There are several flexibility training methods

There are currently five categories of mainstream flexibility training methods generally recognized in the field of sports science and fitness practice, namely static stretching, dynamic stretching, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF stretching), self-fascial release, and ballistic stretching. Of course, some schools will divide them into more subdivided categories based on power exertion modes and training scenarios. In fact, the essence falls into these categories. There is no absolute right or wrong. It all depends on what problem you want to solve.

You must have had this experience when you were in school: Before the physical test, the physical education teacher urged you to practice forward bending. If you couldn't reach your toes, you would sway and bounce down. The more painful it was, the harder you had to exert. This was actually the earliest ballistic stretching that you came into contact with. In the past twenty years, the sports academic community once classified it as a "high-risk movement". It was believed that the rapid stretch reflex could easily induce protective muscle contraction and in turn strain the soft tissues. When I first entered the industry as a coach, my seniors repeatedly warned me not to use this method on my members. However, in the past few years, I have been doing rehabilitation work for the sprint team of the provincial team and I have discovered that the last step of warm-up before a game is to do 10 to 15 rapid ballistic forward bends and leg swings. The purpose is to quickly mobilize muscle excitability and at the same time increase the range of joint mobility, which is very helpful in improving the starting reaction speed. To put it bluntly, it's not that the method is bad, it's that the scene used is wrong. Ordinary people don't do basic warm-up, and their flexibility is poor. It's weird if they bounce hard when they come up and don't strain.

Let’s talk about the most familiar static stretching, which is to stretch to a position where there is obvious soreness and no pain, and stop for 30 to 60 seconds. Many people do this by pressing their legs on the playground after running or sitting on the bed to stretch their hamstring muscles before going to bed. A few years ago, there was a study that became popular for a while, saying that doing static stretching before a game would reduce muscle strength and reduce explosive power by up to 20%. At that time, many people were so scared that they never dared to stretch again during the warm-up. In fact, you have to look at the situation. If you are going to sprint 100 meters and push the maximum weight bench press, doing static stretching for more than 2 minutes before the game will indeed affect your performance. However, if your training goal today is to improve flexibility or relax after training, the safety and effect of static stretching cannot be said. After I practice deadlifting, I must do two sets of 30-second static hamstring stretching, which is more worry-free than any fancy relaxation method. Oh, yes, the 3 to 5-minute stretching in Yin Yoga is essentially an extension of static stretching, but the goal changes from muscle relaxation to the extension of deep fascia, so there is no need to separate it into a new category.

If you feel that the progress of static stretching is too slow, you can try PNF stretching. In simple terms, it is the "confront first and then relax" mode. For example, you lie down and let a friend lift your leg to stretch the hamstring muscles. After stretching to the extreme position, you push back hard and fight with the friend for 3 to 5 seconds. After completely relaxing, the friend can lift your leg up another 5 to 10 degrees, which is much more effective than a single static stretch. Many people say that PNF must be done with a partner. In fact, you can also do it by yourself with elastic bands. Put the elastic bands on the soles of your feet, and just exert force in the direction of the elastic bands when resisting. Many solo fitness friends around me use this method. The only thing that novices need to pay attention to is that novices should not exert too much force. When fighting, use about 30% of the force, otherwise it will easily tear the muscles.

As for the foam roller, fascia gun, and fascia ball relaxation that are all the rage now, that is, self-fascial release, there is actually a bit of controversy in the academic community. One group of scholars believes that it only relaxes the fascia and does not actively stretch the muscles, so it cannot be considered a flexibility training category. But among the hundreds of student cases I have come into contact with, at least one-third of them have poor flexibility not due to tight muscles but fascia adhesions. For example, there was a student who was an office worker who had been sitting for a long time. His forward bend was always 3 centimeters short of reaching his toes. After practicing static stretching for half a month, he made no progress at all. Later, he was asked to roll the foam roller on the back of his calf for 5 minutes before each stretch. He was able to reach it on the spot. Do you think it counts? Nowadays, mainstream fitness textbooks have classified it into the category of flexibility training. After all, the effect is real. To be honest, many people grimace in pain when foam rolling. It is completely unnecessary. A slight soreness is enough, but the pain makes the whole body tense and has no relaxing effect.

To be honest, if we divide them according to active, passive, and whether there is assistance or not, we can still divide them into more than a dozen subcategories. There is no need to be obsessed with classification. If your body feels stiff when you wake up in the morning, just do a few walking lunges and dynamic stretching with your arms around, and your whole body will stretch out immediately. If you want to get in shape for the competition, use appropriate ballistic stretching. For daily relaxation to maintain mobility, a static foam roller is enough. There is no distinction between high and low training methods. The one that suits your current needs is the best.