CatholicFIT Stretching Principles

Kneeling Quadriceps Stretch – a great move to release some stress from you knees – make sure the pillow is thick enough to pad your knees

Similar to prayer, stretching is an acquired skill that requires mindfulness and consistency. I imagine that saying a memorized Our Father without too much thought is like performing a calf stretch for a few seconds without feeling what tissues are actually being effected.

I see many well intended people give up on stretching because they don’t know the appropriate strategies and thus see no results. Please embrace the ideas below, your body will thank you. A few of my favorite stretches are pictured to the right and below the list. (Also check out the link below to open and print a PDF hand out of these principles.)

1. Effective stretching (and other bodywork) is an acquired skill that requires mindfulness – be patient, your time invested will become more effective and efficient with practice.
2. Split or stagger your bodywork sessions – do not thoroughly work or roll  one specific area every day. If you have to stretch or massage a muscle to simply work or play (somewhat) pain free, you are probably over doing your exercise routine. This is not good. (The same can be said for using pain killers. If you are regularly popping pain killers to get throughout your day, you are ignoring your body’s cry for help. Pain is your body’s way of letting you know there are apparently layers upon layers of dysfunction that is finally coming to the surface. Have faith in the healing potential God blessed you with. Take a Tylenol to get through your day, but do not do so without exploring what the underlying problem really is.)
3. Hold static stretches for 2-3 minutes – try using a timer to be sure the stretch is adequate. If you do not do this, you may stop due to pain or an incorrect estimation of how long you have been holding the stretch. Research shows 2 minutes is required to affect tissue length. Perform your static stretches at the end of your workout when the muscles are warmed up and more responsive.
4. 

   A great stretch for the side neck muscles that can cause neck, shoulder and head aches

   Stretch desired movements and positions – what do you need to do on the playing field, during mass or to pick up your (grand-)children? Squat? Kneel? Bend over? Stand up straighter? Jump? Jog? Your stretching and mobility sessions should usually mimic the move you are attempting to improve.

5. Test & retest to see if the stretch made a difference – what result do you want? Test that movement and muscle tightness before and after the stretch to be sure it is causing the change you desire. Learn what works for you and work it until you feel a difference. For example, squat down and touch the floor as if you are picking something up. Do you feel your knees and/or lower back? Stretch your thighs and your hips for a few minutes and then perform the squatting floor touch again. Did you find some relief?
6. If you plan to play hard, you must stretch hard – don’t mess around with half-baked toe touches and 10 minute dog walks, THEN plan to garden, shovel your driveway, run around after the kids or volunteer for a Fun Walk/Run with the Girl Scouts for eight hours expecting not to be laid up for the following three days. The more you associate and match your goals and intensity with your stretching, the more effective they will be. Another way to think about this is if you are doing an hour of “cardio” followed by (only) five minutes of stretching, your ratio is way off. Even if you are training for a marathon, you are better off shaving 5-8 minutes from your run and adding this time to your flexibility routine.
7. “Does it hurt?” is a YES/NO question – if you feel pain, like real pain or you think the stretch is doing more harm than good, it probably is. Stop. The rule is, “if it feels a little sketchy, it probably is.”
8. Drink more water – dehydrated muscles are not as flexible, injure easier and do not perform as well. Adding 2 cups of water before each of your first three meals of the day is a great place to start.

In conclusion, keep in mind that God created your body to move in so many different ways (bend, extend, rotate, reach overhead) – take a few minutes each day to explore these movements. Stretching can be that simple.

The Press Up – an excellent “end of day” stretch to unglue your body from your chair.

Especially if you are sitting with your hips and knees flexed to 90 degrees at your computer most of the day, take several minutes to move your body in any way you can think of that looks like the opposite of that sitting position. Check out this picture here to the right – this is an example of an exercise that is the opposite of your sitting position, therefore it stretches and lengthens the muscles that become stiff and shortened throughout a day of sitting.

As always, please email me or comment on the Facebook Page if you are looking for a specific stretch for a particular body part – I will be glad to shoot a video or send you a link to that stretch.

Click here to open a printable PDF Hand Out – CatholicFIT Stretching Principles with Sample Pictures

Here are a few more of my favorite stretches

Seated (back to wall) Hamstring Stretch – this is a simple but great stretch to do any time, especially right after a workout. Check out the first two pictures here. Sit as close to the wall as you can so your lower back is pressed up against the wall – try to bring your heels, big toes and ankles together with your legs straight. Reach high and back to touch the wall above your head to add an excellent posture muscle strengthening move. Sit in this position 2-3 minutes a day to loosen up your thighs and release some tension from your lower back.

Forearm Stretch – at your computer typing most of the day? This is a great one to stop and do throughout your morning and afternoon. Bend at both your wrist and elbows, then press out, straightening your elbows and extending your wrists. Press your palms forward as you pull your fingers back. Perform 10-20 of these several times a day.

CatholicFIT Healing Potential Principle

Note the bottom picture of these two – check out  my right hand and fingers. At the time I took these pictures, I was having elbow pain in my right arm, what is commonly called “Golfer’s elbow.” If you compare my right and left hand, you could guess that my right forearm (finger) muscles are tighter than my left forearm. Thus, as soon as I stretched and loosened up those muscles through massage, I alleviated the pain in my elbow. Pretty cool, right?

The other alternative I suppose I had was to not stretch these muscles, continue to take pain medicine until I would go receive a cortisone injection from my internist in my elbow and then eventually get carpal tunnel surgery in my wrist in about ten years. Personally, I would rather have faith in the healing power God blessed my body with, cut down my health care bills, continue enjoying playing basketball and lifting weights all by performing a few minutes of stretching every day.

Being CatholicFIT, that is embracing the natural strength, resiliency and healing power my body is pretty darned cool indeed. But I digress, let’s look at another stretch.

The Pretzel – this is an awesome, total body stretch that hits your “anatomy trains” in a very functional way. All of our muscles are linked together by tissue called fascia, ligaments and tendons. When we walk for example, our arms and legs swing in a coordinated fashion due to the neuromuscular and fascial connection between the muscles. The Pretzel shown here stretches the connected muscles to mimic what happens when we walk or run.

Begin side lying, so that your hips are “stacked” vertically. That is most important when getting into position. Then bring your top knee forward. Finally, relax your top shoulder towards the floor with each exhale. I will make a video of this stretch soon and provide a link in this article.

We have many more stretches you can use every day to release stress from your body and prepare it for every day activity. Stay tuned for more and please sign up for the newsletter for future articles and videos.

Stay healthy and get CatholicFIT already … we have a lot of work to do out there guys and it ain’t going to be easy. The more fit you are, the more I believe you can live your purpose!!