4.8 - Exercise Order (Stretching)
Description
This article is from the Stretching FAQ, by Brad Appleton Brad_Appleton@ivhs.mot.com with numerous contributions by others.
4.8 - Exercise Order (Stretching)
Many people are unaware of the fact that the order in which you perform
your stretching exercises is important. Quite often, when we perform a
particular stretch, it actually stretches more than one group of muscles:
the muscles that the stretch is primarily intended for, and other
supporting muscles that are also stretched but which do not receive the
"brunt" of the stretch. These supporting muscles usually function as
synergists for the muscles being stretched (See "1.4 - Cooperating Muscle
Groups"). This is the basis behind a principle that `SynerStretch' calls
the "interdependency of muscle groups".
Before performing a stretch intended for a particular muscle, but which
actually stretches several muscles, you should first stretch each of that
muscle's synergists. The benefit of this is that you are able to better
stretch the primary muscles by not allowing the supporting muscles the
opportunity to be a limiting factor in how "good" a stretch you can attain
for a particular exercise.
Ideally, it is best to perform a stretch that isolates a particular muscle
group, but this is not always possible. According to `SynerStretch': "by
organizing the exercises within a stretching routine according to the
principle of interdependency of muscle groups, you minimize the effort
required to perform the routine, and maximize the effectiveness of the
individual exercises." This is what `Health For Life' (in all of their
publications) calls "synergism": "combining elements to create a whole that
is greater than the mere sum of its parts."
For example, a stretch intended primarily for the hamstrings may also make
some demands upon the calves and buttocks (and even the lower back) but
mostly, it stretches the hamstrings. In this case, it would be beneficial
to stretch the lower back, buttocks, and calves first (in that order, using
stretches intended primarily for those muscles) before they need to be used
in a stretch that is intended primarily for the hamstrings.
As a general rule, you should usually do the following when putting
together a stretching routine:
* stretch your back (upper and lower) first
* stretch your sides after stretching your back
* stretch your buttocks before stretching your groin or your hamstrings
* stretch your calves before stretching your hamstrings
* stretch your shins before stretching your quadriceps (if you do shin
stretches)
* stretch your arms before stretching your chest
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