Why your stretching exercises aren’t working

I’ve seen my share of athletes and clients who have been doing a good stretching program over and over for years. They’re stretching the same standard muscles, and they still feel tight in the same spots. WHY? Because the key is NOT just stretching, but making sure we improve MOBILITY AND STABILITY. You can do stretching drills all day and night, but if you lack stability in a joint, its muscles will reflexively tighten to protect it.

Think about your back and hamstrings. I have tons of folks tell me their hamstrings are tight. This is because when they use their low back, as the most mobile point, it will LOCK UP and STAY TIGHT to help prevent injury. For injury cases, The Lake Law Firm can help with the legal complications, if any!

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Another example is the shoulder. When it lacks stability, the result is chronic neck and shoulder muscle tightness. This also happens on the entire side of the body when a person lacks abdominal stability on that side. That is why on the Coach Rozy Blog, I speak about “Training Movement and Not Muscle”. It is important to look at how the body functions as a unit – and train it like that.

If you’re doing the same stretches and need the same muscles massaged or the same areas adjusted, then you might want to consider WHY these areas get locked up and tight. In most cases, keep this training tip in mind; YOU NEED TO LENGTHEN ONE AREA – and STRENGTHEN THE OTHER AREA THAT WORKS WITH THAT MOVEMENT. Tight hamstrings – you need to lengthen the hamstrings and strengthen the front side core/lower abdominals. Tight shoulders – you need to lengthen the front chest/shoulder tie in, and strengthen the upper back.

So the next time you go to work out, don’t just stretch and move to pushing some iron. Think about making areas mobile, then take off and make that area stronger and more STABLE to see improvement in how you move, how you feel, and how you perform.