How to stretch so the change holds
You stretch the same tight spot all week and it is tight again by Monday. Stretching holds when you aim it first. Release the stuck tissue, lengthen what is actually short, then build the strength that holds the range.
Most stretching fails for one of two reasons. You stretched a muscle that was not short, or you gained range and never built the strength to keep it. Both show up in the first free hour at my Irvine studio.
Range is a direction, not a feeling
Range of motion runs one joint at a time, and one direction at a time. Your ankle can be short on the way down into a squat and fine everywhere else. That is the soleus.
A tight feeling does not tell you which direction is short, so you name it before you pull on anything. Flexibility work improves your muscles' physical fitness while it raises the range, so nothing is wasted once you aim it.
How a muscle ends up short
Some muscles get overused from heavy training. Others get overused from bad posture held over time, and a mostly sedentary day is where that one comes from. Either way the tissue drifts out of position.
A hip flexor complex folded in a chair all day shortens. The erector spinae and latissimus dorsi tighten with it, and together they pull the low back into an arch. Compensation over time is what leads to pain and injury.
Which muscles went short on you
An overhead squat answers that. If your heels rise, the soleus is usually short and the anterior tibialis is usually weak. If you lean forward, add gastrocnemius and the hip flexor complex.
If your knees travel inward, look at the adductor complex, TFL, vastus lateralis and the lateral gastrocnemius. If your low back arches, look at the latissimus dorsi, the erector spinae and the hip flexor complex.
What is inside a tight muscle
Inside a tight muscle there can be adhesions, tissue that has become stuck or restricted. Release it first and it can go back toward its normal resting position. A stretch before that just pulls on the stuck part.
That release also lowers stress and reduces your injury risk during training. How often you need it depends on what your plan is working around, so it is set with you rather than fixed in advance.
What lengthening actually looks like
Lengthening is a phase with a place in the order. It comes after the release, not instead of it, and it uses static stretching and neuromuscular stretching. Which muscle gets it depends on what the screen found.
Lengthening on its own gives you a position you cannot hold. That is why the phase after it wakes up the weak muscle. The one after that puts the new position into the way you actually move.
Your trainer
I am Brad Glaser. Five certifications: NASM CPT and Master Trainer, NASM-CES, NASM-PES, NCSF and PFIT, plus a current CPR card. I have trained clients since 2005 and opened the Irvine studio in 2008.
NASM-CES is the corrective exercise credential, and it is the one that matters here. Stretching is half of corrective work. The other half is strength, and both halves happen in the same private session.
Short on one side, weak on the other
Compensations come in pairs. Knees that cave in pair a short adductor complex with a weak medial hamstring, VMO and gluteus medius and maximus. Stretch the weak side and you make the pattern worse.
So the weak side gets strength work, not a stretch. In the room that sounds like this. Push your knees out in the direction your toes are pointed, which trains what the stretch alone cannot.
Strength is what keeps the range
A new range you cannot control under load does not stay. So we load it. The NASM Optimal Performance Training model starts from the basics and progressively advances, which is how the range sticks.
Ankle range is the clearest case. Once your calves lengthen, you load the end of that range. Rise through the ankle itself with the knee straight, so the new range gets strong under weight.
What these patterns are associated with
These are patterns the screen can name, not a verdict about you. Knees that travel inward are associated with IT band tendonitis and knee pain. Heels that rise are associated with plantar fasciitis and patellar tendonitis.
A forward lean is associated with hamstring, quad and groin strain, and with low back pain. None of that means you have it. If you have a condition, get cleared by your own doctor first.
Stretching on your own days
Everyone's imbalances are different, so an effective stretching program targets the specific muscles that are actually affecting your body. A generic routine off the internet is a guess about somebody else.
Yours lives in VeraForma, the companion app, where the plan names your own muscles. Premium is a $29.99 a month value and it is included with every studio plan. Individual results vary.
Questions
Should I stretch before or after?
Both, and the order inside the session matters more than the clock. Foam roll the short muscle first, lengthen it with static or neuromuscular stretching, then train the weak side.
Why does the tightness keep coming back?
Because the posture that shortened it has not changed. A day spent seated folds the hip flexor complex back up. Strength work on the weak side is what changes the pattern.
How do I know which muscles?
An overhead squat and a posture check. Heels rising points at the soleus. Knees caving points at the adductor complex and TFL. The pattern names the muscle, not a guess.
Can I bring an old injury?
Yes. The intake asks you to add any injury or surgery, past or present. It wants the date and your current limitations too. Answer honestly, because that is what keeps your program safe.
How do I book a session?
Call (949) 574-4755 or use the free session form. Brad will call you within 1 business day to book a time. The first hour is free with no credit card.
Book your free session
The studio is at 17165 Von Karman Ave, Suite 103, Irvine, CA 92614. Hours are Monday to Friday, 6 AM to 8 PM, closed Saturday and Sunday.
Call (949) 574-4755 or book the free hour online. It takes about 30 seconds, and Brad calls you within 1 business day. Plans start at $197 a month.
