight recovery and are optimally flexible for the next day’s activities.
When performing recovery stretches as just noted, instead of counting to an arbitrary number while stretching, as is often taught, our clients achieve better gains when they focus on their breathing. When you coordinate breathing and stretching, you will discover that certain areas of your body need less time and other areas need more time to release the restrictions to movement. When you learn to synchronize all your movements with proper breathing techniques (as you will in chapter 3), you will see profound changes in how you move on the athletic field or court, on the golf or ski course, and in activities of daily living.
Principle 2: Regulate Your Nervous System With Stretching
Regulating your nervous system means that you can enhance your flexibility for optimal athletic performance by upregulating for activity and downregulating for recovery. That is, you can increase or decrease your nervous system’s response before and after your sports activity. This means that preparation
for preactivity flexibility is very different than preparation for postactivity flexibility.
To stretch or not has often been a controversial question that has research and anecdotes to support both points of view. In practice, we find that it is not an all-or-nothing issue, but rather it is an issue of how and when to stretch appropriately for the given task. Whether you are training for or participating in an event, it is common knowledge in exercise science and sports medicine that a proper warm-up is essential before engaging in full athletic activity. If you are preparing for a game or other event that is coming up shortly, you will want to upregulate your nervous system with a breathing and stretching movement style that increases oxygen and blood flow to the muscles, increases focus and alertness in the mind and body, and generally prepares you to jump into full activity. Conventionally, stretching that has these characteristics is called dynamic stretching, but we have developed fast undulating stretching, which is discussed in more detail in chapter 3.
In contrast, postactivity is a time for recovery and restoration of your flexibility, which might have suffered the ravages of intense mental concentration and physical work. This manifests as soreness and what feels like ropes or knots in the muscles, which are typically first felt when you are in the cool- down phase and are maximally noticed 24 to 36 hours later. Or perhaps you suffered a significant strain in the groin or hamstring that makes you limp a little when you walk. In either case, the goal is to restore the flexibility that was lost and to do it as fast as possible, preferably overnight, so that you feel fresh and flexible in the morning and are ready for activity again.
Conventionally, static stretching, in which a stretch is held for a specific amount of time, has been prescribed for achieving these goals. Instead, you want to regulate the nervous system by synchronizing the breath and movement at a slower pace and using progressively larger movements that are held longer than the preactivity movements. Our system of gaining flexibility this way is called slow undulating stretching, and it is done by downregulating the nervous system, which is discussed in more detail in chapter 3.
Our clinical experience has shown us that when you regulate the nervous system to the conditions at hand, your response to all movement in training and sports is enhanced and injuries are reduced or eliminated. This is covered more fully in chapter 3.
Principle 3: Stretch in the Correct Sequence
Through a combined 50 years of experience as professional participants both in performing and martial arts and through stretching thousands of clients, we have found that following a specific sequence of stretching produces the best results. There are exceptions, and there are many variations in human
6 Stretch to Win
anatomy, but following the order that we share with you, combined with your best instincts, will produce a winning program.
In general, we have discovered that stretching the joint capsule and the deeper muscles that are close to that joint capsule before stretching the more superficial muscles that cross two or more joints leads to better flexibility than if this order is not followed. The reasons for this are complex and varied, taking into account multiple effects on the central and peripheral nervous systems. Relaxation and release of restrictions in the deeper structures of the body stimulate a cascade of reflexes and biochemical processes that pave the way for the rest of the body to respond to stretching in a more profound way. More details on this follow and are described in chapters 2 and 3.
We find tight or hypomobile hips in most of our athletes; this tends to be the first and deepest barrier that restricts flexibility of the whole body and especially reduces efficiency of movement in the lower half. A common example is when you pull your knee to your chest with your hands while lying on your back. If you feel a pinch in the hip or groin, then you have signs of hip impingement. This may be due to inflammation, but more often it is tight hip flexors and a tight hip joint capsule (see principle 7) that are restricting movement. Because the two opposing surfaces of the hip joint are abnormally compressed, it is plausible that you may get hip arthritis if this simple symptom continues to be ignored. Unfortunately, this happens to athletes sooner than in the general population. Fortunately, targeted stretching of this area can completely relieve these symptoms if addressed in time.
Once the one-joint muscles and the joint capsule are more flexible, then the two-joint muscles may be stretched more effectively as the layers of muscle and connective tissue, from deep to superficial and from short lengths to long lengths, are released in an easy-to-follow form.
Another logical sequence to consider is to prioritize stretching the muscles that, because of severe tightness, inhibit muscles on the opposite side of a joint from functioning properly. During any functional movement, there are prime mover muscles and helper muscles called synergists. Prime movers and synergists normally work together (or synergistically), but synergists may substitute for prime movers, thereby taking on more workload in cases of flexibility imbalances and certain injuries or conditions that are outside the scope of this book. Synergistically dominant muscles take over the active movement when the prime movers are not working.
A common example is a situation in which tightness of the hip flexors inhibits proper contraction of the hip extensors. When the hip extensors or gluteal muscles do not perform their actions appropriately, the hamstrings take on the extra workload. Because the hamstrings assist the glutes in extending the hip, they become synergistically dominant in this scenario. The all-too- common result is that the hamstring will become strained or torn because of the extra workload it is not designed to accommodate. As soon as the excessive tension is removed through proper stretching (of the hip flexors,
in this case), the muscles that were made weak through inhibition (the hip extensors or glutes) immediately become strong and efficient, and the strain in the synergists (the hamstrings) is eliminated.
Principle 4: Stretch Without Pain Stretching should never hurt. When it does, this is usually due to tearing healthy tissue to force flexibility. Once that happens, performance decreases as scar tissue increases.
We have found that the most dramatic increases in flexibility and performance on the athletic field are created in a quiet, relaxing, and trusting envi- ronment. Under these conditions, we have seen flexibility gains of between 50 and 100 percent (as measured in degrees with a goniometer and with visual landmarking of bone positions) with our tightest athletes within the first or second assisted stretch session. These gains were achieved without pain. With self-stretching, dramatic gains in mobility without pain can also be reached after mastering these ten principles and applying them consistently in your program.
If you have ever felt tight or sore after stretching, you probably stretched too intensively, breathed improperly, or did not stretch appropriately for your goals. In fact, if testimony from some of our new clients is an indication, there are athletes who don’t stretch because they get tighter instead of looser after stretching. This response is unacceptable for a competitive athlete, so what can you do?
An important part of increasing range of motion (ROM) without pain is learning how to release or come out of a stretch by avoiding what we call the rebound effect. This refers to the tendency of muscle that has just been stretched to immediately tighten up again. This may occur with a sudden or a more prolonged stretch to a muscle, such as when you are stretching and you accidentally or purposefully slip into a deeper, more intense stretch. A sudden or quick stretch will elicit a sudden contraction or spasm, which is the body’s effort to avoid further injury. A stretch that is too deep or too prolonged will also elicit a tightening effect that is followed by soreness.
We commonly see the rebound effect when someone comes out of a stretch in a way that negates the stretch. This leads to a less-than-optimal response to the stretch, and the results (i.e., not much change in overall flexibility) do not justify the time spent. Does this sound familiar to you? This is a common scenario we hear from new clients who have not had much success with stretching.
Try the following simple exercise of the rebound effect (do not try this if you suspect or know of any spinal pain or injury, especially to the nerve and disc):
• Stand with feet hip-width apart.
• Look straight ahead as you slowly lean to one side, letting the arm hang down toward the floor without trying to reach.
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• Come back up, and notice how you activated the muscles you just stretched to come back up.
If you return to an upright position by simply reversing the stretching motion, you will recontract the muscle fibers that you were trying to release; this will counteract any gains you might have made with the stretch itself. Therefore, learning how to return to a neutral starting position without tensing the stretched muscles is another key to optimal flexibility and increasing ROM without subsequent pain. Try this modification of the previous exercise:
• Repeat the stretch, but instead of coming back up, look to the floor and continue slowly bending forward until both arms are hanging in front of the body and the knees are slightly bent.
• Slowly roll up to the start position using your glutes and back muscles.
This principle is used consistently whenever possible in the mobility and stretch programs in chapters 6 through 8.
Principle 5: Stretch Fascia, Not Just Muscle
This is one of the most important principles to grasp for the following reasons:
• The majority of repetitive strain injuries (and even so-called muscle tears) occur in the collagenous connective tissues of muscles such as tendons, ligaments, or joint capsules.
• Conventional muscle training trains the connective tissues involved, but it does this in a nonspecific and usually nonoptimal manner.
• In sport science, there is evidence that comparatively little attention has been given to targeted training of the connective tissues.
Some of the most common injuries in sports are due to repetitive strain. Conventional training does not optimally address connective tissue or fascia, so this book will help fill that gap with a focus on assessing, correcting, and training the flexibility and mobility of your fascia.
Fascia is often referred to as the human tensional network, and we view stretching as a way to effectively adjust tension and force transmission anywhere in the body to achieve correction and balance in movement. The brain activates function by way of movement patterns, and muscles are all connected by a fascial net. Therefore, we provide specific fascial stretches that will correct and maintain balanced function in your body.
Principle 6: Stretch in Multiple Planes With Movement
Without a precise three-dimensional assessment of posture, gait, flexibility, strength, and other functional movements relative to an athlete’s activity or sport, a trainer or therapist does not have the objective information to create an optimal program for performance enhancement or rehabilitation of an injury. A simple example of three-dimensional assessment is a trainer or therapist observing how you squat by watching you from the front, sides, and back. Each view may produce a different observation or a different perspective. The combination of all views then gives a more accurate picture of how you performed the squat.
Even without a professional evaluation, achieving a personal understanding of movement from a three-dimensional perspective increases your ability to benefit from improved athleticism with a reduced chance of injury. This will happen when you start to use multiple planes of movement when you stretch and then integrate this knowledge and experience with specific training appropriate for your sport (see chapters 3 and 4).
We have seen many times that even professional athletes stretch indiscrim- inately and irregularly, which often perpetuates existing muscle imbalances. When you stretch your arms or legs equally without specific regard to one being tighter than the other, you are stretching into the path of least resistance, which increases only your relative flexibility. Relative flexibility is the ROM or movement that comes naturally or easiest when you are training, competing, or stretching. For example, if an athlete has tighter quadriceps on the right side and stretches both quadriceps at the same intensity, duration, and frequency, the right quadriceps will likely remain tighter than the left. Because the left quadriceps have more flexibility than the right, the left quadriceps are more responsive to stretching. The stretching comes easier. Consequently, the athlete’s relative flexibility of both quadriceps increases because of stretching, but an imbalance between the two quadriceps will still exist because the stretching parameters for the tighter leg were never adjusted to take its lesser ROM into account.
A proper evaluation by an experienced professional will reveal the source of the imbalance, but you may also find it on your own by conducting an assessment and reflecting on how you move in multiple planes during activities of daily living, fitness training, and sports (discussed in chapter 5). After this self-analysis, you will learn how stretching in multiple planes—adding different angles to take advantage of the unique mobility of certain joints—is directly related to how you move in sports. When you combine multiple angles with other techniques when you stretch, such as adding extra emphasis to the origin or insertion of the myofascial connection, you will get the superior
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results that you expect from individualized attention. This kind of attention is simply giving your body what it needs at the time that it needs it. By following these principles regularly, you will learn how to listen to what your body needs when your body communicates it. In this way, small problems do not develop into large ones, and your athletic performance is optimized.
Principle 7: Expand Joints When Stretching
The joint capsule is a type of fascia that encapsulates the joints and fuses with the ligaments that connect the bones to each side of the joint (refer back to figure 1.2 for an illustration of a joint capsule). Our structural integration teacher and colleague, Thomas Myers (2014), demonstrated by anatomical dissection that there are deep continuous paths of fascial tissue that connect the joint capsule to the ligament and the bone fascia (i.e., periosteum). These then connect to the tendon and the muscle, continue on to the next tendon and bone, and then connect to the ligament and capsule of the next joint. This repetition of fascial connections (also called lines or trains by Myers and called nets by us) can span the entire length of the body. For example, that tightness in the bottom of your foot can catalyze a cascade of symptoms and pains anywhere through the fascial nets of your back up to the base of your skull. Because the joint and its capsule are located in the deepest part of the fascial nets described, the condition of the joint capsule determines the condition of the fascial nets that cross over and connect the joints.
Almost half of a healthy person’s lack of ROM at the joint may be due to the tightness of the joint capsules. Therefore, it makes sense to understand how to keep this structure optimally mobile. When the capsule gets tight, it has a tendency to adhere to the underlying bone. Unlike normal joint capsule flexibility, which permits a certain range of motion, tight capsules, such as those commonly found in professional athletes, restrict ROM. When full joint ROM is prevented, muscle ROM or flexibility is also restricted because muscles attach to bones and bones connect to other bones by way of joints. If muscle ROM is restricted, then compensations for this restriction will develop automatically because the body is programmed that way. The body will develop areas of greater mobility in some joints (called hypermobile joints) to compensate for the lack of mobility in other joints (called hypomobile joints) so it can continue to function. For example, when one of the four articulations of the shoulder is restricted, one or more of the other articulations will develop increased mobility over time to compensate for the restricted one. The longer the restrictions are present, the more the body will compensate for those lim- itations to movement. Over time, the accumulated compensations become problem areas of pain and dysfunctional movement, forcing the athlete to seek professional help.
A common example that we see in the clinic is hip joint capsules that seem, in the athlete’s words, to get “jammed up” into the joint. This leads to a functional shortening of the length of the leg because the hip has less space available in the joint for mobility of the bones. This shortening effect may also occur on the affected side in the sacroiliac and lumber facet joints. Because the bones of the hip socket are not moving through their full excursion, the deep hip flexor, the psoas, gets very tight and restricted in its motion. This will negatively change how you run, jump, and perform other athletic moves. Over time, hip bursitis, tendinitis, or arthritis may develop, depending on the factors that are present. These scenarios may be completely avoided or eliminated by addressing the hip capsule in a flexibility program.
When the joint capsule is included in a flexibility program, you must understand the basic function of that joint. The hip joint, for example, is a ball-and-socket type of joint. This means that it can move in an infinite number of directions. Using this knowledge when you stretch means that you will know how to target all the prime directions of stretching the hip so maximal functional flexibility is achieved for the complex movement required in sports and athletics. Extensive assessment followed by fundamental mobility and corrective stretches for the hip and the rest of your body is covered in chapters 5 and 6. In chapter 8, we provide guidelines for when stretching the joint capsule alone is indicated or contraindicated in assisted stretching based on the whether the hip is hypo- or hypermobile.
Principle 8: Use Traction for Maximal Lengthening
Often, when you stretch, what you are trying to do is get tissue that has become tight to lengthen, whether it is fascia, muscle, tendon, or ligament. It would seem logical that when things in your body get compressed and come together, such as the parts of the hip joint we described, you would want to decompress or traction them to create more space between them again. We discussed in principle 3 that, in general, starting your stretches with the joint capsule and then proceeding to the shorter muscles that span one joint should be done before stretching other muscles and fascia (this is further discussed in chapter 2). Therefore, when we evaluate a client’s hip joint and find that the joint capsule is tight or hypomobile, the first thing we do is remove this specific restriction with traction.
The ideal way to get the joint capsule to stretch is by manual longitudinal traction to the joint at the proper angle and at the correct intensity, duration, and frequency. This means that the practitioner who is performing the stretching on a client physically pulls the leg so that a gap or stretch is created in the joint capsule of the hip (see chapter 8). After getting the joint capsule warmed up and responsive to stretching with circular movements and traction, the
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next focus is to traction and stretch the muscles and fascia or myofascia that cross over the joint. This is the deepest layer of myofascia that will react to positive or negative changes in the joint capsule. This deeper layer of muscles and fascia is shorter than the muscles that cross two joints; therefore, when they are released, they pave the way for the longer muscles to release faster and more efficiently. This is achieved by combining the principle of using traction with principle 6 (stretching in multiple planes with movement) to achieve maximal lengthening of any tissue that has become tight and has caused pain or has otherwise negatively affected athletic performance. Even though we described manual traction performed by a professional, if used in combination with the other principles, traction may also be used with great success by yourself without any special equipment.
When you stretch muscles that cross two or more joints, adding traction proximally and distally will result in complete myofascial stretch across the entire muscle from one end to the other end. In fact, the addition of traction amplifies the effects of stretching by going beyond mere local muscular attachments to related but distal fascial tracks, such as those mentioned in principle 7. These amplified effects include much greater ROM in the area being stretched and more permanent overall flexibility improvement than stretching without traction.
In summary, maximal lengthening of tight tissue is achieved when you traction and stretch all the tissues along a particular fascial track: joint capsule, ligament, tendon, muscle. This should be done without causing pain and in a logical order, from the deep layer to the superficial layer.
Principle 9: Use Resistance When Needed for Optimal Results
Research in sport science and other disciplines repeatedly demonstrates that stretching using specific proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) techniques yields the most gains in ROM in the shortest amount of time. Briefly described, PNF was developed in the 1940s as a complete system and philosophy of rehabilitation that used principles of neurological reflexes to improve the function of the body in people who had polio and other neurological disorders. Because research at that time demonstrated that PNF worked so well with those people, modified PNF techniques were developed for people who participated in athletics and wanted the benefits of increased flexibility and strength. Recent research has demonstrated that the specific techniques of modified PNF called contract-relax-agonist-contract (CRAC) and contract-relax (CR) have had the best overall results in improving flexibility. Our own research has shown that assisted PNF CR stretching combined with the use of special table straps to position the nonstretched limb passively results in even better and longer-lasting ROM (Frederick 1997). Assisted stretching is covered in chapter 8.
Without getting into the details now (we discuss our technique, called FST- PNF, in chapter 8), PNF CR takes advantage of well-known neurological reflexes that enable the body to take advantage of opportunities to improve ROM and achieve longer-lasting flexibility from stretching than would otherwise be thought possible.
Principle 10: Adjust Parameters to Match Goals
To accomplish individual goals of reducing injury and improving performance, one must have specific parameters in place to achieve those goals. These parameters must have built-in flexibility so they can be modified easily if any conditions change. For example, if you feel tight and sore today, you will want to emphasize certain parameters, such as the frequency and duration of a stretch over intensity. This is because you want to increase your flexibility without aggravating or injuring your body, which can happen if you stretch too intensely. Alternately, if you feel loose today, you will want to use a thor- ough but brief flexibility program so you can assess your body to ensure that all areas are indeed flexible.
Four keys to designing any training program are to determine the tempo, intensity, duration, and frequency of each component of the program. Tempo is the speed at which you do stretch movements. The intensity of a stretch means knowing how far into the range of motion you can go safely and easily for the maximal effect. Duration refers to how long you maintain the actual stretch to get the most gain in flexibility. Frequency refers to how often you must repeat the stretch sequences over the course of the day to get optimal results that are specific to the current objective.
As previously stated, these parameters can and should change over the course of your training depending on the season and what state your body and mind are in. These variables will affect parameter design, and a proper understanding of how it all works is essential for training continuity and for achieving performance goals. You will achieve this understanding and will be able to use these parameters effectively and practically in your current training after reading the details of assessment in chapter 5.
In the next chapter, we discuss the anatomy and physiology of flexibility and stretching. There you will get to visualize the layout of the fascia of the body, which will give you a better understanding of stretching for improved athletic performance.
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15
Anatomy and Physiology of Flexibility
In the field of strength and conditioning, as well as in personal training, the definition of flexibility is simply range of motion. As flexibility specialists, we have come up with a more accurate definition that applies to any training, fitness activity or sport:
Flexibility is the ability to adapt to any stress and then completely recover in sufficient time to adapt to the same or any new stress as needed to complete an activity or deal with a threat to survival.
This means that for the athlete to compete successfully in sports, he or she must be able to adapt physically, mentally, and emotionally to any stress required by that sport. Of course, the ability to adapt comes from having pre- requisite standard physical and athletic assets for a sport, such as optimal talent, strength, mobility, coordination, balance, quickness, agility, and speed. Visual skills specific to each sport, such as being able to track and then hit a fastball in baseball, also need to be exceptional. Many other aspects of health (reflected in lab test results that indicate no inflammatory markers and proper levels of hormones and address other nutritional factors) must also be optimal. Fur- ther, when crucial mental and emotional factors (such as focus, concentration, desire, passion, feelings of confidence and well-being, presence or absence of the perception of threat to survival, and more) are not optimal, athletes do not perform at their peak (in other words, they are not “in the zone”).
Chapter 2
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In this chapter, you will learn a more simple and practical way to understand your anatomy. This will allow you to assess your body for mobility restrictions and imbalances more accurately. Then, you will be able to more easily increase, restore, or correct your flexibility.
What Is Fascia?
The first Fascia Research Congress defined fascia as all the collagenous, fibrous connective tissues that are elements of a whole-body tensional force transmission network. Other definitions refer to it as a whole-body communication network outside of the nervous system that is capable of receiving and transmitting information from both inside and outside the body (Schleip et al 2012). The relatively new science of fascia has had an exponential increase in research activity over the last 10 years. Much evidence supports the use by athletes of new and more effective methods of training fascia.
What this means to you, the athlete, is this:
• Fascia is the word we use for all connective tissue in your body.
• The most prevalent tissue in your body is fascia.
• Fascia connects to and influences every system in your body.
Due to its presence and influence throughout the body, problems with fascia can cause issues in any or all aspects of sport performance. To maintain
Optimal Flexibility Requires Fascial Mobility
The goal of this book is to provide athletes and fitness enthusiasts (and those who train them) with a reliable, proven method of achieving optimal mobility for fitness, athletics, and sports. By achieving optimal mobility, improvements in performance, recovery, and injury prevention naturally follow. One of the most effective ways to achieve this has traditionally been ignored by the fields of strength and conditioning and personal training. Training only from a muscle perspective is the “old-school” way, whereas training the neuromyofascial system is considered much more effective. Because much of the nervous and musculoskeletal systems are made of various kinds of fascia and they have extensive direct and indirect connections via fascia to the rest of the body, we will simply call all connective tissues—those that make up muscles, bones, and neural tissue—the fascial system (Schleip et al 2012).
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optimal function, therefore, it makes sense for athletes to understand fascia: common problems, quick and effective solutions, and training guidelines. We begin by discussing the form or structure of fascia.
Form of Fascia The form or structure of fascia in your body is always under a normal amount of tension. This force of tension is similar to air inside a balloon. One reason for the inner tension is the normal pressure from the atmosphere. At sea level, your body must constantly resist about 15 pounds of pressure per square inch (6.8 kg per 6.5 cm2) of your body. This number can change with weather and altitude, among other things. Another reason fascia has a normal amount of tension is that gravity exerts an additional downward force of compression on the body. The resultant compression force of gravity compounded with sport activity and intensive, year-round training pulls and pushes everything in the body down and in.
Your body stays in balance partly through the normal tension present in your fascia and the muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and organs with which it is connected. It is counterbalanced by the framework of your skeleton, which helps your balance by transferring some of the compressive forces throughout your body into the ground or other items you touch. It might be helpful to imagine that your fascia is under normal tension because it is stretched over your skeleton. Because the body is made up of materials that help mobilize and stabilize it through the transfer of forces from within (movement) and from outside (life, sports, training), the body is considered to have tensegrity. The great architect and engineer Buckminster Fuller coined this term in the 1960s to describe structures that were designed with tensional integrity.
A simple example of a structure with tensegrity is a geodesic dome, such as a sporting arena or a tent for camping. The dome has integrity because the structure maintains its relative shape statically when no force other than gravity is applied (see figure 2.1a) and dynamically when another force is applied (see figure 2.1b). That is, it does not readily burst or break; rather, it goes with the flow. After the force is removed, it returns to the same shape it had before the force was applied. Structures with tensegrity are the most flexible and adaptable ones ever conceived.
Your body has a similar but superior smart design called biotensegrity (Levin 2006). Through the structure of the fascial net, your body can simultaneously communicate to all its cells how to move, change shape, and adapt to prevailing conditions. When you sit or lie down, your body adapts to the surface of the furniture or floor. If you stay in a position too long, your fascial system accumulates stress and strain from the summation of forces on and in the body and communicates to the mind that it must change position. If you do not change position often, as is the case with many who sit at work, then your fascia thickens in the areas that are under prolonged or repetitive
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stress and strain. This thickening is the body’s automatic response to stress and strain in the myofascia. It is an attempt by the body to add extra strength to the tissue by depositing extra collagen. Unfortunately, this comes at the expense of flexibility; collagen is not the most flexible tissue, as anyone with a scar can attest.
Another example is the way the body adapts to collisions and extreme external blows and pressure, such as those experienced by a running back in American football, who runs into people and gets buried under a pile of them over and over again. As a result of biotensegrity, the running back’s body automatically changes shape not only to cushion the blows but also to transmit the force of the blows and falls throughout the fascial network, just as the geodesic dome distributes forces across its structure. This helps to attenuate the magnitude of the forces so they do not accumulate and over- whelm the involved tissue with disabling injury. Nevertheless, the body is programmed to deposit collagen in areas that are under repetitive stress and strain. Whether you are inactive or are extremely active, the tendency of the body is to provide extra collagen or scar tissue as an automatic reaction to excessive stress and strain. The antidote, of course, is regular stretching that might also correct imbalances in strength or other athletic traits. Stretching helps realign collagen fibers that deposit themselves in a thick, disorganized manner. Stretching also creates length and space in the areas where collagen has shortened and drawn the tissue inward.
Imagine that you put on athletic compression garments for the upper and lower body as well as compression gloves, socks, and facemask. Now, imagine feeling the force of compression on the entire surface of your body. Besides compression, you would also feel an equal and opposite force called tension
E6657/Frederick/fig02.01a/571803/pulled/R1
E6654/Frederick/fig02.01b/571804/pulled/R1
Figure 2.1 The freestanding geodesic dome (a) has tensegrity when a force or load is applied (b).
a b
that is resisting the compression. As we said previously, the entire fascial system is normally under tension. The compression garment metaphor is a simple, exaggerated example of the outer layers of fascia that are just below the skin. The tension is not across the skin, as if someone taped it and was pulling on it; rather, the tension is perpendicular to the skin. There is an expansive type of tension resisting compression at every point covered by the garment. When the compression is equally balanced by tension, the fascia is in a state of stability. Many athletes like compression garments because the garments make them feel more stable and strong. Hopefully, this example gives you some idea of how the fascia supports and stabilizes the outside and inside of your body.
Now, imagine that your compression garment is too tight and that it is beginning to change the color of your feet. This symbolizes fascia that is too tight. You might feel this way in one part of your body or even all over. An athlete with full-body fascial tightness is advised to see a flexibility specialist. Someone certified in Stretch to Win Fascial Stretch Therapy (FST; assisted, hands-on movement-based stretching) will help the athlete achieve faster, more effective gains in mobility, and the athlete can then maintain this through the fascia mobility training system described in chapters 6 and 7.
Now, imagine trying on a compression garment that is just a bit too loose. This symbolizes fascia with poor integrity, which makes local and distal areas along the same fascial chain unstable and vulnerable to compensations as well as pulls, tears, and other injuries. Athletes with fascia like this tend to be beginners or are generally hypermobile and haven’t gained the strength, power, and stabilization skills necessary to engage in sports safely and successfully.
Compartment Syndrome
Compartment syndrome is pressure buildup inside an enclosed space in the body that typically results from bleeding or swelling caused by an injury. The pressure interferes with blood flow surrounding the affected tissues. It is common medical problem in sports, and it requires immediate medical attention.
Compartment syndrome is a perfect example of inflammation of the fascia that causes such excessive tension and compression forces that it threatens to kill the tissue by cutting off its blood supply. Often occurring in the lower leg, this is preventable but requires immediate surgery (a fasciotomy) if it reaches a certain critical point. In this case, a surgeon cuts open the leg to release pressure and sometimes remove scar tissue. Keeping your fascia flexible, mobile, and strong with programs in this book will help you prevent this.
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Throughout the rest of the book, we will use the term net when we discuss fascial anatomy. For now, just imagine the different forms that a net can take: thick, thin, open, more closed, tight, loose, more flexible, less flexible, even wet or dry. Ideally, your body net should be balanced; it should not be too tight or too loose, but it will be tighter in some places that need it (like the IT band) and looser in others (like the abdomen when at rest).
For most athletes who participate in sports or intense fitness training, imbalances—some parts of the body being tight with poor mobility and other areas being loose with poor stability—are common. The following are several examples of imbalances in the fascial net that occur in sports and can be helped with the Stretch to Win system:
• Plantar fasciitis from tight fascia in the lower leg
• Lateral knee or kneecap pain from tight tensor fasciae latae (TFL) and vastus lateralis
• Hip pinch (impingement) from tight psoas
• Low back pain from tight iliopsoas fascia
• Poor inhalation, endurance, and VO2 max from tight psoas
• Weak core muscles due to tight hip flexors
• Rotator cuff strain or tendinitis from tight pectoralis minor
• Neck pain or restriction from compressed joint capsules and fascia
Before we move on, let’s summarize how you can visualize the fascia. Fascia is like a custom-fitted compression garment with just the right amount of tension for optimal stability and mobility. If it’s too tight or too loose, athletic performance will suffer.
Function of Fascia Fascia is described as the largest system in the body because it is the framework of most of the structures in the body, right down to cells. Fascia reaches into and connects to all the other major systems: muscles, skeletal system, central and peripheral nervous systems, and organs. These extensive connections go beyond structural stabilization and support of the body to also heavily influence all physiological functions of the body. From DNA synthesis and genetic expression to the lightening-fast reaction of survival to threat, fascia is a major factor in all these and more. We start with fascia as the great communicator between all systems.
Fascia as a Communicator Fascia has been likened to a continuous series of liquid vibrating crystals that transmit mechanical information from any force or movement (however large or small) to drive essential physiological processes, such as gene and hor- mone regulation. All this is accomplished by way of the body’s biotensegrity.
Scientists have found that fascia can instantly and simultaneously communicate essential information necessary for survival and daily function to all the cells in your body. This is facilitated and maintained for optimal health and performance through movement.
Full-body active movement, as well as the micromovements of your cells while your body is at rest, will stimulate the fastest and most efficient whole- body communication system that operates separate from the brain and nervous system, all by way of your fascia. In fact, physical forces commonly exerted on or within your body in sports and training will travel around the body as mechanical “vibrations” at 720 miles per hour (1,100 kph); that is more than three times faster than the nervous system. With that kind of speed, your body can make virtually immediate adjustments to stop, start, and change direction as needed. Even though the nervous system is slower to respond than the fascia, research has shown that there are vital connections between the two that allow them to work together. Of interest is that the fascial system works inseparably with the neuromuscular system for proper motor patterning and control in daily activities as well as the most complex and demanding athletic movements.
Fascia as a Transmitter The fascial system has been described as a tension force transmission network, but what does that mean to the athlete? One of the many functions of fascia is to transmit forces from muscle to tendon to bone and from muscle to muscle, which is otherwise known as myofascial force transmission. This is of interest to athletes because any problems in the fascia’s ability to transmit force can negatively affect
• athletic qualities such as strength, stability, power, speed, agility, and quickness;
• the ability to sense the position location, orientation, and movement of the body and its parts, which is called proprioception (most layers of fascia are densely packed with these receptors that can be stimulated with movement);
• the deep sense of awareness of whether one feels good based on information connecting one’s organs to a part of the brain called the insula, which is called interoception (fascia contains these receptors that can be stimulated with movement); and
• proper muscle sequencing of motor patterning and control in daily functional activities, training, and sports.
Any problem with the bodywide net of fascia can cause problems with muscle-to-muscle force transmission and all the factors previously listed, which can negatively impact sport performance. As will soon be shown, the Stretch to Win system has solutions to improve the force transmission of fascia.
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Fascia as a Remodeler Fascia is “one interconnected tensional network that adapts its fiber arrange- ment and density according to local tensional demands” (Schleip 2015a, 3). Functional stress and strain on fascia will change fiber direction and, in optimal circumstances, stimulate the production of more of the same or different kinds of fascia to support, strengthen, stabilize, and otherwise assist movement. Too much activity (e.g., overtraining) will induce negative changes in fascia, such as inflammation (e.g., tendinitis), injury (e.g., tears), and concomitant scar tissue, to the extent that muscle function and athletic performance will decrease. Too little activity will weaken the fascia’s ability to support muscle and nerve function. This means that fascia can and should be specifically trained, which until now has been ignored in fitness and sports.
Research indicates that it will take 6 to 24 months for a complete fascial makeover using specific training activities for fascia (Schleip et al 2012; Schleip 2015a, 2015b). Despite this time frame, research also shows that fascia reacts right away to remodel and accommodate everyday stress and strain and specific training, which supports our experience in getting immediate positive performance outcomes with athletes (Schleip et al 2012; Schleip and Müller 2012; Schleip 2015a, 2015b). The Stretch to Win system of fascia mobility training is one of the fastest and most effective means to improve all athletic qualities, and it results in achieving your personal best in sports and fitness while reducing the risk of injury.
Before we move on, let’s summarize what the functions of fascia mean to an athlete:
• Fascia is the only system that anatomically and physiologically touches all other systems of the body (that is why it is described as a net or network).
• Anything that negatively affects the fascia can negatively affect any system in the body.
• Fascia communicates with your body at three times the speed of your nervous system, so training your fascia is a necessity for optimal athletic function.
• Your abilities to learn, feel, and remember movement are in large part due to the optimal function of your proprioceptive system, which is mostly dependent on a properly trained and maintained fascial system.
• Fascia responds to specific training and therapy immediately and cumu- latively for long-term change.
Functional Fascia Anatomy Before we teach you how to do your own fascia mobility assessment (FMA) later in this book, we introduce you to functional fascia anatomy. This will help you locate, understand, and communicate (e.g., to a therapist or trainer)
where you may be having pain, discomfort, or movement challenges. Instead of trying to explain how more than 600 muscles work, we will use an easier system of functionally connected kinetic chains or nets. Besides, the brain and nervous system work with global motor patterns rather than local, isolated muscle contractions.
The functional kinetic chain system on which our nomenclature and anatomical references are based derives from Anatomy Trains®, which maps the fascial and myofascial links of the entire human body (Myers 2014). With gratitude and respect to Thomas Myers, creator of Anatomy Trains®, our functional interpretation of it for athletes will be called fascia mobility nets (FMNs).
What Are FMNs? FMNs are anatomical visual aids that help you easily assess, locate, and eliminate problem areas in your body. Always visualize any individual net with extensions and layers that can branch up and down, sideways, diagonally, or in spirals and can be deep or superficial (Myers 2014). In addition, keep it firmly in mind that single nets never work alone, and in sports and in life, they are all simultaneously active to greater and lesser degrees depending on function. The reason stretching may have not worked for you in the past could have been because you stretched where you felt the need as opposed to where you actually needed it.
Here’s an example: Stretching your hamstring didn't work; it’s still tight. This often occurs because you addressed the symptom (i.e., where you felt the need) but not the cause (e.g., a tight hip joint and other muscles around the hip besides the hamstring). Here is another example: Stretching your shoulder didn’t work; it still hurts and feels weak when you challenge it with activities that require good stability and good mobility (e.g. swimming, throwing, grappling). This often occurs when your shoulder is too loose and not stable enough for power movements. There are likely regions nearby—above, below, or on the opposite side—that restrict movement. This forces regions that move to compensate with even more movement so the entire net can function. Over time, a chronic cycle of cumulative stress builds, resulting in regions along the net that are less mobile (hypomobile) and nearby regions in the same net that become too mobile (hypermobile).
The solution is to properly assess what doesn't move optimally, which may be local (involving just one or a few net links) or global (involving most or all of the net), and only stretch what needs stretching. Next, reassess to make sure you completely solved the problem. Finally, finish by correctly retraining the movement. This approach helps you find solutions quicker and often eliminates problems for good.
As stated earlier, sports and life require the full participation of all fascial nets at any time. This means that fascial nets must be able to stretch, shorten, or stabilize. They must adapt to extremely fast power movements, such as Olympic lifts or sprinting, and to constant activation of postural muscles in
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long-distance sports such as swimming, cycling, and running. Stretching, shortening, and stabilizing can occur simultaneously within one or more FMNs.
The Five FMNs It is helpful for athletes to understand nets because they simplify the understanding of how anatomy functions, making it easier to self-assess and thus making it possible to self-treat problems and identify areas that need attention to prevent injuries. To make it easier to learn and to visualize them, when you are standing, your nets are divided into connected regions of muscles and fascia that mostly lie in a vertical line in the same plane. On some sides of your body, such as the back, there is only one net layer; on other sides, such as the front, there are two layers. Where there are two layers, they are divided between myofascial segments closer to the skin, called the superficial front net, and myofascial segments closer to the skeleton, called the deep front net.
This section details the specific nets for each part of your body, listing all key muscles and associated fascia (together called myofascia for one muscle-fascia unit and myofasciae for more than one) that connect to each other. Figures map out the nets and indicate the exact location of all myofasciae within a net.
Common problems with each specific net and solutions are listed. Note, however, that a much more detailed breakdown of all assessments and the solutions appears in the fascia mobility assessment (FMA) section of chapter 5. With those solutions, you can learn to efficiently and effectively manage many performance and training challenges yourself as they come up.
Front Nets Front nets are composed of interconnected muscles and fascia that mostly lie in the same plane. They are divided between myofasciae closer to the skin, called the superficial front net, and myofasciae closer to the skeleton, called the deep front net.
If you are an athlete who works at a desk all day and trains before or after work several times per week (like many triathletes do, for example), then you will most likely develop restrictions to movement in your neck, shoulders, chest, hips, knees, or ankles.
The front of your body tends to shorten, tighten, and get stuck where it bends (at joints) along with the myofasciae that spans or hangs across those joints in the line of gravity. This can make you vulnerable to tendinitis or ten- dinosis conditions in these locations. The back of the body tends to lengthen and weaken in compensation. This can make your core, spine, and the rest of your body unbalanced and unstable. The superficial net is easy for you to access with self-myofascial release (SMFR) so you can adjust the length-tension relationships of the superficial myofasciae. Myofascial release is a term used to describe various manual therapies that use forms of manual pressure with
directional intention that is applied to a restricted tissue in the body in order to restore normal functional mobility. SMFR is a self-care version with the same intent, but using one or more tools to assist in restoring mobility. This therapy helps eliminate many local restrictions that can negatively affect movement.
The deeper net has harder-to-reach restrictions, especially in the shoulders (e.g., joint capsule, pectoralis minor) and hips (e.g., joint capsule, iliacus, and psoas), and the spine gets weak and vulnerable in the deepest structures, such as the discs. While SMFR can still be partially effective in these regions, stretch movements must be the focus to restore mobility and function.
Athletes who don't sit as much don't tend to develop the same magnitude of problems in the superficial net. However, overtraining any area along the anterior net will put you in a similar category of restrictions, and we often see the deep front net become highly restricted. For example, our professional football player clients get locked down with restrictions in the deep fronts of their shoulders and hips from explosive, power movements off athletic stance positions.
A later section, Fascia Mobility Blocks, shows key regions of the front net to focus on for increasing mobility in the entire net or in any of its links. The front nets are shown in figures 2.2 and 2.3.
Back Net The back net is composed of interconnected muscles and fascia that mostly lie in the same superficial layer and plane. Be aware, however, that there are deeper segments around the spine; for practicality, we do not include or consider them for self-assessment and treatment in this book.
Athletes that run in their sports tend to get short, tight posterior nets due to a repetitive, functional position of athletic stance extension in the spine. Others, such as cyclists, have an opposite issue and need strengthening of their posterior nets to balance out stretching their anterior nets. The back net is shown in figure 2.4.
Lateral Net The lateral net is composed of interconnected muscles and fascia that mostly lie in the same plane or layer located in and around the sides of the body. Athletes who have the common left-right imbalances are more prone to injury than those who are just too tight or too loose all over. Therefore, it is even more important to identify these imbalances before preseason workouts indicate that there is a problem. Common imbalances that show up in the lateral net that negatively impact athletic performance include leg length discrepancies, supination or pronation of one foot more than the other, one shoulder lower than the other, one hip higher than the other, or head tilt. These may result in many kinds of complaints, such as side hip pain, IT band syndrome, lateral knee pain, or side ankle or foot pain. The lateral net is shown in figure 2.5.
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Toe extensors
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Throat muscles
Chest muscles
Deep spinal intrinsic muscles
E6654/Frederick/f02.04/571807/auprov/R1Figure 2.4 Back net.
Sternocleidomastoid
Scalenes
Figure 2.5 Lateral net.
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Power Nets Power nets are made of five interdependent superficial nets. These include the front and back nets, two lateral power nets on each side of the body, and a deep power net that connects posture with power. On a micro lev

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