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Question 7, John (Pain without results)
Hello, Im 39 and studying Taekwondo. My flexibility is very bad and always has been. I've purchased the Secrets of Flexibility by Thomas Kurtz, but have not obtained good results. My hips seem to hurt alot and I have pulled muscles. Im doing isometric stretching 3 times per week, and my goal is to do side splits at some point, but I dont even have 90 degree flexibility yet. Can you suggest a comprehensive routine for stretching? I have had no improvement in flexibility for 5 months. Am I stretching too much?
Also can you explain PNF stretching to me and how this differs from isometric stretching. How many sets should I do and what day? Should I stretch after the workout and using what techniques? Since I'm pulling muscles and can hardly walk the next day after my Taekwondo workout, what should I do?Thanks so much for your reply...
- Answers David De Angelis
The publications by Thomas Kurtz on the subject of Stretching and Flexibility are among the best I know on the market. Knowledge together with personal experience provide extra information that can give you that “something more” for those who want to learn and experiment. I am convinced that knowledge without personal experience, in most cases, will bring few results but … be aware that ‘practice’ should be done correctly and must follow specific rules and norms.
In the case of PNF isometric stretching it is easy to get carried away by enthusiasm make mistakes that don’t take into consideration the necessary precautions or fail to adhere to prescribed regulations. . Both the PNF technique and PNF isometric stretching take advantage of “Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation”, fooling the system by means of a series of contractions and relaxations of the muscles that want to be extended (for a detailed neurophysiological please see the book, ‘Power-Flex’), which leads to a greater degree of muscle stretching.Moreover, PNF isometric stretching necessitates isometric contractions at the maximum individual range for each muscle group which is to be trained. The aim is to associate to each very efficient stretch (by means of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) an increase in force to the greatest range of movement. Surely, this brings about a great overload for the muscles and tendons (even though the tendons are not unduly stretched).
For the reason, OVERDOING the FREQUENCY of training sessions and the number of SETS, REPETITIONS and EXERCISES can lead to overtraining and overstretching, which is counterproductive for the muscle fibers and associated connective tissue. (perimysium, epimysium and endomysium) and, in extreme cases, can lead to muscular tears. End result: noticeable loss in strength at higher ranges of motion and also lesser flexibility for the muscles that are being trained. I believe that in your case the problem is one of insufficient muscle recovery time ( 3 PNF isometric training sessions a week is difficult for most people to handle), too much load (too many repetitions and sets of exercises). The right number of repetitions and sets of exercises can only be determined by you, yourself by resorting to that quality which I described in the book as ‘body awareness’. In the case of PNF isometric exercise the rule, ‘the lesser the better’ is the most fitting one. Remember also to choose only one exercise for each muscle group. Before using this technique it is fundamental that you prepare your muscles beforehand by doing exercises with a low load/ high number of repetitions so as to strengthen the connective tissue which, together with the muscle fibers, will be stretched in a more effective way during the PNF isometric exercises.
PNF isometric exercises should always be done at the end of your training session- NEVER before since they act on the neuromuscular reflexes and by tensing up the specific muscle group in question may predispose to injuries.
Remember:
1) Allow sufficient time for muscle recovery.
2) Start gradually and do recovery and rehabilitation exercises of the type low load/ high number of repetitions. 3) When you are ready, do 2 training sessions per week, optimally with breaks for PNF isometric exercises of 1 or 2 sets of 2/3 repetitions.
David De Angelis
Happy training!
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