Full-body stretching routine for flexibility
Posted by Paul Zaichik on
How to stretch all the muscles in your body in one training session. Is this even possible?
Full-body stretching routine for flexibility. How to stretch all the muscles in your body in one training session. Is this even possible? There are at least 600 skeletal muscles in the human body. So, it's a tall order to stretch all of them in one training session, even if it is a very long training session.
If you are seeking a program that will stretch all the muscles in your body. You must ask yourself a very important question. Are you looking to stretch them for flexibility gains? Do you want to get more flexible, or you just want to stretch them for the sake of stretching them?
If you want to stretch all the muscles for the sake of stretching them, you probably can do combination stretching techniques that stretch many muscles at the same time. Providing that you have the flexibility to do these techniques such as a bridge or downward facing dog. And you will get a lot of muscles at the same time.
On the other hand, if you're looking to get flexible, stretching the whole body in one workout session is not going to get you much flexibility. There is an expression that says when you want everything, you get nothing. And it applies very well here.
If you are seeking a program that will stretch all the muscles in your body. You must ask yourself a very important question. Are you looking to stretch them for flexibility gains? Do you want to get more flexible, or you just want to stretch them for the sake of stretching them?
If you want to stretch all the muscles for the sake of stretching them, you probably can do combination stretching techniques that stretch many muscles at the same time. Providing that you have the flexibility to do these techniques such as a bridge or downward facing dog. And you will get a lot of muscles at the same time.
On the other hand, if you're looking to get flexible, stretching the whole body in one workout session is not going to get you much flexibility. There is an expression that says when you want everything, you get nothing. And it applies very well here.
“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”
Bruce Lee famously said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” Even a lot of yoga classes are now focused on specific group of muscles or specific direction of stretching in one session. In other words, they might be focused on the hips. They might be focused on the hamstrings. They might be focused on various back bending positions in a single training session. Of course, with other positions in between that help to realign the body. But the focus is in one direction.
It's better than sprinkling multiple different stretches all over the place in one session. But at the same time, even focusing on similar stretches in one session doesn't usually work if this is done once. And then in next session which is a day or 2 or 3 later there is a focus on something totally different.
A good example would be if you compare an MMA fighter to a boxer. An MMA fighter practices, wrestling, grappling, kicking, punching, knee strikes, elbow strikes while a boxer focuses on boxing. So, an MMA fighter might have good hand techniques, but usually a high level fighter is not going to have the same hand techniques as a high level boxer. If you remember Conor McGregor fighting Floyd Mayweather. And the reason for that is because focus is focus.
So, when it comes to full body routine. You can select certain number of exercises, perhaps focusing on the action of the joints, simple anatomical actions such as flexion and extension of the hip adduction, abduction of the hip, internal rotation of the hip, external rotation of the hip, flexion of the knee, plantar flexion and dorsiflexion of the ankle and foot, or flexion and extension of the toes. Flexion extension of this spine. Rotation of the spine, lateral bending, lateral flexion of the spine, flexion the shoulders, extension of the shoulders, internal external rotation of the shoulders, flexion extension and rotation of the neck and so on. And you could do a stretch for each of these, and you will get a total body stretch. You're not going to get flexible from this, but you will get a total body stretch.
It's better than sprinkling multiple different stretches all over the place in one session. But at the same time, even focusing on similar stretches in one session doesn't usually work if this is done once. And then in next session which is a day or 2 or 3 later there is a focus on something totally different.
A good example would be if you compare an MMA fighter to a boxer. An MMA fighter practices, wrestling, grappling, kicking, punching, knee strikes, elbow strikes while a boxer focuses on boxing. So, an MMA fighter might have good hand techniques, but usually a high level fighter is not going to have the same hand techniques as a high level boxer. If you remember Conor McGregor fighting Floyd Mayweather. And the reason for that is because focus is focus.
So, when it comes to full body routine. You can select certain number of exercises, perhaps focusing on the action of the joints, simple anatomical actions such as flexion and extension of the hip adduction, abduction of the hip, internal rotation of the hip, external rotation of the hip, flexion of the knee, plantar flexion and dorsiflexion of the ankle and foot, or flexion and extension of the toes. Flexion extension of this spine. Rotation of the spine, lateral bending, lateral flexion of the spine, flexion the shoulders, extension of the shoulders, internal external rotation of the shoulders, flexion extension and rotation of the neck and so on. And you could do a stretch for each of these, and you will get a total body stretch. You're not going to get flexible from this, but you will get a total body stretch.
So, when you're looking for total body flexibility, you have to decide are you just trying to kind of get a little bit of a good feel in each muscle? Or are you looking for flexibility?
Remember also that if you are looking for flexibility, you have to back up your stretching exercises with strength and movement exercises to retain that flexibility. The reason why EasyFlexibility delivers such fast results is because of focus on specific goal, such as a split. Taking all the muscles that need to be lengthened to get a full split and supporting them with strength and movement exercises, together with specific warm up. And once a goal is reached, it's maintained and then you can move on to the next technique.
In conclusion, you can do a total body stretch routine. But if you want to get flexible and get flexibility of a full body, you need to focus on specific group of muscles or specific skills, master them and move on to the next one and this way eventually get total body flexibility.
In conclusion, you can do a total body stretch routine. But if you want to get flexible and get flexibility of a full body, you need to focus on specific group of muscles or specific skills, master them and move on to the next one and this way eventually get total body flexibility.
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About the Author:
Paul Zaichik is an Exercise Science Expert, author of multitude of books, and the creator of Zaichik Stretching Technique (formely known as Kinesiological Stretching Technique). His speciality is flexibility training as well as body weight conditioning. His innovative method is designed to have maximum carry over into specific athletic techniques. Paul is the author of books and DVD’s on the topic of flexibility, martial arts and bodyweight training. Over the years, Paul Zaichik has worked with a variety of individuals including athletes, entertainers, and military personnel. His ElasticSteel Method of Athletic Conditioning programs, EasyFlexibility Programs and Zaichik Stretching Techniques are used world wide by both professional and amateurs with great success.
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