Contract-Release stretch

I have previously talked about the importance of stretching to avoid injury, and last week I went into detail about a specific muscle, M.Psoas Major, which is responsible for a large deal of the aching lower backs out there. Surprisingly, many of us have stiff and unflexible muscles at least somewhere in the body, which can cause imbalance of the body and, as a result, discomfort and possible long-time injury. Stretching almost always helps.

Assuming that you've made the decision to start stretching on a regular basis, what's the best way to go about it? Maximum results vs. minimum discomfort and risk of injury? When I was into martial arts I had this teacher who believed in the "No Pain, No Gain" philosophy, even when it came to stretching. So, his standard method was to pull and pull and pull until the student screamed loud enough, then he pulled some more and that was it. Sure - you got a bit more flexible, but to what price? And was it the most effective way?

In my opinion, that method is BS, plain and simple. Instead, I suggest Contract-Release, or PNF-stretching. There are four basic rules which must be followed:
1. Never hurt
2. Never fast
3. Only stretch the targeted joint
4. Never other muscles

Rule 1 & 2 are pretty clear - If it hurts, break and rest before starting over again, and of course, no quick movements.
Rule 3 & 4 require a little more knowledge about anatomy, so if you're planning to train and stretch a specific muscle, take the time to look up where that muscle begins and where it ends. See what joint it affects. If the function of the muscle is to flex a joint, you can be pretty sure that the best way to stretch it is doing the opposite, namely extending it. It's not that hard once you get a basic feel for it, so ignore the latin and start out with the major muscles first. You KNOW how to stretch pecs and lats, now find out WHY - and transfer that knowledge to other muscles.

Now you have the basics for performing a good stretch. And here is a general step-by-step walkthru:

1. Assume starting position
2. Gently stretch until it stops
3. Contract the muscle staticly for 8-10 secs
4. Relax the muscle for 8-10 secs
5. Gently stretch until it stops again
6. Go back to step 3.

Step 1 depends on the muscle targeted, and I recommend getting a good book about stretching for tips and ideas.
Step 2 means stretching as far as you can go, until you hit a natural stop which does not hurt but will do so if you keep pushing beyond that point.
Step 3 & 4 are entirely fixed, i.e., you're not moving the limb at all.
Step 5 is the magic of it all - in spite of you not having moved, the stopping point has moved, thus enabling you to safely stretch beyond what was previously possible.

The reason behind this lies in the body's own defence mechanisms, where you have two different mechanisms in the muscle belly and the joint. While one of them registers tension, the other one registers the length of the muscle. If stretching the "classic" way, where you force the muscle to stretch, the body interprets it as it being torn apart and automatically does everything to prevent this - which means flexing the muscle to resist the pull. Simply put, both mechanisms working against you. With the Contract-Release method, you trigger them to counteract each other, basically fooling the body's natural defence.
BUT ... This is also why it is CRITICAL that you must never feel PAIN when doing this! If you would feel pain, stop immediately and take a break for a minute or two, as you won't be doing anything productive anyway if you try forcing it.

As a final word on this, I want to underline that this is a basic overview of the technique. Of course there's more to it, so I can't encourage you enough to get hold of a good book with stretching tips and preferrably with a detailed explanation of WHAT muscles involved and WHY they're being stretched the way they are.

Oh, and the stretch of M.Psoas Major?

Set a bench straight or slightly angled.
Lie down on your back with your butt close to the edge (the elevated side
Roll your legs up so you got both thighs against your chest.
Flex your abs.
Hold on to one knee and let the other one hang down/out
Tell your partner to stand with his/her hip against the foot of the leg which you're holding on to.
Now the partner gently pushes your hanging leg down until it stops (not hurting).
Gently push upwards against your partners hand for ten seconds.
Relax for ten seconds, partner still just holding the leg in place.
Let the partner slowly push you downwards again until you find a new stop.
Push gently upwards again and repeat 2-3 times.