Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Stretch
to Win
Ann Frederick
Chris Frederick
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction xi
3 Flexibility Training 39
✧✧ Enhance athleticism and fitness with fascia mobility
training
✧✧ Adjust parameters of a stretch for different needs and
results
✧✧ Understand the types of stretching and how they affect
your flexibility
iv
5 Flexibility Assessment 67
✧✧ Locate the source of your pain, soreness, weakness,
or discomfort and find solutions
✧✧ Create a flexibility program specific to your needs
Glossary 213
References 218
Index 219
About the Authors 224
v
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Acknowledgments
The journey that led to the development of our technique was in progress
more than 40 years, and it will continue for as long as we practice and teach;
therefore, there are many people to thank. This book would not have been
possible without my beloved husband, Chris. He was instrumental in the entire
creative process, and he has been my true partner. We have spent countless
hours working together on the book, side by side on our dueling laptops,
without a single disagreement. Although I spent many years studying the
science of flexibility and stretching people before we met in 1998, his inspi-
ration, guidance, support, vision, and love transformed my work and helped
it evolve into what is today.
I especially want to thank my parents for having always been there for
me, believing in me, and supporting all my dreams and endeavors. My mom
taught me that I could become anything I desired as long as I kept my feet
planted firmly on the earth and my spirit reaching for the heavens. My father
advised me to find a special niche, become the very best at it, and never stop
improving. I know they were proud of what I created and they smile down
on me knowing I am living my dream.
Numerous influences have culminated in the beliefs Chris and I share about
stretching and flexibility as a means of tapping into human potential, begin-
ning with our mutual backgrounds in dance and movement. I began dance
training at the age of 4, and Chris began dancing at the age of 10. I extend
my thanks to the many dance teachers and students I have had the pleasure
of working with over the past 40 years for providing endless inspiration as to
all the possibilities that exist in movement and flexibility.
Special thanks to Tim McClellan and Rich Wenner, who introduced me to
the world of strength and conditioning at Arizona State University in 1995.
They gave me a chance to develop my techniques into a functional flexibility
that transferred to the field for athletes. This opened the door to my being
chosen as the flexibility specialist for the 1996 U.S. men’s Olympic wrestling
team. The experience of working with athletes of this caliber set the benchmark
for the role that sport-specific flexibility can have in athletic success.
I must thank my many clients over the nearly 20 years I ran my clinic for
believing and trusting in my work. By sharing their lives and providing feed-
back, they have participated in the development and growth of my vision.
They have taught me a great deal about the many differences and similarities
in the human body and about its unlimited potential.
vii
viii Acknowledgments
A very special thank-you to my athletes for the time, trust, and devotion they
have invested in me over the years. They have truly inspired me to continue
improving the methods of stretching to help them reach their performance,
prevent injuries, and achieve health and fitness goals. It has been an honor
and a privilege to be a small part of their careers.
Last, but most important, is a heartfelt thank-you that I lovingly send out
to all our students and our teaching teams in the United States and Canada.
We have closed our clinic since writing the first edition of this book; we are
now dedicating our time to teaching and writing. My present focus is how to
best educate and inspire our students, teachers, and readers. The people who
bring us joy and fulfillment are those whose lives have been influenced by our
work, both professionally and personally. I feel truly blessed to have touched
so many lives and to have those people touch and change so many more.
—Ann Frederick
First, I would like to thank my wife. This book is a product of and a testament
to the joy that comes when we have the opportunity to create something
together. I will never forget the first time I got on Ann’s table and, through her
stretching techniques, experienced the magical sensation of pain and tension
melting away; this is the feeling shared by her clients every day. She is a master
teacher and a divine inspiration, and I thank her for personally training me
in her original philosophy and system of stretching and for sharing with me
all the things that drive her passion in this field.
Thanks to my parents for encouraging me to follow my heart in all my
endeavors, even when the path I chose was not exactly what they had in mind
for me. A very special thank-you to the first teacher and person who made a
significant impact in my life, Sifu Sat Chuen Hon, for helping me create a solid
spiritual and physical foundation. Special thanks to Dr. Mei-Hsiu Chan for
her guidance in teaching me deeper levels of life experience through profound
healing and training of the body and mind.
I am truly grateful for all the dance teachers who freely gave of themselves
when teaching their passion and joy of movement to me: Wilhelm Burmann,
David Howard, Melissa Haydn, Gloria Fokine, and Robert Blankshine. Thanks
to Romana Kryzanowska and Kathy Grant for introducing me to Pilates and
to Juliu Horvath for training me in his system of Gyrokinesis before it was
known by any name.
I want to thank my mentor and guide in manual therapy, Marika Molnar,
PT, LAc, and founder of the famed Westside Dance Physical Therapy practice
in New York City. Without her inspiration, I would not be the kind of manual
physical therapist that I am proud to be today. Liz Henry, PT, and Katie Keller,
PT, were also wonderful guides on that journey. I am also thankful for the
inspiration of the many creative collaborators who frequented that magical
place, among them Jean Claude West, Ken Endelman (founder of Balanced
Body), and Brent Anderson (founder of Polestar Pilates).
—Chris Frederick
Acknowledgments ix
There are many others who contributed to the creation of this book. A very
special thanks to Michael J. Alter, whose first book in 1988, The Science of
Stretching, provided scientific validation of an emerging field of flexibility
science. Michael laid the groundwork and inspiration for others to follow,
and we hope that we do his work some justice. He was kind enough to share
his valuable time and knowledge by reviewing our first-edition manuscript,
sending research, and discussing the future of flexibility science. Thanks also
to Wayne Phillips, PhD, our dear friend and colleague, who was instrumental
in the pursuit of research in the field, and to James Oschman, PhD, who was
inspirational in his brilliant work relating to energy medicine and the won-
ders of the fascial system. Special thanks to our friend, colleague, and mentor,
Thomas Myers, who gave us a new perspective on how to see and experience
the body. After spending 12 weeks training with him in Maine, and being
exposed to the tremendous volume of work covered in his book Anatomy
Trains, we can truly say that we “changed our bodies about our minds.”
To all the students who have trained in our technique, thank you for your
trust, time, passion, and commitment. You motivate us to be our very best and
to continue evolving. We learn so much from you every time we teach, and
we are eternally grateful for your constant faith and never-ending inspiration.
Thanks also to our models—Jon Lempke, Emily Grout, and Christine
Sijera—for donating their time and talent. Avery special thanks to Bertrand
Berry, who is always a joy to work with and is one of our all-time favorite
athletes. We thought it only appropriate to have one of our (now retired)
NFL players be the model for the assisted stretches on the table in chapter 8.
We would like to thank all the fine folks at Human Kinetics who have made
this second edition possible, particularly Michelle Maloney, Acquisitions
Editor, Laura Pulliam, Developmental Editor, and Ann Gindes, Managing
Editor. They were a pleasure to work with and were extremely helpful and
understanding throughout the entire writing process.
We thank photographer Neil Bernstein both for his outstanding work and
for his amazing ability to understand what we wanted to convey. Thanks so
much to Bruce Hogarth, our artist, for helping us interpret our new concepts
of depicting the fascial nets. We also thank all those we don’t know by name
who had a part in helping this book come to fruition.
Finally, we’d like to thank the readers of the first edition of this book
who e-mailed us with amazing testimonials of how this book eliminated
chronic pain, radically improved mobility, and optimized fitness and athletic
performance!
—Ann and Chris Frederick
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Introduction
Whether they are training for football, golf, a 10K race, or any sport in the
Olympics, most athletes recognize the performance benefits of a progressive
strength and conditioning program. Stretching programs, however, have been
less popular for a variety of reasons. Research on stretching has produced mixed
reviews, and athletes found it boring, painful, and a waste of time because there
was no evident change in performance. Most of these negative reactions were
to one specific type of stretching called static stretching. In addition, athletes
were not aware of the positive outcomes of specific types of stretching paired
with athletic goals. Fortunately, those details are addressed in this book.
In the last five years, neuroscience research has shown increasing evidence
that the brain functions by way of movement patterns rather than isolated
muscles. Therefore, professionals in sports, fitness, and rehabilitation have
increasingly abandoned muscle-only approaches to training and therapy
and are now focusing more on movement-based approaches. Consequently,
mobility training has become the hottest trend in fitness and physical reha-
bilitation. Much of what is called mobility training today can also be called
dynamic stretching; we clear up this confusion and discuss stretching and
mobility in chapter 3.
Is a stretching program just as important as a strength and conditioning
program for optimal athletic performance? Yes, if the stretches are performed
both correctly and for the right reasons. This is not a matter of simply finding
a correct stretching position; it is also a matter of using appropriate training
parameters to get the most benefit from the stretch. This means properly
warming up the body, developing each type of stretch, and customizing the
intensity, duration, and frequency of each stretch for the intended goal.
You cannot establish these parameters unless you first evaluate your flex-
ibility. As we teach you in this book, flexibility is much more than range of
motion (ROM). Once your flexibility is evaluated, you can design an individ-
ualized program to increase your sport-specific flexibility. Instead of a generic
stretching program, you can use a refined flexibility training program that
will be responsive to your individual needs as they change over time. The
comprehensive evaluation will also help you establish a baseline of flexibility
that you can periodically refer back to when you reevaluate your progress.
This way, you are sure to meet your mobility and sport performance goals.
The program of stretching can be set up at intervals that complement your
other sport training.
xi
xii Introduction
In this book, we start by explaining the how, why, where, and when of
stretching so you have a good reason to try the Stretch to Win® system of
flexibility training. Once you have this base knowledge, we present easy-to-
follow programs that will immediately start to make a major difference in
your sport performance. If the thousands of clients we have worked with
are any indication of the benefits of our system, you will experience more
power, more strength, more endurance, and more flexibility than you have
ever experienced up to now.
What’s more, you will eliminate or greatly reduce the incidence of injuries
and of all types of pain. One of our clients, former NFL safety Brian Dawkins,
who played 16 seasons and was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection, notes, “My
coaches and teammates asked me what I was doing different because I was
moving so much better on the field. I told them that I was doing the Stretch
to Win program and it was getting me right.” Professional and elite athletes
use this system because we provide a complete and clinically proven way
to develop sport-specific flexibility. Ever since Ann Frederick showed in her
master’s thesis in 1997 that the Stretch to Win system resulted in greater (36
to 52 percent) and longer-lasting gains in ROM than conventional methods
of stretching, we have been constantly refining and improving it. (In fact, our
clients attained permanent flexibility gains of between 100 and 200 percent
during the last 10 years of our clinic.) This guarantees that our clients, our
students, and you are getting the most up-to-date and cutting-edge informa-
tion and techniques to optimize athletic performance and to reduce the time
it takes to return to activity after injury or surgery.
The Stretch to Win system aligns with today’s philosophy of functional
outcome training. This means that when you implement the program, you are
not stretching just to increase ROM for the sake of improving general mobility,
but rather you are performing a specific stretch program based on an analysis
of your own flexibility requirements specific to your sport or movement. In
our experience, customized programs always lead to superior results.
A stretching exercise is functional when it directly enhances an athlete’s
performance in his or her specific sport. For example, a 100-meter sprinter
should stretch differently than a marathoner. This is because the sprinter has
a faster-responding nervous system and muscle reactions owing to her higher
percentage of fast-twitch fibers, among many other things. These fast-twitch
fibers help produce explosive power in a sprint from start to finish. The
marathoner tends to have a higher percentage of slow-twitch muscle fibers
than the sprinter. These slow-twitch fibers are accustomed to a much longer
performance, and they do more to maintain correct postural alignment and
form during distance running.
Another difference between these two athletes in relation to their flexibility
programs is the contrast between their functional ROM requirements. The
sprinter must start a race crouched down at the starting blocks, whereas the
marathoner begins upright in a ready stance at the starting line. In addition
Introduction xiii
to being fast, the sprinter must have sufficient flexibility to effectively start off
the blocks. When an athlete stretches using a training system that incorpo-
rates principles of sport specificity, he or she can achieve optimal functional
flexibility.
The idea behind this book is to provide athletes and coaches with the tools
to create effective flexibility programs that contribute to optimal performance
in any sport or training activity. Equally important goals are eliminating the
myths and confusion surrounding the subject of stretching and flexibility
training and educating and inspiring readers with all the new information
and training that we are immersed in as specialists in human flexibility.
Before we help you create your program, we teach you how to evaluate your
mobility and identify your restrictions to unhindered athletic movement.
After you determine what imbalances and flexibility deficiencies you have,
you will learn how to individualize your program to fit your needs. When you
finally engage in a program that is suited to your needs, you will experience
faster and greater gains in flexibility and overall mobility. These results will
be evident after the very first time you perform the program, and they’ll get
better over the following two weeks.
Chapter 1 takes you through the 10 basic principles of our program—the
fundamentals for mastering the system. As you know from participating in
sports, you must master the fundamentals before progressing. In chapter 2,
we define and discuss the anatomy and physiology of flexibility and stretching
to clear up the confusion that still exists even among professionals in sports,
fitness, and rehabilitation. We go into the fascinating details of the connective
tissue system, also called the fascia. Science shows that a person is a network
of fascia under a normal amount of tension that helps transmit information
about movement (and many other things essential for life) at the speed of
sound. When you get chronic or nagging issues that don’t go away, such as
tightness, soreness, heaviness, stiffness, and weakness, then your fascia may
be out of balance. We provide solutions to these issues in later chapters.
Chapter 3 uses the latest fascia research to support incorporation of elastic
recoil, undulating movement, and fascial stretching. These are the keys for the
new generation of strength and conditioning and injury prevention programs,
and the Stretch to Win system contains all of them.
In chapter 4, we relate flexibility to sports by discussing the importance
of fundamental movement assessment and correction as a basis for optimal
athletic performance. Core mobility as a basis for better core stability is dis-
cussed in a way that is not often recognized. These things plague many ath-
letes’ performances throughout their careers if they are never identified and
corrected. We address how flexibility affects athletic qualities such as strength,
power, and speed, and then we discuss how the flow of an optimal flexibility
program will determine the flow of athletic performance.
Chapter 5 helps you apply the information in the previous chapters by teach-
ing you how to assess your own flexibility using a fascia mobility assessment
xiv Introduction
(FMA). This provides an honest look at what may be hindering your athletic
performance. Based on the findings in the FMA, the chapter then guides you
in building a customized stretching routine around your particular needs.
You will be able to assess what has been preventing you from attaining your
goals, and you will learn how to keep performing at your highest level. You
will also learn how to recover faster and prevent injuries.
Chapter 6 offers corrections for any imbalances found in your assessments
in chapter 5. You can also go directly to this chapter for restorative stretch
programs that will help you rapidly recover from intense training and compe-
tition, which often create unilateral and asymmetrical stress and strain. These
programs will also help you recover from minor injuries due to overtraining
or overexertion. Implementing the programs in this chapter will often prevent
minor injuries from becoming major ones.
In chapter 7, we provide dynamic stretch programs that you can do within
an hour of activity. These programs focus on dominant movement patterns
common to most sports. You can choose whether to do all of them or only
those that prepare your body for specific activities.
Finally, in chapter 8, we show you how we use assisted stretching to help
our elite and professional athletes reach optimal levels of performance. This
final chapter is intended for professionals in sports, fitness, and physical
rehabilitation who are looking for the most effective ways to mobilize and
stretch athletes. The chapter will also be helpful for others who want to know
about assisted stretching.
This book reflects our passion for stretching and flexibility training. By
taking advantage of the knowledge we’ve developed over decades of work
with our clients, you will gain much more than flexibility. You will save time
by being more efficient in your training; you will save money by not having
to depend so much on professionals to get you out of pain; you will achieve
athletic goals that were previously out of reach; and you will enjoy training
and sport participation more as you increasingly experience the natural high
of everything fitting into the right place at the right time. For the ultimate
athletic experience, you must stretch to win! (Note: videos of all programs in
this book and more can be accessed at www.stretchtowin.com.)
Chapter 1
Ten Principles
for Optimal
Flexibility
1
2 Stretch to Win
been fully addressed in stretching and flexibility training. The fascia is the soft
connective tissue system that forms a continuous tensional network throughout
the human body (see figure 1.1). It connects the skin, every muscle, every
organ, and every nerve (Schleip and Müller 2012). This is why we also refer
to it as the fascial net in this book. Joint capsules are a type of differentiated
fascia that cover all joints, integrate and function with joint ligaments, and
help contain any fluid in the joints (see figure 1.2).
Skin
Superficial
fascia
Body
wall
Fat
Figure 1.1 Fascia is an extensive net of connective tissue that connects the skin,
E6654/Frederick/f01.01/571801/pulled/R1
muscles, organs, and nerves.
Bone
Articular
cartilage
Joint cavity
Joint capsule
Bone
Figure 1.2 Joint capsules are made of fascia located in the deepest layer of the
E6654/Frederick/fig01.02/571802/pulled/R1
body, and they connect joints, ligaments, and periosteum (bone fascia).
Ten Principles for Optimal Flexibility 3
Now, let’s take a look at each of the 10 principles in detail. These form the
foundation for the flexibility programs we teach.
When we had our clients perform this simple awareness exercise, we got a
range of responses, such as “I never knew how much tension I carry in my
body” and “I never realized how hard it is for me to relax; why can’t I relax?”
We also received responses such as “the pain that I had in my shoulder before
this exercise is now gone!” From this simple exercise, our clients learned that
they can become much more aware of where they store unnecessary tension,
and, more important, through specific instruction they learned how to spon-
taneously and immediately release any tension.
After performing this exercise, the basic connection between breathing and
the state of your body becomes obvious and provides a launching pad that you
can use in more advanced and specific ways. For example, you can take what
you experienced in the breathing exercise and use it to direct your response to
different tempos of stretching in order to achieve different flexibility training
effects. Exactly how to do this is discussed in chapter 3.
We have observed that if you take this experience and knowledge of how
breathing can influence muscle tension and apply it to stretching, the response
you get from stretching will be far better. This is because you will learn how to
accurately assess the current state of your body through synchronized breath-
ing (and the other nine principles) and give it what it needs at that particular
moment. This may mean something as simple as recognizing unnecessary
tension that is causing movement restrictions and releasing it in less time
than it takes to take a complete breath, as in the previous exercise. Or it may
mean taking a little time before going to sleep and going through a short
sequence of stretches (discussed in principle 3) that effectively and quickly
restore your flexibility. This helps you unwind and release the accumulated
tension or tightness of the day so you achieve complete overnight recovery
and are optimally flexible for the next day’s activities.
When performing recovery stretches as just noted, instead of counting to an
arbitrary number while stretching, as is often taught, our clients achieve better
gains when they focus on their breathing. When you coordinate breathing and
stretching, you will discover that certain areas of your body need less time and
other areas need more time to release the restrictions to movement. When you
learn to synchronize all your movements with proper breathing techniques (as
you will in chapter 3), you will see profound changes in how you move on the
athletic field or court, on the golf or ski course, and in activities of daily living.
anatomy, but following the order that we share with you, combined with your
best instincts, will produce a winning program.
In general, we have discovered that stretching the joint capsule and the
deeper muscles that are close to that joint capsule before stretching the more
superficial muscles that cross two or more joints leads to better flexibility
than if this order is not followed. The reasons for this are complex and varied,
taking into account multiple effects on the central and peripheral nervous
systems. Relaxation and release of restrictions in the deeper structures of the
body stimulate a cascade of reflexes and biochemical processes that pave the
way for the rest of the body to respond to stretching in a more profound way.
More details on this follow and are described in chapters 2 and 3.
We find tight or hypomobile hips in most of our athletes; this tends to be
the first and deepest barrier that restricts flexibility of the whole body and
especially reduces efficiency of movement in the lower half. A common exam-
ple is when you pull your knee to your chest with your hands while lying on
your back. If you feel a pinch in the hip or groin, then you have signs of hip
impingement. This may be due to inflammation, but more often it is tight
hip flexors and a tight hip joint capsule (see principle 7) that are restricting
movement. Because the two opposing surfaces of the hip joint are abnormally
compressed, it is plausible that you may get hip arthritis if this simple symp-
tom continues to be ignored. Unfortunately, this happens to athletes sooner
than in the general population. Fortunately, targeted stretching of this area
can completely relieve these symptoms if addressed in time.
Once the one-joint muscles and the joint capsule are more flexible, then
the two-joint muscles may be stretched more effectively as the layers of muscle
and connective tissue, from deep to superficial and from short lengths to long
lengths, are released in an easy-to-follow form.
Another logical sequence to consider is to prioritize stretching the mus-
cles that, because of severe tightness, inhibit muscles on the opposite side
of a joint from functioning properly. During any functional movement, there
are prime mover muscles and helper muscles called synergists. Prime movers
and synergists normally work together (or synergistically), but synergists
may substitute for prime movers, thereby taking on more workload in cases
of flexibility imbalances and certain injuries or conditions that are outside
the scope of this book. Synergistically dominant muscles take over the active
movement when the prime movers are not working.
A common example is a situation in which tightness of the hip flexors
inhibits proper contraction of the hip extensors. When the hip extensors or
gluteal muscles do not perform their actions appropriately, the hamstrings take
on the extra workload. Because the hamstrings assist the glutes in extending
the hip, they become synergistically dominant in this scenario. The all-too-
common result is that the hamstring will become strained or torn because
of the extra workload it is not designed to accommodate. As soon as the
excessive tension is removed through proper stretching (of the hip flexors,
Ten Principles for Optimal Flexibility 7
in this case), the muscles that were made weak through inhibition (the hip
extensors or glutes) immediately become strong and efficient, and the strain
in the synergists (the hamstrings) is eliminated.
• Come back up, and notice how you activated the muscles you just
stretched to come back up.
If you return to an upright position by simply reversing the stretching
motion, you will recontract the muscle fibers that you were trying to release;
this will counteract any gains you might have made with the stretch itself.
Therefore, learning how to return to a neutral starting position without
tensing the stretched muscles is another key to optimal flexibility and
increasing ROM without subsequent pain. Try this modification of the
previous exercise:
• Repeat the stretch, but instead of coming back up, look to the floor and
continue slowly bending forward until both arms are hanging in front
of the body and the knees are slightly bent.
• Slowly roll up to the start position using your glutes and back muscles.
This principle is used consistently whenever possible in the mobility and
stretch programs in chapters 6 through 8.
results that you expect from individualized attention. This kind of attention
is simply giving your body what it needs at the time that it needs it. By fol-
lowing these principles regularly, you will learn how to listen to what your
body needs when your body communicates it. In this way, small problems
do not develop into large ones, and your athletic performance is optimized.
A common example that we see in the clinic is hip joint capsules that
seem, in the athlete’s words, to get “jammed up” into the joint. This leads to
a functional shortening of the length of the leg because the hip has less space
available in the joint for mobility of the bones. This shortening effect may also
occur on the affected side in the sacroiliac and lumber facet joints. Because
the bones of the hip socket are not moving through their full excursion, the
deep hip flexor, the psoas, gets very tight and restricted in its motion. This
will negatively change how you run, jump, and perform other athletic moves.
Over time, hip bursitis, tendinitis, or arthritis may develop, depending on
the factors that are present. These scenarios may be completely avoided or
eliminated by addressing the hip capsule in a flexibility program.
When the joint capsule is included in a flexibility program, you must
understand the basic function of that joint. The hip joint, for example, is
a ball-and-socket type of joint. This means that it can move in an infinite
number of directions. Using this knowledge when you stretch means that
you will know how to target all the prime directions of stretching the hip so
maximal functional flexibility is achieved for the complex movement required in
sports and athletics. Extensive assessment followed by fundamental mobility
and corrective stretches for the hip and the rest of your body is covered in
chapters 5 and 6. In chapter 8, we provide guidelines for when stretching the
joint capsule alone is indicated or contraindicated in assisted stretching based
on the whether the hip is hypo- or hypermobile.
next focus is to traction and stretch the muscles and fascia or myofascia that
cross over the joint. This is the deepest layer of myofascia that will react to
positive or negative changes in the joint capsule. This deeper layer of muscles
and fascia is shorter than the muscles that cross two joints; therefore, when
they are released, they pave the way for the longer muscles to release faster
and more efficiently. This is achieved by combining the principle of using
traction with principle 6 (stretching in multiple planes with movement) to
achieve maximal lengthening of any tissue that has become tight and has
caused pain or has otherwise negatively affected athletic performance. Even
though we described manual traction performed by a professional, if used in
combination with the other principles, traction may also be used with great
success by yourself without any special equipment.
When you stretch muscles that cross two or more joints, adding traction
proximally and distally will result in complete myofascial stretch across the
entire muscle from one end to the other end. In fact, the addition of trac-
tion amplifies the effects of stretching by going beyond mere local muscular
attachments to related but distal fascial tracks, such as those mentioned in
principle 7. These amplified effects include much greater ROM in the area
being stretched and more permanent overall flexibility improvement than
stretching without traction.
In summary, maximal lengthening of tight tissue is achieved when you
traction and stretch all the tissues along a particular fascial track: joint capsule,
ligament, tendon, muscle. This should be done without causing pain and in
a logical order, from the deep layer to the superficial layer.
Without getting into the details now (we discuss our technique, called FST-
PNF, in chapter 8), PNF CR takes advantage of well-known neurological reflexes
that enable the body to take advantage of opportunities to improve ROM and
achieve longer-lasting flexibility from stretching than would otherwise be
thought possible.
Anatomy and
Physiology of
Flexibility
15
16 Stretch to Win
In this chapter, you will learn a more simple and practical way to under-
stand your anatomy. This will allow you to assess your body for mobility
restrictions and imbalances more accurately. Then, you will be able to more
easily increase, restore, or correct your flexibility.
What Is Fascia?
The first Fascia Research Congress defined fascia as all the collagenous, fibrous
connective tissues that are elements of a whole-body tensional force trans-
mission network. Other definitions refer to it as a whole-body communica-
tion network outside of the nervous system that is capable of receiving and
transmitting information from both inside and outside the body (Schleip et
al 2012). The relatively new science of fascia has had an exponential increase
in research activity over the last 10 years. Much evidence supports the use by
athletes of new and more effective methods of training fascia.
What this means to you, the athlete, is this:
• Fascia is the word we use for all connective tissue in your body.
• The most prevalent tissue in your body is fascia.
• Fascia connects to and influences every system in your body.
Due to its presence and influence throughout the body, problems with
fascia can cause issues in any or all aspects of sport performance. To maintain
Form of Fascia
The form or structure of fascia in your body is always under a normal amount
of tension. This force of tension is similar to air inside a balloon. One reason
for the inner tension is the normal pressure from the atmosphere. At sea level,
your body must constantly resist about 15 pounds of pressure per square inch
(6.8 kg per 6.5 cm2) of your body. This number can change with weather and
altitude, among other things. Another reason fascia has a normal amount of
tension is that gravity exerts an additional downward force of compression
on the body. The resultant compression force of gravity compounded with
sport activity and intensive, year-round training pulls and pushes everything
in the body down and in.
Your body stays in balance partly through the normal tension present in
your fascia and the muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and organs with
which it is connected. It is counterbalanced by the framework of your skele-
ton, which helps your balance by transferring some of the compressive forces
throughout your body into the ground or other items you touch. It might
be helpful to imagine that your fascia is under normal tension because it is
stretched over your skeleton. Because the body is made up of materials that
help mobilize and stabilize it through the transfer of forces from within
(movement) and from outside (life, sports, training), the body is consid-
ered to have tensegrity. The great architect and engineer Buckminster Fuller
coined this term in the 1960s to describe structures that were designed with
tensional integrity.
A simple example of a structure with tensegrity is a geodesic dome, such
as a sporting arena or a tent for camping. The dome has integrity because
the structure maintains its relative shape statically when no force other than
gravity is applied (see figure 2.1a) and dynamically when another force is
applied (see figure 2.1b). That is, it does not readily burst or break; rather, it
goes with the flow. After the force is removed, it returns to the same shape
it had before the force was applied. Structures with tensegrity are the most
flexible and adaptable ones ever conceived.
Your body has a similar but superior smart design called biotensegrity (Levin
2006). Through the structure of the fascial net, your body can simultane-
ously communicate to all its cells how to move, change shape, and adapt to
prevailing conditions. When you sit or lie down, your body adapts to the
surface of the furniture or floor. If you stay in a position too long, your fascial
system accumulates stress and strain from the summation of forces on and
in the body and communicates to the mind that it must change position. If
you do not change position often, as is the case with many who sit at work,
then your fascia thickens in the areas that are under prolonged or repetitive
18 Stretch to Win
Force or load
E6654/Frederick/fig02.01b/571804/pulled/R1
a b
E6657/Frederick/fig02.01a/571803/pulled/R1
Figure 2.1 The freestanding geodesic dome (a) has tensegrity when a force or load
is applied (b).
stress and strain. This thickening is the body’s automatic response to stress
and strain in the myofascia. It is an attempt by the body to add extra strength
to the tissue by depositing extra collagen. Unfortunately, this comes at the
expense of flexibility; collagen is not the most flexible tissue, as anyone with
a scar can attest.
Another example is the way the body adapts to collisions and extreme
external blows and pressure, such as those experienced by a running back
in American football, who runs into people and gets buried under a pile of
them over and over again. As a result of biotensegrity, the running back’s
body automatically changes shape not only to cushion the blows but also
to transmit the force of the blows and falls throughout the fascial network,
just as the geodesic dome distributes forces across its structure. This helps to
attenuate the magnitude of the forces so they do not accumulate and over-
whelm the involved tissue with disabling injury. Nevertheless, the body is
programmed to deposit collagen in areas that are under repetitive stress and
strain. Whether you are inactive or are extremely active, the tendency of the
body is to provide extra collagen or scar tissue as an automatic reaction to
excessive stress and strain. The antidote, of course, is regular stretching that
might also correct imbalances in strength or other athletic traits. Stretching
helps realign collagen fibers that deposit themselves in a thick, disorganized
manner. Stretching also creates length and space in the areas where collagen
has shortened and drawn the tissue inward.
Imagine that you put on athletic compression garments for the upper and
lower body as well as compression gloves, socks, and facemask. Now, imagine
feeling the force of compression on the entire surface of your body. Besides
compression, you would also feel an equal and opposite force called tension
Anatomy and Physiology of Flexibility 19
Compartment Syndrome
Compartment syndrome is pressure buildup inside an enclosed space
in the body that typically results from bleeding or swelling caused by an
injury. The pressure interferes with blood flow surrounding the affected
tissues. It is common medical problem in sports, and it requires imme-
diate medical attention.
Compartment syndrome is a perfect example of inflammation of the
fascia that causes such excessive tension and compression forces
that it threatens to kill the tissue by cutting off its blood supply. Often
occurring in the lower leg, this is preventable but requires immediate
surgery (a fasciotomy) if it reaches a certain critical point. In this
case, a surgeon cuts open the leg to release pressure and sometimes
remove scar tissue. Keeping your fascia flexible, mobile, and strong
with programs in this book will help you prevent this.
20 Stretch to Win
Throughout the rest of the book, we will use the term net when we discuss
fascial anatomy. For now, just imagine the different forms that a net can take:
thick, thin, open, more closed, tight, loose, more flexible, less flexible, even
wet or dry. Ideally, your body net should be balanced; it should not be too
tight or too loose, but it will be tighter in some places that need it (like the IT
band) and looser in others (like the abdomen when at rest).
For most athletes who participate in sports or intense fitness training,
imbalances—some parts of the body being tight with poor mobility and
other areas being loose with poor stability—are common. The following are
several examples of imbalances in the fascial net that occur in sports and can
be helped with the Stretch to Win system:
• Plantar fasciitis from tight fascia in the lower leg
• Lateral knee or kneecap pain from tight tensor fasciae latae (TFL) and
vastus lateralis
• Hip pinch (impingement) from tight psoas
• Low back pain from tight iliopsoas fascia
• Poor inhalation, endurance, and V̇O2 max from tight psoas
• Weak core muscles due to tight hip flexors
• Rotator cuff strain or tendinitis from tight pectoralis minor
• Neck pain or restriction from compressed joint capsules and fascia
Before we move on, let’s summarize how you can visualize the fascia. Fascia
is like a custom-fitted compression garment with just the right amount of
tension for optimal stability and mobility. If it’s too tight or too loose, athletic
performance will suffer.
Function of Fascia
Fascia is described as the largest system in the body because it is the framework
of most of the structures in the body, right down to cells. Fascia reaches into
and connects to all the other major systems: muscles, skeletal system, central
and peripheral nervous systems, and organs. These extensive connections go
beyond structural stabilization and support of the body to also heavily influ-
ence all physiological functions of the body. From DNA synthesis and genetic
expression to the lightening-fast reaction of survival to threat, fascia is a major
factor in all these and more. We start with fascia as the great communicator
between all systems.
Fascia as a Communicator
Fascia has been likened to a continuous series of liquid vibrating crystals that
transmit mechanical information from any force or movement (however large
or small) to drive essential physiological processes, such as gene and hor-
mone regulation. All this is accomplished by way of the body’s biotensegrity.
Anatomy and Physiology of Flexibility 21
Scientists have found that fascia can instantly and simultaneously communi-
cate essential information necessary for survival and daily function to all the
cells in your body. This is facilitated and maintained for optimal health and
performance through movement.
Full-body active movement, as well as the micromovements of your cells
while your body is at rest, will stimulate the fastest and most efficient whole-
body communication system that operates separate from the brain and nervous
system, all by way of your fascia. In fact, physical forces commonly exerted
on or within your body in sports and training will travel around the body
as mechanical “vibrations” at 720 miles per hour (1,100 kph); that is more
than three times faster than the nervous system. With that kind of speed, your
body can make virtually immediate adjustments to stop, start, and change
direction as needed. Even though the nervous system is slower to respond
than the fascia, research has shown that there are vital connections between
the two that allow them to work together. Of interest is that the fascial system
works inseparably with the neuromuscular system for proper motor patterning
and control in daily activities as well as the most complex and demanding
athletic movements.
Fascia as a Transmitter
The fascial system has been described as a tension force transmission net-
work, but what does that mean to the athlete? One of the many functions of
fascia is to transmit forces from muscle to tendon to bone and from muscle
to muscle, which is otherwise known as myofascial force transmission. This is
of interest to athletes because any problems in the fascia’s ability to transmit
force can negatively affect
Any problem with the bodywide net of fascia can cause problems with
muscle-to-muscle force transmission and all the factors previously listed,
which can negatively impact sport performance. As will soon be shown, the
Stretch to Win system has solutions to improve the force transmission of fascia.
22 Stretch to Win
Fascia as a Remodeler
Fascia is “one interconnected tensional network that adapts its fiber arrange-
ment and density according to local tensional demands” (Schleip 2015a, 3).
Functional stress and strain on fascia will change fiber direction and, in optimal
circumstances, stimulate the production of more of the same or different kinds
of fascia to support, strengthen, stabilize, and otherwise assist movement.
Too much activity (e.g., overtraining) will induce negative changes in fascia,
such as inflammation (e.g., tendinitis), injury (e.g., tears), and concomitant
scar tissue, to the extent that muscle function and athletic performance will
decrease. Too little activity will weaken the fascia’s ability to support muscle
and nerve function. This means that fascia can and should be specifically
trained, which until now has been ignored in fitness and sports.
Research indicates that it will take 6 to 24 months for a complete fascial
makeover using specific training activities for fascia (Schleip et al 2012; Schleip
2015a, 2015b). Despite this time frame, research also shows that fascia reacts
right away to remodel and accommodate everyday stress and strain and spe-
cific training, which supports our experience in getting immediate positive
performance outcomes with athletes (Schleip et al 2012; Schleip and Müller
2012; Schleip 2015a, 2015b). The Stretch to Win system of fascia mobility
training is one of the fastest and most effective means to improve all athletic
qualities, and it results in achieving your personal best in sports and fitness
while reducing the risk of injury.
Before we move on, let’s summarize what the functions of fascia mean to
an athlete:
• Fascia is the only system that anatomically and physiologically touches all
other systems of the body (that is why it is described as a net or network).
• Anything that negatively affects the fascia can negatively affect any system
in the body.
• Fascia communicates with your body at three times the speed of your
nervous system, so training your fascia is a necessity for optimal athletic
function.
• Your abilities to learn, feel, and remember movement are in large part
due to the optimal function of your proprioceptive system, which is
mostly dependent on a properly trained and maintained fascial system.
• Fascia responds to specific training and therapy immediately and cumu-
latively for long-term change.
Front Nets
Front nets are composed of interconnected muscles and fascia that mostly lie
in the same plane. They are divided between myofasciae closer to the skin,
called the superficial front net, and myofasciae closer to the skeleton, called
the deep front net.
If you are an athlete who works at a desk all day and trains before or after
work several times per week (like many triathletes do, for example), then you
will most likely develop restrictions to movement in your neck, shoulders,
chest, hips, knees, or ankles.
The front of your body tends to shorten, tighten, and get stuck where it
bends (at joints) along with the myofasciae that spans or hangs across those
joints in the line of gravity. This can make you vulnerable to tendinitis or ten-
dinosis conditions in these locations. The back of the body tends to lengthen
and weaken in compensation. This can make your core, spine, and the rest
of your body unbalanced and unstable. The superficial net is easy for you to
access with self-myofascial release (SMFR) so you can adjust the length-tension
relationships of the superficial myofasciae. Myofascial release is a term used
to describe various manual therapies that use forms of manual pressure with
Anatomy and Physiology of Flexibility 25
Sternocleidomastoid
Sternum fascia
Rectus abdominis
Toe extensors
26
Deep neck muscles and
scalenes
Throat muscles
Lungs
Chest muscles
Heart
Diaphragm
Anterior spine
Pelvic floor
Psoas, iliacus
and pectineus
Hip adductors
Popliteus
Tibialis posterior
27
Cranial fascia
Erector spinae
Sacrolumbar fascia
Sacrotuberous ligament
Hamstrings
Achilles tendon
28
Sternocleidomastoid
Scalenes
Splenius capitis
Intercostals
Gluteus medius
Lateral abdominal obliques
Quadratus lumborum
Gluteus maximus
(superior fibers)
Greater trochanter
(of the femur)
Tensor fasciae
latae (TFL)
Fibularis (peroneus)
and related fascia
E6654/Frederick/f02.05/571808/auprov/R2
29
30 Stretch to Win
Power Nets
Power nets are made of five interdependent superficial nets. These include
the front and back nets, two lateral power nets on each side of the body, and
a deep power net that connects posture with power. On a micro level, colla-
gen is the part of the fascia that gives it a spring-like quality (e.g., jumping is
accomplished more by the coils of the Achilles tendon than through the gas-
trocnemius and soleus muscles). On a macro level, the fascial nets also spiral
into larger coils, which help generate quick power and instant speed, agility,
and direction change. Therefore, the power nets form the core of stability and
mobility of functional movement in life and sports. The central balance of the
power nets is fundamental to the proper function of other nets.
Because the power nets are engaged more in sport-type movements than in
maintaining static postures like the other nets, issues are movement related.
Movements such as running, throwing, catching, and kicking that involve
opposite arms and legs with forces running on a spiral at a diagonal through
the body are our focus with the power nets. However, because movements in
sports are often power based and unpredictable, strong forces must be met
by tissue in the body that is flexible or adaptable. Flexibility or adaptability
in the human body has the essential qualities of strength, mobility, and sta-
bility, among many others. Without flexibility, you are at even more risk for
the following common conditions:
Sports hernia Muscle tears
Groin pulls Ligament tears
Abdominal strains Chronic tendinitis
Low back, hip, or knee pain Spinal disc herniation
The superficial power nets are shown in figures 2.6, 2.7, and 2.8.
The deep power net (see figure 2.9) is divided into muscles and fascia that
align in spiral patterns; in our opinion, it is most often the stabilizing foun-
dation for launching high-caliber athletic mobility with the other power nets.
When the balance of stabilizing function becomes compromised through
overtraining and not maintaining proper flexibility, the following conditions
are often present:
Poor posture alignment within Lumbar, pelvic, and hip
sport movements imbalances
Rib cage imbalances Shin splints
Lower extremity alignment Compartment syndrome
imbalances Ankle and foot pronation or supi-
Chronic tensor fascia lata-iliotibial nation problems
band (or TFL-ITB) tightness Ankle mobility problems
Core strength and mobility Ankle sprains
imbalances
Pectoralis major
(lower part)
Rectus abdominis
(outer part)
Adductor longus
31
Latissimus dorsi
Lumbodorsal fascia
Sacral fascia
Gluteus maximus
(inferior fibers)
Vastus lateralis
Subpatellar tendon
32
Latissimus dorsi
(outer edge)
External oblique
Sartorius
33
Splenius capitis and
splenius cervicis
Rhomboids
Serratus anterior
Abdominal
obliques
and fasciae
Erector spinae
(L5–S1)
Sacrolumbar
fascia
Sacrotuberous
ligament
Tensor fasciae latae
iliotibial tract
Biceps femoris
Tibialis anterior
34
Anatomy and Physiology of Flexibility 35
Arm Nets
The mainstay of functional movement is core or proximal stability before opti-
mal mobility is possible. Keeping this in mind, the arm nets should always be
thought of in context with the power nets. These nets connect to each other,
and they transmit and receive enormous forces to generate powerful athletic
movement. Therefore, when an athlete reaches to catch a ball, swings a bat or
golf club, or pulls their arm through water, optimal performance is dependent
on proximal power nets transferring force to the more distal arm nets. If the
power nets lack flexibility, then the arms will overcompensate and will be at
risk for the following common sport conditions:
Rotator cuff tendinitis and tears Elbow tendinitis
Shoulder dislocation Early-onset joint degeneration and
Biceps brachii tendon subluxation osteoarthritis
Forearm compartment syndrome Overuse syndromes
When assessing and designing your Stretch to Win flexibility program for
the arms, we highly recommend including the power nets with the arm nets
for best results. The arm nets are shown in figures 2.10 and 2.11.
Clavicle-pectoral fascia
Thenar myofascia
Biceps brachii
Pectoralis major
Pectoralis minor
E6654/Frederick/f02.10/571813/auprov/R2
36 Stretch to Win
Ulnar periosteum
Lateral
Rotator cuff intermuscular
septum
E6654/Frederick/f02.11/571815/auprov/R1
Figure 2.11 Superficial and deep back arm nets.
Glue
Human glue, called adhesions by professional therapists and trainers, can be
found in joints, muscles, fascia, nerves, organs, or anywhere else. Glue can
be light (one anatomy instructor calls it fuzz because it’s consistency is like
cotton candy), and much of this can be easily broken up with the right stretch
movement, SMFR, or a combination of both. One example we can all relate
to is the snap, crack, and pop sounds and feelings we experience when we
first move our bodies after being asleep for many hours. Light to moderate
glue can be the result of too little or too much training, athletic activities,
dehydration, minor injuries, or other sources.
Other glue can be hard, immobile, and resistant, such as old scar tissue
from injury, surgery, or even your genetic makeup. This kind of glue can still
be helped with the Stretch to Win approach.
Thickening
Immobility can result in thickening of the fascia due to a combination of
complex factors, including body core weakness (e.g., ultrasound may show
thickening of the fascia in the lumbar region of a person suffering from chronic
low back pain). Body tissue may also automatically thicken to add strength
or stability to regions of increased stress due to overtraining or unresolved
strength-mobility imbalances.
Trigger Points
The complex topic of trigger points (TPs) is controversial in some professional
circles; there is ongoing scientific debate about whether they exist and cause
myofascial pain. TPs appear to be hyperirritable local muscle (and other
tissue) regions that refer pain distally when pressed or irritated by immobility
as well as by movement. While old-school static stretching has a reputation
of making TPs worse, the Stretch to Win method can eliminate TPs. Any TPs
still present after performing fascial stretch movements can be eliminated
with SMFR (discussed in chapter 5).
In our experience, most, if not all, of the three fascial movement blocks
discussed—glue, thickening, and trigger points—can be easily and effectively
eliminated by using the programs in this book in combination with an excel-
lent strength and conditioning program. In most cases, the result will be more
efficient athletic movement for all sport and fitness activities. If FMBs cannot
be eliminated with these approaches, we recommend you see a professional,
such as a certified Fascial Stretch Therapy provider.
Because FMBs are highly individual, we show recommended muscle and
tendon locations on the FMNs in chapter 5. In that chapter, you will be
instructed to assess and do SMFR on those locations where needed as part of
your FMA to correct and improve any movement problems or challenges. All
38 Stretch to Win
Flexibility is the ability to successfully adapt to any stress and then com-
pletely recover in sufficient time to repeatedly adapt to the same or any new
stress. The Stretch to Win program will keep your fascia flexible to adapt
to all the challenges you will face in your sport through assessments and a
maintenance program designed for your body and your goals. In the next
chapter, we discuss core mobility, hypo- and hypermobility, instability, and
how fascial mobility affects power, strength, agility, and quickness in flexibility
for sport performance.
Chapter 3
Flexibility
Training
Research shows that most common sport injuries occur in connective tissues—
joint capsules, ligaments, tendons, and other fascial structures—rather than
in the muscles or bones (Schleip 2015a, 2015b). It has been proposed that
making fascia as specific target of training would not only help prevent many
injuries but also contribute to longer athletic careers and continued participa-
tion in fitness activities that many people stop due to injury and aging. Until
now, the focus has been on the athlete’s strength, cardiopulmonary condition,
and neuromuscular abilities. The time has come to include fascial training
integrated with mobility training. Building on the foundation we laid out
in our first edition of this book, we now greatly expand both concepts and
practical applications here with our system of Fascia Mobility Training (FMT).
39
40 Stretch to Win
Elastic Recoil
“One of the most inspiring aspects for movement and sports practitioners,
within this rapidly advancing field of new scientific revelations about fascia
is the ability of tendons and aponeuroses to store and release kinetic energy”
(Schleip 2015b, 96). Research supports evidence that aging, injury, over-
training, or training without proper preparation and recovery can result in
a significant decrease in the kinetic energy potential of fascia. Some of the
negative changes discovered in fascia include formation of additional collagen
cross-links that reduce range of motion, strength, and elasticity; increased
adherence of tissues (more glue deposits) that reduce mobility; and reduced
sliding ability, which can increase risk of tissue tears and other injuries. FMT
includes specific kinds of movement designed to stimulate and then preserve
the elastic recoil of fascia for optimal performance.
Fascia has both elastic and viscoelastic qualities and behaviors that are
complex and beyond the scope of this book. Therefore, for our purposes, the
characteristic of elastic recoil, called the catapult mechanism, has been singled
out for its application in sports. Like a catapult, a device that uses a spring to
launch a projectile, or a slingshot, which has rubber bands that stretch and
spring back into shape, fascia has the property of elastic recoil that allows it
to stretch and spring back, too. In this process, it stores energy that is then
released in conjunction with the muscles during athletic movement. Like a
catapult, fascia also contains spring-like structures.
Coiled undulations (called crimps) look and function like small springs in
your fascia. In fact, collagen (the second largest component of connective tissue
after water) contains microsprings that have more coil in young, healthy, and
fit people than in people who are sedentary or elderly (Schleip 2015a; Schleip
2015b). They are arranged in wavy, multidirectional patterns that get glued
down, matted, and flat when people get too sedentary or are immobilized
after injury. Dehydration, poor nutrition, and lack of sleep also reduce the
springiness in your fascia. This can result in loss of coils, making you more
Flexibility Training 41
Fascial Stretching
Stretching has received a bad rap due to some negative research that focused
only on static stretching. Static stretching is what we consider old-school
stretching; it focuses on stretching isolated muscles and holding positions for
long durations. Any negative research on this type of stretching is additional
support for not including it in your training.
TRAINER TIP
Water and Flexibility
Water is the most important and vital element in the human body. It
provides hydration and another source of oxygen to all tissues. It is
crucial that athletes are educated about hydration. Water is the major
component in blood, joints (synovial fluid), and the nervous system
(cerebrospinal fluid, axoplasmic fluid). Fascia, the most prevalent tis-
sue in the body, is two-thirds water (Schleip 2015a).
Dr. Schleip, one of the world’s most eminent fascial researchers,
states that “awareness [of the plasticity and changing elasticity of
the water-filled fascia] has proven to be especially effective when
incorporated into the slow dynamic stretching” (Schleip 2015a, 3). He
further explains that one of the essential principles of fascial exercise
is to realize that “fascial tissue is made up of free-moving and bound-
water molecules.” During one of his experiments, he discovered
that during stretching, water is pushed out of elongated regions like
squeezing water out of a sponge. When the stretch is released, the
region fills with fresh, new fluid from surrounding tissue, lymph nodes,
and other vascular networks. In this way, fascia acts like a sponge, and
the right kind of stretching refreshes and renews tissue by eliminating
waste fluid and bringing in nutritious fluid. This is a crucial physiological
mechanism for your body, which is also two-thirds water.
Other research concurs that the polluted, stagnant water (called
bulk water) in regions of increased stress (due to injury, chronic
inflammation, restricted fascia, dehydration, and so forth) is replaced
by an influx of fresh water (called bound water) (Pollack 2013).
Consequently, fascial stretching assists hydration by removing waste
and replenishing fresh oxygen and water, thus hastening recovery from
training (among other things). It also aids in lubricating regions under
frictional stress and other forces that would break down tissue. Fascia
must be kept properly lubricated for it to physically support muscle
tissue structure and function. This includes being able to transmit and
attenuate forces that come from inside the body (e.g., active muscle
contraction and lengthening) as well as from outside the body (e.g.,
collisions, falls).
42
Flexibility Training 43
Benefits of Stretching
There is now more positive research on the benefits of stretching. A recent
systematic review of multiple studies indicated the following positive outcomes
from stretching (Page 2012):
• Stretching increases ROM.
• ROM increases bilaterally from a unilateral stretch.
• Static and dynamic warm-ups are equally effective at increasing ROM.
• Precontraction stretching (PNF) lowers the excitability of muscle.
• A prestretch contraction has been associated with greater acute gains in
ROM compared to static stretching.
• In contrast to static stretching, dynamic stretching is not associated with
strength or performance deficits.
• Dynamic stretching improved dynamometer-measured power as well as
jumping and running performance.
• Static stretching performed before or after warm-up does not decrease
strength.
In addition, we have noted the following benefits of stretching after decades
of teaching stretching to thousands of people:
• Markedly increased general and specific ROM and mobility that result
in improved function
• Enhanced mental and emotional focus
• Enhanced feelings of well-being and confidence
• Improved hydration and elimination of waste
• Improved sleep
• Elimination of pain
Self-Stretching Versus Assisted
Stretching
The focus of this book is self-stretching, which may be done actively,
passively, with self-assistance, or with self-resistance. The following
are the basic descriptions of these types of stretching:
• Active stretching is any stretch done with active movement that
starts to limit general mobility or specific ROM. One example is
actively performing a squat movement that is limited by tightness
in your joints or soft tissues.
• Passive stretching is any stretch done in which the target region
to be stretched is not actively contracting muscles. For example,
imagine you are standing with one leg propped up comfortably
on a stable chair or on a bench. When you bend at your waist
and reach forward toward your foot, your leg stretches passively
when you relax it and do not actively contract any of its muscles.
• Self-assisted stretching is when you use a rope or strap to help
you lift a limb to stretch it.
• Self-resisted stretching is when you actively contract a muscle
while stretching it passively or with self-assistance.
Self-stretching is all that some people need to maintain flexibility,
fitness, and health. However, there are times when it is extremely helpful
or even necessary to get evaluated and engage in assisted stretching.
The best option is to work with someone who is specifically trained and
certified in fascial stretching. The following are some of the situations
in which we recommend that you see a certified specialist:
• You are not able to relax enough or cannot let go of what needs
stretching.
• You have pain or soreness after stretching.
• You do not experience improvement after stretching.
• You experience a decrease in performance after stretching.
• You do not know how to properly stretch.
• You are afraid to stretch.
• You need a stretch program designed specifically for you.
• You are already performing at a high level but you want to achieve
more.
45
46 Stretch to Win
Parameters of Stretching
Before you decide what types of stretching best suit your needs, it’s important
to understand the parameters that make a stretch effective. Self-stretching may
be performed actively, passively, or with resistance for different outcomes.
You may also vary the intensity, duration, frequency, or tempo of a stretch
for different reasons.
Intensity
How strongly you feel a stretch is a subjective evaluation of intensity that
can range from not feeling much of anything (a very mild stretch) to feeling
a lot of pain (a maximal stretch). In our program, the intensity of any given
stretch is regulated by your breathing, and we recommend that every stretch
be pain-free. You’re stretching with too much intensity if you stop breathing
during a stretch (or feel like you want to stop breathing), if you feel pain or
a very strong sensation of pulling in the muscles being stretched, or if you
feel that your muscles are getting tighter or are starting to lock up. Signs that
you are stretching with just the right amount of intensity might be breath-
ing deeply, fully, and with satisfaction (you may even yawn); experiencing
a feeling of release in the regions being stretched; and moving farther into
the movement or stretch without effort.
Duration
The duration of a stretch usually refers to the time (in seconds) that you hold
the stretch. However, in a later section, Tempo of Movement, we discuss the
drawbacks of timing a stretch in seconds. You will also learn how your breath-
ing affects the rhythm and tempo of a stretch. If you maintain slow, even, and
relaxed breathing, you’ll naturally hold the stretch for the proper duration.
Frequency
The frequency of a stretch refers to the number of times you repeat it within
one stretch session or within another period (such as a day or a week). The
proper frequency for any stretch depends on how much myofascial release
has occurred after you’ve followed the guidelines for intensity and duration.
You can test this after performing a stretch by trying to assume the positions
or perform the movements in which you notice soreness, lack of mobility, or
suboptimal flow. Your ROM in these positions may have improved greatly,
moderately, or not at all. If you have only slight improvement, simply repeat
the sequence of stretches until you achieve greater ROM (or as time permits).
If you start to feel like you’re getting tighter, you may not have been paying
enough attention to the signals in your body; as a result, you may have
exceeded the proper intensity or duration of the stretch, or you may have
something else going on, such as dehydration.
Flexibility Training 47
TRAINER TIP
Range of Motion Variations
ROM is conventionally thought of as the total motion available to a
joint as determined by the way the bones in that joint move in a spe-
cific direction. It may be an estimated measurement, or it may be a
more precise one determined with a tool called a goniometer. Both
active range of motion (AROM) and passive range of motion (PROM)
can be measured.
AROM is determined when an athlete moves part of the body to the
limit of a defined movement; PROM is determined when someone else
moves the athlete’s relaxed body to the limit of a defined movement
for the athlete. Common limits to movement include muscle tightness,
joint stiffness, muscle spasm, joint inflammation, and pain. The ROM
of some very muscular athletes is limited by the bulk of their muscle;
for instance, the increased girth in an athlete’s shoulder girdles and
arms may prevent him from scratching his back. PROM is almost
always greater than AROM, because the latter is limited by contracting
tissue that curtails movement. Generally, contracting tissue does not
limit PROM except when there is tightness, increased muscle bulk, or
other problems.
Stretching is the act of increasing ROM by elongating tissues that
get shortened or compressed (we discuss the causes and effects of
these tendencies in chapter 2). Our target tissue is the myofascia,
which may be stretched both actively and passively, as explained
later in this chapter.
Tempo
Tempo is the speed at which you stretch. As noted previously, there is a
spectrum of stretching that includes variations of speed depending on goals.
In general, one end of that tempo spectrum is static stretching, which is tra-
ditionally performed by holding a stretch that targets one muscle or muscle
group for a prescribed length of time. On the other end is ballistic stretching,
an example of which is quickly swinging a baseball bat before swinging at a
ball. Tempo is very important in designing your stretch program for activity
versus a program for recovery, so we discuss this topic in more detail later in
the chapter.
We have found that if you become more aware of your response when you
breathe appropriately during a stretch, the parameters of intensity, duration,
and frequency are immediately and spontaneously set at optimal levels. Your
48 Stretch to Win
stretching will be much more efficient if you are aware of your breathing and
the subsequent response of your body than if you focus on attempting to
meet predetermined parameters. We have found that the effect of stretching
with awareness is cumulative; even after one week, you will find that you have
made more progress quicker and with less effort than you would have with a
traditional stretching program.
Types of Stretching
As specialists in flexibility training and stretching, we pioneered a move-
ment-based assisted stretching program called Stretch to Win Fascial Stretch
Therapy (FST). We also created our own movement patterns of stretching
called fascia mobility training (FMT), which is discussed in this book. Because
FST and FMT have evolved far beyond traditional static stretching, we had
to further define them with meaningful terms for their many variations. We
compare them with traditional stretching in the next section.
shoulders, arms, cranial bones, and internal organs. The sequence of move-
ments that occurs in all these areas when you breathe is the natural wave or
undulation of the body.
Stretching can be viewed similarly. We refer to undulating stretching as “doing
the StretchWave.” The image of an undulating wave not only corresponds to an
effective way to stretch, but also suggests how to synchronize your breathing
with the stretching movements (see chapter 1, principle 1). Synchronizing
your breathing with the stretching movement, as opposed to holding a static
stretch, will allow you to release into the stretch and help you elongate the
tissues you are stretching.
By performing undulating stretching, you avoid recontracting and retight-
ening the area you just stretched, which is quite common in traditional
stretching. This is because the wave itself is accomplished by using different
firing patterns that move the muscles into and out of the stretch positions. If
a stretch feels too strong, release it for a moment and gently wave back into it
again. If you are not feeling a stretch in the targeted area, it could be because
you are so tight in other areas that you cannot get the selected area to stretch
or because your body position is incorrect. If you can’t feel a stretch but your
body alignment is correct and nothing else in your body is restricting you, then
you may have sufficient flexibility in that area. It does happen occasionally!
Two basic traits of undulating stretching form the basis of our entire Stretch
to Win system: the alternating flow quality of the movement and the tempo
of the movement, which can range from very slow to very fast.
With each repetition, feel how the body rises a little with the inhalation
and falls a little with the exhalation both while you are in motion and when
you pause in the fully bent-over position. This is the natural undulation or
wave motion of the body as you breathe—the motion within stillness when
you perform the StretchWave very slowly. If you forcefully try to reach your
hands to your toes or to the ground, as in traditional static stretching, you
constrict your breathing and stop the undulation from occurring. This defeats
the purpose of the stretch, which is to increase your mobility. If you let your
breathing initiate and complete the movement, you will notice by the fifth
repetition how much you can increase your flexibility without forcing it.
Tempo of Movement
The tempo is the timing or rhythm of the stretching movement. We divide
StretchWaves into four different tempos: very slow, slow, fast, and very fast.
Breathing initiates the wave of movement in your body as you stretch using
our system, so we use one complete breath cycle (one inhalation and one
exhalation) as the measure of tempo.
Using breathing in stretching is certainly not a new concept, but we employ
a unique method of using breathing to direct the stretch. In our system, instead
of counting for the typical 10 seconds, you take three slow and relaxed breaths
while allowing the body to undulate in the stretch position. If at the end of
those three deep breaths your body isn’t letting go and releasing the targeted
area, then you take two or more additional breaths until you feel the tension
relax. In other words, rather than letting time dictate how long you hold a
stretch, you can listen to your body and use your breath to know what feels
tight. If you follow your breath and the feeling of the tissues being released,
you might do a stretch for 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or 20 seconds. The point is
that you want to listen to what your body is telling you in the present moment.
We have found (clinically with assisted stretching and in the field with
active stretching) that listening to the body is a more accurate guide than the
arbitrary times that many conventional stretching programs dictate. There-
fore, when a client asks “How long should I do this stretch?” our response
is always “For as many breaths as it takes to get the tissues to let go.” Notice
that we say tissues, not muscles, because there are so many layers of different
connective tissues involved.
The most effective way to use your breath in stretching is to move into
the stretch on your exhalation and gently release the stretch on your inha-
lation, allowing the breath to move through the body like a wave. Move as
smoothly as possible through each stretch, visualizing your body as a wave
and moving it like one. The movements within each stretch might include
rotating and bending side to side as well as moving up and down and into
and out of the StretchWave. Remember to let the breath direct and guide
how long you remain in each stretch. The number of breaths you take will
depend on what you are feeling in your body when you decide to stretch.
52 Stretch to Win
On some days, both sides of your body may feel quite equal, and on other
days, you might notice a significant difference in tightness between one side
and the other. If this happens, you’ll need to spend a bit more time breathing
into and stretching the area that feels more restricted. The time you spend
stretching depends on your specific needs and goals. The general rule is to
take as many breaths as you need until you feel the tissue release before
moving on to the next area.
Recall principle 2 from chapter 1: Regulate your nervous system with stretch-
ing. Our aim is to create an ideal state of athletic awareness, which begins
with synchronized breathing to condition your nervous system for what you
want to accomplish. The body responds powerfully to the following different
tempos of breathing:
• StretchWave very slow (SWVS): three very slow breaths per stretch
position
• StretchWave slow (SWS): two slow breaths per stretch position
• StretchWave fast (SWF): one regular breath per stretch position
• StretchWave very fast (SWVF): one fast breath per stretch position
We use these categories to help simplify and categorize the tempos, but in
reality, you’ll find the right tempo for each stretch you do based on your own
experience and what you are trying to accomplish. Just as in resistance train-
ing, in stretching we choose different tempos for different reasons and goals.
StretchWave Very Slow Very slow stretching helps you achieve your
most dramatic and permanent gains in flexibility. It is similar to static stretch-
ing in that when you perform it, you do the StretchWave in one position for
a prolonged period (generally three very slow breaths). The difference is that
instead of trying to hold the stretch, you focus on releasing all the tension
in your body, undulating the stretch with each slow breath to get maximal
tissue elongation in broad or specific areas. By breathing and stretching very
slowly (the tempo is slow, the duration is long, and the intensity is initially
low), you stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system (see Principles 1 and
2 in chapter 1) This is what we mean by “movement within the stillness”
of a stretch. With muscle tension at a minimum, conditions are perfect for
achieving plastic changes (permanent lengthening) in the fascia.
Because the purpose of this StretchWave is to take your flexibility to another
level by changing the plasticity of the connective tissue in your body, it is best
for athletes to perform it during the off-season when they are more relaxed
and tend to have more time. During the off-season, professional and high-level
athletes are better able to tolerate and recover from the increases in duration
and intensity that lead to gains in plasticity. They can achieve and adjust to
the improvements in strength, speed, and agility that result from this type of
work. Then, they can reap the benefits of their off-season work while using
their in-season stretching to maintain the elasticity of their connective tissues.
Flexibility Training 53
When you do the SWVS, take your time with each breath to feel the wave
of movement extend throughout the spine, upper body, lower body, and
limbs, no matter what you are stretching. To get the most out of this type of
stretching, do a full body SMFR early in the week and then follow a stretch-
ing program for the entire body at least twice during the week. Do targeted
SMFR and stretches for your upper and lower body on those days that you
have trained or exercised. For example, if during the off-season you are lifting
weights three times per week and running twice per week, you can do full
body SMFR once per week and stretching twice per week on off-training days.
You can do briefer, targeted stretches on the days that you have trained either
the upper or the lower body.
If you are just coming off a season in which you worked parts of your body
very hard, we recommend that you use the off-season to make flexibility gains
a priority, especially in those areas that may be prone to increased scar tissue
and trigger points. For example, if you are a punter or kicker in American
football, within the time that you have set aside for doing the full body SMFR
and stretching routine twice per week, you will want to give more attention
to the back, hip, and leg needed for kicking. After eliminating the cumulative
problems of the sport season, you will more easily make the kinds of flexibility
gains you are looking for in the off-season. Continue this program until you
achieve the desired flexibility as determined by your coaches, your trainers,
and your performance on the field. After achieving the required flexibility,
switch to a maintenance program at the SWS tempo.
StretchWave Slow This type of stretching has a slightly faster tempo
than the SWVS, but the breathing is still slow (two slow breaths per stretch)
because you want your parasympathetic nervous system to be dominant while
you stretch for elastic gains rather than plastic gains. The tempo is faster than
in SWVS because the purpose of this type of stretching is to rapidly regain
flexibility that has been recently lost. For instance, after a particularly intense
day of training, you will either stretch immediately after the activity, while
your core body temperature is still elevated, or before retiring for the night
(preferably after a warm soak).
In our experience, this routine will rapidly get your baseline flexibility back
to where it was before you tightened up from training. This can take 5 to 20
minutes depending on how tight you are and how familiar you are with this
routine. Because you are not taking time to do the whole-body stretching as in
SWVS, you will focus on the body regions that are tight from the day’s activities.
For general tightness, stretch all body areas once using this tempo. If you
don’t feel that you’ve regained your flexibility after going through the routine,
go through it again until you have attained the desired flexibility. Some athletes
know just by getting up and walking around whether they have achieved this.
Others will usually know after doing a few test moves, such as swinging the
arms or legs or trying a sport-specific movement that was previously giving
them trouble. For specific areas of tightness, perform all the stretches for that
54 Stretch to Win
area (see chapter 6) and repeat the sequence during that same stretch session
until you reach the desired flexibility.
If you perform SWS on each practice day with the previously noted guide-
lines, you should be fully recovered by the next day. If you find that at the
end of the week, or toward the middle or end of the season, that you are
having a particularly difficult time staying flexible, then it is essential that you
devote some time every week (about one to two hours) to a full-body SWS
program. Repeat each stretch until the tissue releases the tension or soreness
stored within it.
Keep in mind that a slow StretchWave program is appropriate for stretching
after workouts, practices, or competition. You can also dedicate entire training
sessions to using SWS to restore flexibility; it can become harder to maintain
the flexibility you’ve attained as the intensity of the athletic season progresses.
At this tempo, you can perform 3 or 4 stretches in 5 minutes; for example, if
you have 15 minutes, you can select 10 to 12 stretches.
StretchWave Fast This tempo of stretching helps to prepare you for
imminent athletic activity (within an hour or two at the most) whether you
are training or competing. It is similar to dynamic or functional stretching; it
too moves the tissues through progressively increasing ROM and uses simul-
taneous circular movements to warm up the joint capsule. Some form of this
may already be part of your warm-up. This kind of stretching incorporates
waves of movement in multiple planes and directions, rather than duplicat-
ing the paths that your athletic movements will take. This helps prepare your
body by stimulating more efficient blood flow to all areas, usually with an
additional special focus on the areas that are most important for your spe-
cific sport or activity. It also better prepares your joints for movement in all
directions by stimulating joint lubrication and joint proprioceptors—those
parts of your nervous system that are responsible for accurately guiding your
joints as they move.
In SWF, you breathe at a faster tempo (one fast breath per stretch position)
because you want to move at speeds that build up to athletic activity. When
you breathe and stretch at this faster tempo, you stimulate the sympathetic
nervous system. This helps you get optimal recruitment of all the muscles
needed for your sport or activity. Doing a 5 to 10 minute SMFR on targeted
restrictions and then doing the SWF for 5 to 15 minutes (depending on your
needs) before athletic activity will help you to properly warm up your body
for sport or athletic activity.
StretchWave Very Fast (SWVF) This type of stretching incorporates
swinging, bounding, jumping, and other fast, aggressive, and intense move-
ments that prepare you to perform these actions in your sport. Hurdlers,
pole-vaulters, long jumpers, gymnasts, and other athletes who use explosive
movements will benefit from an additional warm-up of very fast tempo
breathing and movement through the extreme ranges of motion used for
Flexibility Training 55
Stretching as a concept has been newly defined beyond just ROM to include
all movement that creates resistance in body tissue. The stretching variations
and parameters have been defined so athletes and professional trainers or
therapists are aware of the different options that can be used in flexibility
training to individualize the experience for optimal results. The next chapter
will describe how flexibility can have an impact on athletic performance
parameters, such as power, strength, and speed.
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Chapter 4
Flexibility
for Sport
Performance
Flexibility to adapt to the physical forces in sports comes from having standard
physical and athletic assets such as optimal talent, mental focus, strength,
mobility, coordination, balance, quickness, agility, and speed. This chapter
will give you more insight about the important relationship between flexibility
and your ability to be a consistent optimal performer in sports. We focus on
fundamental movements that form the basis for advanced athletic skills in
the performance pyramid.
57
58 Stretch to Win
Buffer
zones
Functional skill
Functional performance
Functional movement
of conditions such as polio, muscular dystrophy, and stroke. These effects can
include loss of strength, flexibility, balance, and overall motor control. The
research has shown that before patients can regain functional mobility of their
arms and legs, they must reacquire good stabilizing strength in the central,
or core, region of the body—the abdominal, gluteal, and back muscles. This
confirms what is seen in human infant motor development; a baby must first
Hypermobility, Hypomobility,
and Instability
When we train students in our school, we are often asked whether it is
okay to stretch muscles that cross an already hypermobile joint. If you
are involved in a sport or activity that requires more than a normal range
of motion to participate successfully, then yes, you absolutely need
to stretch to attain and then maintain that hypermobility. For example,
a pitcher must have much more external ROM in the shoulder than is
needed for activities of daily living. There must also be localized stability
and strength to support the extra motion, or an unstable joint will result.
Instability usually refers to joints that have lax ligaments, which can
be caused by previous injury (sprain) to the area. Instability can also
arise when excessive stretching or sport-skill training (such as pitching)
results in hypermobility of the joint and muscles of the region but is
not balanced with sufficient strengthening. For example, Mary A. was
a client in her 50s who had been a serious yoga practitioner for 30
years. She came to us to be stretched because she felt tight and had
discomfort in her low back. When we evaluated her, we determined
that she was generally hypermobile in her joints and was bordering on
instability in many of her weight-bearing joints. Also, her general muscle
tone was lower than it should have been. When we tested her strength,
we determined that she was very weak in the core muscle groups of
the trunk, pelvis, and hips. We put her on a core strengthening and
stabilization routine, and within two weeks her back pain was resolved.
Mary did not need stretching; instead she needed strengthening. You
can avoid instability by engaging in a balanced program of strength-
ening and stabilization exercises for hypermobile joints.
On the other end of the continuum is hypomobility. The best thing for
joints and muscles that have ROM restrictions is stretching. Athletes
who have hypomobile joints and tight myofascia get the most dramatic
gains from stretching because it releases all the locked-up potential
in the joint capsule and fascia. Liberating that movement opens the
door to maximal performance. Fascial mobility is discussed in more
detail later in the chapter.
60 Stretch to Win
strengthen its core before it can learn to crawl and then walk. In recent years,
interest in strengthening the core muscle groups of the trunk and pelvis has
grown in most areas of sports and fitness. It’s been found that this training
can lead to gains in an athlete’s balance, coordination, agility, strength, power,
and endurance.
Most programs of physical training today incorporate some form of core
strengthening or core conditioning. The best programs recognize that in a
child’s normal development, the trunk and pelvis are trained naturally over
a predictable period in a familiar sequence of progressive movements that
are learned by trial and error. Eventually, the child learns how to activate the
core musculature not by receiving special coaching or by doing isolated core
strengthening exercises, but by making mistakes before experiencing what feels
right and what makes a movement work. One of the more visible examples
of this, besides an infant lifting its head for the first time, is when an infant
learns to roll from the back to the belly. After many unsuccessful attempts,
one day the baby figures out the right way to recruit the core muscles and
coordinate them with the mobility of the limbs. From that moment on, the
infant remembers how to coordinate stability before mobility. The growing
child progresses through each advanced movement challenge, learning to
walk, run, and play sports with naturally developed core strength and stability.
This type of natural training and development of the core muscles to activate
on demand is preferable to the mechanical, “hold your core” concepts so
common in training today.
Until the body succumbs to immobility, disease, or injury, its innate intel-
ligence remembers how to activate the core. Since research in physical med-
icine and physical therapy first showed a faster and more complete return to
function when rehabilitation included core postural education and strength
training, core work has been found outside of rehab and in virtually every
athletic strength and conditioning training program. The best programs help
you develop the ability to activate your core muscles at the moment they are
needed, without thinking, so you can be safely and effectively mobile.
In most cases, you must have a stable core to produce the most efficient
movement. The following test helps illustrate this (do not try this if you are
currently experiencing pain):
• Lie flat on your back with both legs straight in front of you on the floor.
• Place your right hand on the top of your right pelvic bone (called the
anterior superior iliac spine), and do the same on your left side.
• Lift the right leg about a foot off the floor and note how light or heavy
it feels and how much your pelvis twists or rotates in response. If your
right hand (on the bone) drops toward the floor and you cannot control
this, you may have a weak core.
• Return the leg to the starting position and repeat with the left leg.
Flexibility for Sport Performance 61
Note any changes in how the leg, hip, pelvis, and back feel and whether
the lift feels smoother or more effortless on one side versus the other. If you
have an imbalance, you may also notice that the lifted leg feels heavier and
that the pelvis and back twist or rotate more on the side that does not feel
right, producing a feeling of lack of stability or support. If you experience
lack of stability or support, then it is likely that you have some core activation
problems.
Before starting a core stabilization program, however, it is recommended
that you first assess core mobility. In many cases, tight muscles and fascia that
neurologically inhibit a muscle with normal strength can cause weakness or
instability. In this case, stretching (rather than strengthening or stabilization
work) is indicated as the first step to take.
Core Mobility
Targeted stretching of the correct muscle groups can help improve core stabi-
lization and strength when inhibition is the cause of weakness. For instance,
tight hip flexors will inhibit the glutes from activating and then may act in
place of the core to attempt to provide stability when the main muscles of
the trunk, pelvis, and hips should be the dominant players. Stretching the
hip flexors often eliminates this problem. However, if core activation is
minimal, or if it is still not happening after stretching, often this means that
you did not take into account a crucial point about fascia mobility training:
you must consider the entire fascial net. In the case of tight hip flexors, that
means stretching not only the local hip flexors that directly cross the hip joint
but also other muscles that lie in the front nets. Retesting after full fascial net
mobility-based stretching often indicates that core strength and stabilization
are optimized when local stretching is not enough.
Beyond the core, flexibility from head to foot on a whole side of the body
(front, side, or back) involves entire nets of muscles, fascia, and joints. When
you have a feeling of weakness or instability on one side of the body (such
as when you try to power up and sprint that last 30 yards), it may be due to
one or more joint or myofascial restrictions within one or more fascial nets.
When these restrictions are removed through fascial stretching, you may expe-
rience increased stability in your postassessment functional movement test.
Therefore, stretching can improve or increase dynamic movement stability.
using the joints and muscles without pain or restriction. This movement is
accomplished with a balance of mobility and stability. Balanced mobility and
stability are the components of functional tensegrity.
An example is the simple act of lifting your hand to change a lightbulb on
the ceiling. Imagine that you go up on the balls of your feet as you stretch
your shoulder joint and muscles to reach the bulb. If you have normal mobil-
ity in your shoulder that is balanced with stability, this chore is simple and
pain-free. If you are tight in your shoulder, you can perhaps still perform
the action with good stability, but your mobility is associated with a pulling
or stretching sensation, the magnitude of which depends on how tight you
are and where you are tight. If you are looser in the shoulder joint than the
average person, then even though you can perform the action using sufficient
range of motion, you may strain the joint. You may feel pain, discomfort, or
lack of strength in holding up the arm, depending on how and where you
lack stability in the muscles coupled with where and how loose you are in
the joints of your shoulder complex.
Normal mobility may be viewed as a range; on one end of the normal
range are people who have slightly looser joints, and on the other end are
people who have slightly tighter joints. In physical therapy and other fields,
looser-than-normal joints are called hypermobile and tighter-than-normal joints
are called hypomobile; both are considered abnormal states that require some
form of treatment if they affect optimal function. These states of increased or
decreased movement in the structure of the body may exist in varying degrees;
that is, in some people, all the connective tissue in the body is slightly looser
than normal, whereas in others all the connective tissue is slightly tighter than
average. Still others may be looser in the upper body and tighter in the lower
body. Some people may have only one shoulder that is very loose, while the
rest of the body has average flexibility. It may be more accurate to view your
body as having its own range of tightness and looseness to account for the
variety of flexibility. This view helps you see and work with your specific needs
when it comes to preparing for improved performance.
TRAINER TIP
Gliding and Sliding of Fascia
Fascia moves by way of a sliding mechanism that is maintained mostly
by systemwide tension, even at rest (Schleip et al 2012). Joints and
the nervous system have sliding or gliding elements during motion
as well. The skin and the underlying superficial fascia provide a
protective cushion for the deeper layers of dense fascia over which
they slide. The deep fascia invests muscles, other connective tissues,
ligaments, and bone and has been shown to have as many as three
additional layers in places that slide over each other during normal
function (Schleip 2015b). Superficial fascia contains blood vessels and
nerves to and from the skin. Eighty percent of the free nerve endings
in fascia are key to your proprioceptive system; they guide position
sense, refinement, and accuracy of movement. Anything that affects,
restricts, or impedes fascia’s ability to slide or glide will negatively affect
structure and function, including athletic performance. These negative
impacts include postural and movement dysfunctions, proprioceptive
deficits, muscle firing pattern dysfunctions, neural dysregulation, poor
motor learning, and much more.
Strength
The late movement scientist and biomechanist Mel Siff created the classic
definition of strength as “the ability of a given muscle or group of muscles to
generate muscular force under specific conditions” (Siff 2003, 1). He also said
that strength is not primarily a function of muscle size but rather of whether
the appropriate muscles are powerfully contracted by effective nervous system
stimulation. This is the foundation of all strength training. In sports, strength
training is a necessary part of preparing the athlete to perform at his or her
best. Anything that detracts from strength or from the functioning of the
nervous system will impede maximum athletic performance. Therefore, if the
fascia is not flexible or adaptable (e.g., it is immobile, dehydrated, glued up,
imbalanced), then your muscles and strength will not be optimal.
64 Stretch to Win
Power
In biomechanics, power is the product of force (strength) and velocity over a spe-
cific ROM around a joint or joints. Scientists use calculus, computer-generated
models, and multiple video cameras to analyze the complexities of movement.
All we are concerned with here, however, is that your ability to generate force
is decreased if your muscles and fascia tighten up from trigger points, scar
tissue, joint hyper- or hypomobility, or other causes. If you cannot generate
the appropriate amount of force, you cannot increase your velocity. Conse-
quently, power production decreases. Increased tightness for any reason will
decrease your power.
For example, if you have a localized restriction in a muscle, the muscle
becomes hypertonic and hyperirritable and generally has a lower threshold
to external and internal stimulation (Lavelle, Lavelle, and Smith 2007). In
a power move such as pitching a baseball, a trigger point in the rotator cuff
could cause a misfiring of muscle fibers when the cuff is activated. This could
lead to decreased ball velocity, poor target accuracy, and early fatigue, among
other problems. A trigger point demonstrates an altered metabolism—most
notably ischemic hypoxia or a lower oxygen content in the muscle because
local blood flow is too low. Trigger points will also decrease endurance in
athletes such as marathoners, distance swimmers, and cyclists. Likewise, a
decrease in fascial mobility (as explained previously) will decrease your ability
to generate power if it is not addressed.
Speed
Speed is also known as velocity. Intuitively, you know that when you feel tight
you cannot move as quickly or efficiently as you can when you are looser.
The absence of the feeling of tightness is what we are trying to achieve in the
Stretch to Win system. We should qualify our use of the word loose, which, in
our experience in speaking with athletes, has several meanings that are dis-
tinct from “the opposite of tight.” You do not want to feel loose in that you
are unstable or too flexible; rather, you want to feel that you have complete
freedom of movement with no restrictions when you train and compete.
The professional football players we work with often describe tightness
as feeling like a parking brake has been set when they attempt to run at full
speed. Sometimes the tightness makes them fear they will pull a hamstring;
therefore, they decide not to run at maximum speed. Despite great coaching,
they find themselves unable to reach their full potential. Their coaches may
start to think that they are lazy or are not trying hard enough, and the athletes
get frustrated that they cannot perform at their best.
Increasing mobility with our system can increase speed by helping the ath-
lete feel their best. Typical responses from our clients after stretching using our
system are that they feel lighter and they are able to move with more freedom.
After his first session of FST, now-retired American football star Emmitt Smith
Flexibility for Sport Performance 65
said, “It made me feel like I am 10 years younger.” This is a common response
from our veteran players because the system helps them perform with more
speed and agility than they may have had in years.
The next chapter will teach you how to evaluate your body and how your
evaluation can inform both your training and your performance. It will give
you new skills to both assess yourself accurately and then implement quick
solutions. You will also, or have other issues. Often, a professional can resolve
your issues more quickly if you have been doing this program. Our program
helps you work through most of your compensations, so anything remaining
can be identified and corrected easily.
Chapter 5
Flexibility
Assessment
Assessing flexibility is not simply testing your ROM; it is assessing your body’s
response to movement. Because connective tissue (fascia) is the most preva-
lent tissue in your body and it contains the greatest number of sensors that
regulate all movement, it is fitting that athletes know how to assess and train
it. Determining if your fascia has any impediments to movement with an
accurate Fascia Mobility Assessment (FMA) is an essential first step to complete
before starting any training program.
Fascia was described earlier as a connective tissue network that needs a
normal amount of balanced tension to function correctly, so it makes sense
that you should be able to assess the tension of your fascia and adjust it if
needed. This is important because studies show that most sports and other
orthopedic and musculoskeletal injuries occur in the fascia (Schleip et al 2012;
Schleip 2015a, 2015b). In this chapter, you will learn how to assess flexibility
and adjust the tension of your fascia to achieve and maintain optimal athletic
mobility and performance. You will learn how to do an assessment that will
provide solutions to many problems that can cause chronic pain, weakness,
and movement and mobility problems. The key is to learn how to use the
assessment to accurately locate and eliminate the blocks along one or more
fascia mobility nets (FMNs).
67
68 Stretch to Win
You may also refer to this as the quick test. This one is appropriate for new or
old problems that are not serious injuries, and will indicate whether it will help
you quickly. If it does help quickly, then the FMA solved a minor problem that
could have become chronic or more serious. This also indicates that you will
be able to easily manage this problem and probably eliminate it so it never
bothers you again.
The five quick assessment steps are as follows:
This is an example of how the quick FMA can help an athlete. Andy is a 28-year-
old salesman and a mixed martial artist and CrossFit Games competitor. The
following are the brief results of his first quick assessment.
You may also refer to this as the complete test. Although many problems can
be eliminated with the previously described quick test, the complete FMA
uses more detailed testing to find the source of the problem and prescribes
self-treatment to address it.
The six complete assessment steps are as follows:
1. Create the personal record.
2. Perform a posture check.
3. Perform movement checks.
4. Perform a tissue check.
5. Review results.
6. Create a plan.
2. Are there other things that you feel are not quite right with
your body that you would not describe as pain, stiffness, or
tightness?
For example, you may feel or know that one leg is shorter than the other. This
may make you feel uneven or asymmetrical when you walk or run. Another
example is one foot feeling different from the other when you run; the arch
may feel collapsed compared to the other foot, or it may feel less stable and
be more prone to ankle sprains. Note these observations in your numbered
list of symptoms, and also write a brief comment about exactly what this feels
like and how it affects your athletic performance.
Head
Is your chin in line with the notch at the bottom of your neck, or is it rotated to
one side? Does one ear appear lower than the other, showing that your head
is slightly tilted? Mark down any asymmetries and misalignments you can
see. These signs, among others, may be due to tightness in joint, ligament, or
myofascial structures. One reason your head position is important is that your
eyes will rotate in their sockets to accommodate for any asymmetry. This often
happens after whiplash and other head and neck injuries. Your head position
may be a result of a poor habitual posture. Many people assume poor postures
when they work in front of computers all day; these people start slumping their
spines and craning their heads forward as they sit all day, peering into the
screen. This forward head position creates shearing forces in the neck, with
the lower part of the neck flexing too much and the upper part of the neck
hyperextending. We call this having a turtle head, and it eventually creates a
compensatory rotation of the eyes in the sockets such that they turn downward
(looking down the nose). There are many reflexive movements initiated with
the eyes that directly activate muscles throughout your body; any change in
eye and head position will have a trickle-down effect on the rest of the body.
This trickle-down effect will create additional compensations during athletic
movement and eventual problems from the extra stress and strain on your
myofascial system.
An example of a different trickle-down effect is shown by a right-handed
golfer whose head is rotated slightly to the right of center. Her eyes naturally
counter this head rotation by rotating to the left. When she drives the ball,
she will have to make other adjustments in her body to compensate for the
fact that her head cannot keep a left-rotated position relative to the rest of her
body during the backswing. In fact, she might have a chronic inability to get
into her ideal position when she drives a ball, and as a result, she forces her
swing instead of flowing with it. This a cardinal sign of a flexibility deficit. We
have seen this many times in our clinic.
Ribs
Does the rib cage as a whole appear centered, or is it shifted to the left or right?
Does one side of the rib cage stick out farther than the other? The effects of a rib
cage that is shifted or rotated to one side are similar to those of an asymmetrical
head position. When you need to perform an athletic movement that requires
your rib cage to move freely to the opposite side, such as swinging a bat or
racket, you will encounter some form of resistance to the movement. You will
have to either force the movement, which is inefficient and ultimately injurious
to your body, or perform a compensated movement—a “detour” swing when
you move that bat or racket. Over time, you may get good at adapting your
swing or other movement, but it will come at the cost of stressing or straining
your body. Medications only mask the cumulative damage being done each
time you move this way.
Pelvis
With the palms facing the floor and the fingers pointing straight ahead, press
the edges of the hands to the upper sides of the pelvis. Is one side higher
than the other? If so, this may indicate that the leg on that side is longer, which
means that the other leg is shorter due to myofascial tightness in your body.
One common contributor to this situation is the quadratus lumborum (QL)
Hips
You can quickly learn a great deal about the flexibility of your hips by looking
at your knee and foot position as you view them in the mirror. We address
those areas in detail later in the assessment, but here we will discuss their
relevance to your hips.
What we commonly see with tight hips is that the knee and foot on one or
both sides are turned outward. In what is considered a normal and relaxed
position for the feet, the toes may point out slightly, but the kneecaps generally
still point straight ahead. With a tighter-than-normal hip, the knee and foot will
face significantly outward compared to the normal position just described.
Consequently, walking, running, and lunging movements are less efficient;
speed and power decrease; and the chance for injury increases. Note your
own kneecap and foot positions to see if they might correlate with tightness
in your deep hip external rotators (the layer of muscles beneath the large
gluteus maximus).
Knees
Look at your kneecaps. If your feet are placed directly under your hips and
are comfortably toed out slightly, do your kneecaps point straight ahead, as
they generally should, or is one (or are both) rotated inward or outward? Are
both knees bowed in, perhaps even touching each other (genu valgus), or
are they bowed out (genu varum), or is just one knee affected? Are the knees
hyperextended (genu recurvatum), or are they slightly flexed? Mark which way
your knees are pointing on your FMA.
The position or placement of your knees depends on how you were born, the
shape and function of your hips and the arches of your feet, and the position
of your feet in a given moment. When a knee has to function with suboptimal
alignment, whatever the cause, it becomes more susceptible to injury. The
ligaments that stabilize the knees are vulnerable to sprains and ruptures when
they have to function under the repetitive strain conditions that misalignment
Feet
Look down and see if you stand with your feet relatively parallel or slightly
toed out to each other. If their angles are quite different from each other or
are greatly toed out or in, recheck them by marching in place for a few steps,
stopping, and looking again to see if there is a change. If your feet place
differently after the march, your original standing position was probably a little
out of balance. If the placement is the same after the march, you can consider
it a reliable indicator of how you stand. Does one foot (or do both feet) point
in or out from the parallel? How do the arches look? Do they seem pretty flat
to the ground, or are they high enough to make you bear more weight on the
outside of the foot?
The way you naturally place your feet is a good indicator of what kinds of
stress and strain the knees and hips are under. If your arches are too low or
touch the floor (pronated feet) and they still give you problems after trying
our system, getting orthotics from a practitioner (such as a podiatrist) may
be in order. If you are in the minority and have the opposite problem of high
arches (supinated feet), you should also see a specialist who can advise
you on proper athletic footwear. In either case, getting your feet—the literal
foundation of your body—functioning correctly will automatically improve the
structural balance and function of the rest of your body.
Finally, close your eyes and get a sense of how you stand. Does your stance
feel evenly distributed onto both feet, or do you feel that you bear more weight
on one side? Maybe more weight is exerted on the heels or balls of the feet
(or perhaps you feel this in only one foot). When you have a good sense of
the way you stand, mentally scan your body from head to toe and note any
areas of tension, tightness, or soreness. Write these down, describing what
you feel and marking where you feel it on the figure diagram. This is a great
starting point from which to begin to track the way your body looks, feels,
and performs.
SMFR Test
Golgi tendon organs, which are sensors located in your tendons, are
still not fully understood. In our experience, stimulating them with proper
pressure can help release, relax, and increase the mobility of neighboring
myofasciae and joints. When stretch movements or other training do not
remove all your mobility restrictions, you can gently and very slowly position
your muscle-tendon region over or under a semifirm object such as a ball
or roller designed for this purpose. If you already do a form of SMFR or
something similar (such as melting, rolling, or mashing tissue), try applying
your technique to muscle and tendon regions that you identified as restricting
your movement in step 3.
Sternocleidomastoid
Sternum fascia
Rectus abdominis
Quadricep muscles
and tendons
Rectus femoris
Quadricep muscles
and tendons
Toe extensors
Throat muscles
Lungs
Chest muscles
Heart
Diaphragm
Anterior spine
Psoas, iliacus
Hip adductors (proximal) and pectineus
Popliteus
Tibialis posterior
E6654/Frederick/f05.01b/571823/auprov/R3
Subocciput
Cervicothoracic vertebrae
(C7–T1)
Thoracolumbar vertebrae
Erector spinae (T12–L1)
Lumbosacral vertebrae
(L5–S1)
Sacrolumbar fascia
Sacrotuberous ligament
Junction of hamstring muscle
and tendon (proximal)
Hamstrings
Gastrocnemius
Gastrocnemius and
soleus
Soleus
Achilles tendon
Plantar fascia
Plantar fascia and short toe flexors
Scalenes
Splenius capitis
Fibularis (peroneus)
longus (proximal)
Fibularis (peroneus)
and related fascia
Fibularis (peroneus)
longus (distal)
Rhomboids Rhomboids
Erector spinae
(T12–L1)
Serratus anterior
Abdominal
obliques
and fasciae
Erector spinae
(L5–S1)
Sacrolumbar
fascia
Tensor fasciae
latae and
vastus lateralis
Sacrotuberous
ligament
Biceps femoris
(proximal) Tensor fasciae latae
iliotibial tract
Vastus
Biceps femoris (distal) lateralis and
IT band
Tibialis anterior
91
Sample Complete FMA: Maria
This is an example of how the complete FMA can help an athlete. Maria is a
48-year-old chief information officer, and she trains for triathlons six days per
week. The following are the brief results of her first complete assessment.
In this chapter, you learned one of the most important assessment skills to
ensure your continued participation in sports or fitness. We taught you how
to do a quick FMA that has helped many athletes quickly solve problems in
training and sports. For those with more challenges, we took you through
a more detailed, complete FMA to critically examine your body for imbal-
ances in posture and movement. Both assessments refer you to our stretch
programs in chapter 6, in which you learn how to stretch each fascial net; in
chapter 7, in which you learn sport-specific fascial stretches; and in chapter
8, in which you learn how to stretch others on a table. Once you choose a
stretch program, you can then chose the parameters from table 5.1 to follow
based on your goals. Now that the theory, science, principles, and assessments
have been discussed, the rest of the book will cover the stretch programs.
To record your own assessment for reference as we discuss the stretch pro-
grams, please see figure 5.2. Keep this and other copies as a record of your
progress for yourself and any professionals with whom you are working or
with whom you may work with in the future. Please refer to the Complete
Fascia Mobility Assessment section in chapter 5 for more detailed instructions.
Figure 5.2 Complete Fascia Mobility Assessment (CFMA)
1. Personal Record
Mark your answers here and on the body diagrams.
a. What kind of problem do you have (e.g., pain, not flexible)? Do you
have problems only when you move or also at rest?
From A. Frederick and C. Frederick, 2017, Stretch to win, 2nd ed. (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics).
95
E6654/Frederick/fig05.02a/575635/author/R3
From A. Frederick and C. Frederick, 2017, Stretch to win, 2nd ed. (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics).
96
E6654/Frederick/fig05.02b/575640/author/R3
From A. Frederick and C. Frederick, 2017, Stretch to win, 2nd ed. (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics).
97
2. Posture Check
Mark all areas on the body diagrams that you can see or that were told that
are out of alignment (e.g., lower shoulder, higher hip, rotated foot).
3. Movement Checks
a. Functional Movement Check
Circle those areas that give you problems. Mark the body diagrams with
an arrow where you do not feel movement that is free, easy, strong, and
pain-free. Note whether your movement is painful, sore, stiff, or restricted,
using any words you want to describe how it feels.
General warm-up
Specific warm-up
From A. Frederick and C. Frederick, 2017, Stretch to win, 2nd ed. (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics).
98
4. Tissue Check
Do SMFR to tendons in your specific problem nets (refer to figures in chapter 5
for tendon locations). Then retest movements with problems in step 3. If better,
then mark down here any and all specific nets improved and then proceed
to step 5. If no change or worse, mark down here and proceed to next step.
5. Review Results
Check all findings, then note if you see any correlations among your problems
(e.g. all problems are in the left deep front net, etc.).
6. Create a Plan
Choose one of the following programs based on your findings above to correct
your movement problem, restriction, or general mobility (circle one).
Pre-Training Preparation
From A. Frederick and C. Frederick, 2017, Stretch to win, 2nd ed. (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics).
99
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Chapter 6
Stretches for
Fundamental
Mobility
101
102 Stretch to Win
middle back; and shoulder before moving out to the arms and legs. Once
these core areas have been opened up, tightness is greatly reduced in many
other areas. This essential program is the foundation of all other programs in
this book, and it is called the Great 8.
Great 8
Upper-body Lower-body
Core 4 Core 4
twist) in the right side of your pelvis, then you will be training your core
with an existing imbalance. Although you may be coordinated and athletic
enough to properly stabilize your pelvis and do the core training (and
possibly fool your therapist or trainer), you will be using extra energy and
other compensations to accommodate your imbalance. Eventually, this will
take its toll on you and create chronic problems and eventual injury if left
unresolved. This is a common example of why we advise always using the
Great 8 as the foundation for all your mobility and corrective movement
training.
Gluteus Gluteus
minimus medius
Gluteus Gluteus
medius maximus
a
Figure 6.2 (a) Gluteal muscles.
E6654/Frederick/fig06.02a/571837/pulled/R1
Stretches for Fundamental Mobility 107
Iliopsoas:
Psoas major
Psoas minor
Iliacus
Quadratus
lumborum
b c
E6654/Frederick/fig06.02b/571838/pulled/R1
E6654/Frederick/f06.02c/571839/pulled/R1
Latissimus
dorsi
d
Figure 6.2 (b) Iliopsoas; (c) quadratus lumborum; (d) latissimus dorsi.
E6554/Frederick/fig06.02d/571840/pulled/R1
Note that we have included the latissimus dorsi to this group because it
attaches to both the lower back and the pelvis, as well as the shoulder. It func-
tions as a bridge that connects the lower body to the upper body.
The lower-body Core 4 program opens areas that may be causing restriction
around your hips and low back, which will also help regions higher up (e.g.,
the spine and shoulders) and lower down (e.g., the knees, ankles, and feet)
because of the long, extensive connections through your fascial net. Complete
the entire Core 4 on one side of your body before stretching the other side.
Glute Stretch for the Power,
The Lower-Body Core 4 Program
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Sit on the floor and bend both knees and position your feet on the
floor wider than your hips (see figure 6.3a).
2. Use your hands to support you behind your back.
3. Then, perform a hip warm-up by rocking the knees from side to side
with the movement coming from the hips, not the knees. (see figure
6.3b).
4. Next, place one leg in front and one behind, and bring the front foot
inward until the foot touches the back knee, if possible (see figure
6.3c). Position your weight so you are sitting more on the glute of
the front leg. Make adjustments for comfort. Place your hands in a
push-up position in front of you with the arms straight.
5. As you inhale, lengthen the whole spine up through the top of your
head; then, exhale and move down and forward over the knee, keep-
ing spine long (see figure 6.3d).
6. Roll up through the spine (see figures 6.3 e-f) back to the erect starting
position (see figure 6.3a).
7. Repeat, taking the torso forward to the left and right of the knee at
different angles to target the different glute fibers.
Move to the next stretch for the quadratus lumborum. Do not repeat this
stretch yet for the other side.
TIPS
• Breathe and wave into and out of the stretch until you feel your tis-
sues release.
• Drop your body closer to the floor and move from side to side.
108
The Lower-Body Core 4 Program
a
109
Glute Stretch for the Power, Lateral, and Back Nets (continued)
The Lower-Body Core 4 Program
110
Quadratus Lumborum Stretch
INSTRUCTIONS
1. From the glute stretch position, walk the hands back until you feel a
slight stretch in the back, hips, or legs (see figure 6.4a).
2. Keep the hands still and lean toward the hand that is on the same
side as the front leg, and inhale (see figure 6.4b).
3. Exhale as you lean into the hand on the same side as the back leg
and slightly bend the elbow (see figure 6.4c).
4. Repeat.
TIP
Walk the hands out a little farther with each repetition to progress the stretch.
b c
INSTRUCTIONS
1. From last position in the previous QL stretch, place the back forearm
on the ground and find a stable position where you can balance on
that arm with full weight. Slide the forearm to the rear as your back
starts to arch, and stop when you feel a mild stretch. Inhale and lean
forward on both hands (see figure 6.5a).
2. Exhale while you arch the back and look up to ceiling (see figure 6.5b).
3. Repeat.
TIPS
112
The Lower-Body Core 4 Program
a
113
Latissimus Dorsi Stretch
The Lower-Body Core 4 Program
INSTRUCTIONS
1. From the last position in the previous hip flexor stretch, inhale and
reach your arm overhead (see figure 6.6a).
2. Extend the arm out from the hip as you reach. This looks like you are
swimming in the air (see figure 6.6b).
3. Exhale as you rotate the chest toward the floor while you reach the
arm out (see figure 6.6c).
4. Circle your arm down and back up overhead (see figure 6.6d).
5. Repeat.
TIPS
114
The Lower-Body Core 4 Program
b
115
116 Stretch to Win
Pectoralis minor
Supraspinatus
E6654/Frederick/f06.07a/571858/pulled/R1
Posterior Anterior
Infraspinatus
Humerus
Scapula
b
Figure 6.7 (a) Pectoralis minor; (b) rotator cuff.
E6654/Frederick/fig06.07b/571859/pulled/R1
Stretches for Fundamental Mobility 117
Levator
scapulae
E6654/Frederick/f06.07c/571860/pulled/R2
Rhomboid minor
Rhomboid major
d
Figure 6.7 (c) Levator scapulae; (d) rhomboids.
E6654/Frederick/fig 06.07d/571861/pulled/R1
The upper-body Core 4 program is designed to target the regions that
surround the middle back, chest, and shoulder girdle. We have found that
when these areas are addressed and balanced through stretching, optimal
functional mobility can be achieved in the shoulder and arm. All four stretch
movements can be done first on one side and then on the other side, or you
can complete an individual stretch on both sides before moving on to the
next stretch.
Pectoralis Minor Stretch
The Upper-Body Core 4 Program
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Stand in a split stance with the feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart
and with the arm on the front-leg side in a high Y position or closer to the
head in an I position as tolerated (see figure 6.8a). The other arm is at the
side. Traction is achieved when you reach the working arm out and away
from torso, thus opening the joint.
2. Reach the working arm out at 90 degrees to the side with the fingers
pointing back if possible (see figure 6.8b).
a b
118
3. Reach the working arm back and down toward floor with the palm
TIPS
• Stay facing forward with your chest square while reaching back with
the arm.
• Square the hips to the chest and keep the leg opposite to the arm
being stretched back and behind the body.
119
Rotator Cuff Stretch for the Deep Back Arm Net
The Upper-Body Core 4 Program
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Stand with the feet hip-distance apart and reach the arms out and away from
the torso for self-traction.
2. Reposition the arms at each angle throughout the stretch: low position (see
figures 6.9 a and b), middle position (see figures 6.9 c and d), and high posi-
tion (see figures 6.9 e and f). Rotate the arms internally and externally at each
position.
3. Gently push into your end range until the tissue releases and opens up.
4. Repeat at a higher angle (see figures 6.9 g and h).
VARIATION
You can reach for higher overhead angles using one arm.
TIP
Strive to increase angles for even greater ROM.
a b
120
The Upper-Body Core 4 Program
c d
e f
121
Rotator Cuff Stretch for the Deep Back Arm Net (continued)
The Upper-Body Core 4 Program
g h
122
Levator Scapulae Stretch
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Stand with the feet hip-distance apart. Grasp one wrist and pull it
behind the back and down toward the floor (see figure 6.10a).
2. Turn your head away from the arm being grasped behind the body,
and look down toward the floor over the opposite foot. Bring the chin
down to the chest until you feel the stretch (see figure 6.10b).
3. Look up to the ceiling and back down again a few times to play with
the angles of the tissue (see figure 6.10 c-d).
4. Release the wrist.
VARIATION
To change the angle of the stretch and the anchor point, place one hand
on the back of the head. Reach the opposite hand down across the back.
Keep your head tilted while you rotate it to look up to ceiling and down to
floor a few times until the tissue feels looser and has greater ROM.
TIP
You can hold on to a tool, such as a towel or stick, with the hands apart if
you experience a flexibility challenge. Progress to getting the hands closer
over time as you gain mobility.
(continued)
123
Levator Scapulae Stretch for the Deep Back Arm Net (continued)
The Upper-Body Core 4 Program
a b
c d
124
Rhomboid Stretch
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Assume a position on all fours with the hands under the shoulders
and the knees approximately hip-distance apart.
2. Bend forward from the hips, and thread one arm behind the other with
the palm facing up on the floor (see figure 6.11a). Continue reaching
the arm across your body to target the area.
3. Lower your body toward the ground to increase the stretch (see figure
6.11b). Press into the floor with the other hand to stabilize. Don't allow
the body to collapse.
TIP
To increase the stretch, lean forward into the shoulder more and reach while
you stretch in the exhalation.
125
126 Stretch to Win
Back net
• Prolonged sitting, which can restrict the neck, knees, and ankles
Lateral net
• Restrictive lateral power movements (e.g., in speed skating, hockey,
classical ballet, cross-country skiing, basketball)
• Prolonged sitting, which compresses both lateral nets (e.g., in car racing,
horseback sports)
• Repetitive, one-sided power movements such as pitching, fencing, other
throwing (e.g., American football, javelin, hammer, discus)
Power nets
• All power movements with rotation, especially if they are repetitive and
one-sided (e.g., golfing, swinging a bat); any throwing of objects (e.g.,
ball, javelin) or people (e.g., martial arts, gymnastics)
Arm nets
• Repetitive power movements that focus on the upper body, shoulders,
and arms (e.g., swimming, gymnastics, cheerleading, throwing, martial
arts and combative sports, shooting firearms, archery)
Fascia 5 Stretches
For the best results, follow the guidelines provided in the earlier section,
Applying Principles to Achieve Optimum Mobility, and in the sidebar titled
General Guidelines for Mobility Success.
Standing Side Bend for the Lateral Net
Fascia 5 Stretches
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Stand with your feet about 2 feet (.61 m) apart with the toes slightly
turned out. Lengthen your torso upward for self-traction to begin and
lean the hips to one side to find a stretch in the lower body.
2. Ease off the stretch in the hips and reach the outside arm overhead
and place the other arm on your leg for support. Reach away from
your body as far as is comfortable to find a stretch in the upper body
(see figure 6.12a).
3. Next, flex the fingertips of both hands and reach out as far as possible
for an increased stretch of the lower and upper body (see figure 6.12b).
4. Return through a neutral path by moving your shoulders down and
around to the center of your body (see figure 6.12c) before rolling
back up through your spine.
5. Repeat the stretch on the same side to further increase ROM, or
move to the other side.
TIP
If you feel tighter on one side, repeat this side one more time.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Squat down beside a large stability ball. Place the inside hip and
waist on the ball with the bottom leg straight out and the top leg in
back with the knee bent and the foot on floor. Reach the bottom arm
over the ball and place the hand on floor for balance. Reach the top
arm over the head and lengthen the torso upward for self-traction
(see figure 6.13a).
2. Straighten both legs and press your weight toward the ball to find a
stretch in the lower body (see figure 6.13b).
3. Next, return to a position with the inside hip and waist on the ball, the
bottom leg is straight out, and the top leg is in back with the knee
bent and foot on the floor. The bottom hand is again on the floor for
balance. Lay back over the ball and reach the top hand overhead to
find a stretch in the upper body (see figure 6.13c).
4. Last, return to a position with the inside hip and waist on the ball, the
bottom leg is straight out, and the top leg is in back with the knee bent
and foot on the floor. Reach the hips and arms as far away from each
other as possible for a deeper stretch of the full net (see figure 6.13d).
5. Return through a neutral path by rolling onto your back or stomach
to change sides.
6. Repeat the stretch on the same side to further increase ROM, or
move to the other side.
TIP
If balance is an issue, you can stretch near a wall or a piece of equipment
for stability, or you can touch the floor as shown.
130
Fascia 5 Stretches
a
131
Side Stretch Over a Ball for the Lateral Net (continued)
Fascia 5 Stretches
132
Backward Bend for the Superficial
Fascia 5 Stretches
Front Net
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Stand with the feet hip-distance (or farther) apart in a neutral posi-
tion. Externally rotate the feet and turn the toes out slightly if needed
for balance. Straighten both knees and lengthen the legs to release
tension in the front net, and lengthen the torso upward for self-traction
(see figure 6.14a).
2. Lift the chin upward slightly, look up, and reach the arms overhead
while you flex the wrists and fingers back to find a stretch in the upper
body (see figure 6.14b). Press the hips forward to simultaneously find
a stretch in the lower body.
3. Attempt to reach each arm up higher than the other.
4. Next, attempt to reach the hips and arms as far away from each other
as possible for a deeper stretch of the full net.
5. To come out of this stretch, lean gently to one side (whichever direc-
tion feels easiest) and then slightly forward before rolling up to the
starting position. This allows you to avoid coming through the same
path as the stretch.
TIPS
• Perform the stretch slowly enough to allow the tissue to open up.
• Notice whether one side is tighter, and focus on that side a bit more.
(continued)
133
Backward Bend for the Superficial Front Net (continued)
Fascia 5 Stretches
a b
134
Staggered-Stance Backward Bend
Fascia 5 Stretches
for the Deep Front Net
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place one foot behind the other to your comfort level, and bend both
knees while you lengthen the torso upward for self-traction.
2. Shift your weight so it is more on the balls of feet, and then shift the
hips forward to find a stretch in the lower body (see figure 6.15a).
At the same time, lift the chin upward, look up, and reach the arms
overhead while you flex the wrists and fingers back. To deepen the
stretch, make fists and then spread the fingers apart. Your back knee
may straighten.
3. Attempt to reach each arm up higher than the other arm.
4. To deepen the stretch, allow your head to move back into a slight
neck extension and jut the jaw upward with the lower jaw reaching
for the ceiling (see figure 6.15b).
5. Next, attempt to reach the hips, arms, and jaw as far away from each
other as possible for a deeper stretch of the full net.
6. To come out of this stretch, lean gently to one side (whichever feels
easiest) and then slightly forward before rolling up to the starting
position. This allows you to avoid coming through the same path as
the stretch.
7. Repeat with the other foot.
TIPS
• This stretch often reveals a tighter side, so spend more time on that
side or repeat the exercise as needed.
• Use the eyes to increase the movement for this stretch.
(continued)
135
Staggered-Stance Backward Bend for the Deep Front Net (continued)
Fascia 5 Stretches
a b
136
Backward Stretch Over a Ball
Fascia 5 Stretches
for the Superficial and Deep Front Nets
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Sit on a stability ball with the feet hip-distance apart on the floor.
Lengthen the torso upward for self-traction (see figure 6.16a).
2. Lean back and roll the hips forward toward the feet (see figure 6.16b).
3. Reach both arms overhead to extend the net (see figure 6.16c), and
then reach the hands down toward floor while flexing the fingers to
find a stretch in the upper body. At the same time, straighten the legs,
allowing them to open more and to externally rotate to find a stretch
in the lower body (see figure 6.17d).
4. Rock back and forth between the feet and hands while you reach the
hips and arms as far away from each other as possible for a deeper
stretch of the full net.
5. To come out of this stretch, roll gently to one side (whichever direc-
tion feels easiest) as you bend your knees and bend slightly forward
before rolling up to the starting position. This allows you to avoid
coming through the same path as the stretch.
TIPS
• Use the floor to help you stretch with your hands and feet.
• Play with how straight you can make your arms and legs to increase
the stretch.
• Reach with the jaw to intensify and deepen the stretch.
(continued)
137
Backward Stretch Over a Ball for the Superficial and Deep Front Nets (continued)
Fascia 5 Stretches
138
Fascia 5 Stretches
c
139
Forward Bend for the Back Net
Fascia 5 Stretches
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Stand with the feet hip-distance apart. Shift your weight so it is over
the balls of the feet, and lengthen the torso upward for self-traction
(see figure 6.17a).
2. Bend the knees to drop the hips down and fold forward (see figure
6.17b). Tuck your chin toward your chest and straighten your knees
to find a stretch in the lower body. Allow your upper body to feel very
heavy as you move gently from side to side and roll the body toward
the floor.
3. Walk the hands out away from the feet and place the palms flat on
the floor, if possible (see figure 6.17c). Again tuck your chin toward
your chest. Bend your knees if needed.
4. Shift your weight back and forth by moving your hips away from the
hands and the hands away from the hips for a deeper stretch of the
full net. Move the hips side to side, bend the knees deeper, and then
straighten the knees. Alternate lifting one heel and pressing the other
heel down, and reach the hips up and the arms as far away from
each other as possible to increase the stretch.
5. Walk the hands back to the feet and place the hands on the knees for
support as you roll back up to a standing position. Keep the knees
bent slightly as you roll up.
6. Return through a neutral path, oscillating back up by slightly moving
side to side with your hips as you return to standing (rather than
standing straight up).
TIPS
• Move from side to side and spend more time where you feel tightness.
• Rise as high as possible onto the ball of one foot as you press the
heel of the other foot down.
140
Fascia 5 Stretches
a
b c
141
Forward Stretch Over a Ball
Fascia 5 Stretches
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Stand behind a stability ball with the feet hip-distance apart. Place
your palms shoulder-distance apart on the ball (see figure 6.18a).
2. Roll the ball back toward the feet and round the upper back to find
a stretch in the upper body (see figure 6.18b).
3. Roll the ball away from the feet and lengthen your torso to find a
stretch in the lower body (see figure 6.18c). Shift your weight back
into the heels to distribute it deeper into the hips.
4. Shift the hips from side to side to focus on each side. To increase the
stretch, tuck the chin into the chest and press into the ball with your
hands to add extra resistance.
5. Shift your weight back and forth by moving your hips away from the
hands and the hands away from the hips for a deeper stretch of the
full net. Move the hips from side to side, bend the knees deeper, and
then straighten the knees. Alternate lifting one heel and pressing the
other heel down, and reach the hips up and the arms as far away
from each other as possible to increase the stretch.
6. Roll the ball back toward your feet, release the ball, and roll back up,
keeping your knees slightly bent as you return.
7. Return through a neutral path, oscillating back up by slightly moving
side to side with your hips as you return to standing (rather than
standing straight up).
TIPS
142
Fascia 5 Stretches
a
143
144 Stretch to Win
Dynamic
Stretches
for Sports
If you do not have mobility issues, then this chapter is for you. Here you will
find the preparatory and fundamental stretch movements for mobility in
most sport activities. If you have any issues (e.g., nagging stiffness, tightness
or soreness, imbalances between your left and right sides) that affect perfor-
mance or cause pain, or if you are recovering from injury or surgery, go back
and do the self-assessment in chapter 5. This provides thorough guidance for
where to start your flexibility training by identifying your issues. Then, some
of you might need to refer to chapter 6 for your initial corrective or general
mobility training programs, whereas others will find quicker solutions and
come directly to this chapter. Either way, make sure you are cleared for activity
before starting these dynamic programs.
Achieving dynamic stability of your core muscles through the Great 8
stretches described in chapter 6 is a prerequisite for efficient and effective
athletic mobility. As you learned in chapter 4, if there is insufficient or imbal-
anced core mobility, then stability, strength, power, speed, and other elements
of optimal performance suffer. Therefore, all the dynamic stretch movement
patterns in this chapter work from the center of your core out to the rest of
your torso and your limbs.
147
148 Stretch to Win
We recommend that you follow the parameters for our preparation program
(see table 5.1 on page 91 of chapter 5) when stretching for pre-activity mobility.
Ground Stretches
The following stretches are done on the ground. They focus on dynamic
flexibility preparation of the core muscles and the fascia of your lower body
and progress to your upper body. The initial focus is dynamic core mobility,
and the progression integrates motor control and core stability. This routine
applies to most sports that require optimal core control.
Hip-Spine-Shoulder Stretch
Ground Stretches
This movement warms up the hip joint capsule fluids and focuses on the
rotational components of the hip. Do this before all other hip movements
on the ground.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Sit on the ground with the knees bent and the feet slightly wider than
hip-width apart. Place the arms behind you with the palms on the
floor and the fingers pointing away from the body (see figure 7.1a).
2. Exhale, lean the torso back, and slowly drop both knees to one side
(see figure 7.1b).
3. Inhale and return to center.
4. Exhale and repeat, dropping both knees to the other side.
5. Continue dropping the knees from side to side.
150
Ground Stretches
a
151
Hip-Spine-Shoulder Stretch (continued)
Ground Stretches
152
Hip Flexors-Torso-Shoulder Stretch
Ground Stretches
Because this stretch is performed while kneeling, it requires more active
core motor control and core stabilization and simultaneous mobilization of
your upper and lower core. If you have any anterior knee pain, cushion the
knee with a pad or article of clothing to dampen the pressure and prevent
pain. Do not perform this if it is painful.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Kneel on one leg with the other leg in front of you and the foot on the
floor. Raise one arm overhead and lunge forward over the front leg.
Press both hips forward and keep the chest lifted until you feel a stretch
in front of the rear hip and in one or both groins (see figure 7.2a).
2. Gently move the raised arm opposite the hip being stretched to
increase the stretch into the torso, shoulder, and arm (see figure 7.2b).
3. Come out of the lunge by lowering your arm and slightly relaxing your
spine as you do a little StretchWave back to the starting position.
Finish with a straight spine.
Ground Stretches
Groin injuries are very common in sports. The following stretch movement
is crucial to avoiding these. In addition, it helps release the part of the hip
flexors that connects to the hip adductors. This will all help your mobility for
all running activities, sudden direction changes (e.g., cutting), backped-
aling and specific movements such as the breaststroke, power skating in
hockey, and all movements in and out of your guard in wrestling and other
grappling sports.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Assume a position on the hands (or fists) and the knees with the
feet turned in. Spread the knees open until you feel a slight stretch
in groin region.
2. Rock back toward the heels until you feel a slight stretch (see figure
7.3a). Return to the starting position.
3. Walk the hands forward and let your hips drop to the ground until
you feel a slight stretch. Walk the hands back to return to the starting
position.
4. Repeat until you feel no further gains.
155
Hip Adductors-Abdominals-Torso Stretch (continued)
Ground Stretches
156
Ground Stretches
d
157
Hip Abductors-Latissimus Dorsi-
Ground Stretches
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Assume a position on your hands and knees with the hands wider
than the shoulders, the fingers spread apart, and the knees together
(see figure 7.4a).
2. Exhale and slowly rock the hips to the right side and turn the head
to look toward the feet (see figure 7.4b).
3. Alternate rocking side to side, dropping the hips farther down each
time.
158
Ground Stretches
a
159
Hip Flexors-Abdominals-Spine Stretch
Ground Stretches
This stretch is great to quickly open the entire front power net and release
elusive tight connections between the hip flexors, neck, and foot and
ankle. It is especially good for athletes who spend a lot of time in flexion,
whether this is prolonged (e.g., long distance cyclists, people who work at
computers) or in short bursts (e.g., American football players, grapplers).
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Assume a position on the hands and knees with the hands wider than
the shoulders, the fingers pointing forward, and the knees together
(see figure 7.5a).
2. Let the hips drop toward the floor while you keep most of the weight
in the shoulders. Look up so the chin is reaching to the sky (see
figure 7.5b).
3. Let one hip drop toward the floor as you turn your head to look back
at the opposite hip (see figure 7.5c). Switch to the other side.
4. Return to the center, and then rock back to sit on the heels, resting
with the head down and the arms either overhead or by your sides
(see figure 7.5d).
5. Repeat until no further gains are noted.
160
Ground Stretches
a
161
Hip Flexors-Abdominals-Spine Stretch (continued)
Ground Stretches
162
Low Back-Glutes-Latissimus
Ground Stretches
Dorsi-Hamstrings-Quads Stretch
This stretch is great for opening the entire back power net and releasing
connections between the hamstrings, hip, back, and shoulder through the
lats. It is especially good for athletes who must sprint, dodge, dart, back-
pedal, and rapidly accelerate and decelerate. It also prepares the arms for
reaching high overhead or at angles to block, catch, or intercept.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Bend the knees and sit sideways so your weight is more on one glute
than the other. Place the front foot on the back knee so the front knee
looks like triangle (see figure 7.6a). Make adjustments for comfort.
2. Lengthen the whole spine through top of your head as you inhale.
Exhale and move out and over your knee into the stretch, keeping
the spine long (see figure 7.6b). Gently rock side to side to spread
the stretch.
3. Next, make overhead swimming motions with back-leg side arm
to increase the stretch from the glutes across whole back and the
opposite shoulder (see figure 7.6c through g).
4. Flex and roll up through the spine to the starting position.
5. Next, open the front knee to a 90-degree angle and repeat, taking
the torso forward over your leg and wave from side to side to target
different glute fibers (see figure 7.6h and i). Roll up to the starting
position. Repeat as needed.
6. Do the entire series on the other side, and repeat the tighter side twice.
163
Low Back-Glutes-Latissimus Dorsi-Hamstrings-Quads Stretch (continued)
Ground Stretches
164
Ground Stretches
d
165
Low Back-Glutes-Latissimus Dorsi-Hamstrings-Quads Stretch (continued)
Ground Stretches
166
Ground Stretches
h
167
Low Back-Glutes-Latissimus Dorsi-Hamstrings-Quads Stretch (continued)
Ground Stretches
168
Standing Stretches
Your specific and thorough movement preparations on the ground should be
followed by standing movements. There are good standing dynamic movement
patterns that are standard in many sports; therefore, we will only describe
ones that are not as common but are just as important for thorough activity
preparation.
Gastrocnemius-Popliteus-Hip-
Standing Stretches
Torso-Shoulder Stretch
Before doing any movement in a standing position, mobilize your feet
and ankles; they are the foundation for the proper function of your entire
kinetic chain. To make this stretch even more effective, we will have you
simultaneously tie in the other power nets for a comprehensive full-body
dynamic stretch.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. From a standing position, roll down and bend your knees slightly.
Walk the hands out until you start to feel a mild stretch in the calves
(see figure 7.7a).
2. Keeping the feet and hands in place, alternate letting the hips gently
fall to one side and then the other (see figure 7.7b). Let them fall
farther each time without compromising balance.
3. Add gentle hip twists as you let the hips fall from side to side.
(continued)
169
Gastrocnemius-Popliteus-Hip-Torso-Shoulder Stretch (continued)
Standing Stretches
170
Soleus-Posterior Ankle Joint Stretch
Standing Stretches
Whereas the previous stretch sequence mobilized and stretched most of
the body connections from above that attach to the feet and ankles, this
stretch is local. It focuses on the lower leg connections and the feet and
ankles. Before doing any movement from a standing position, mobilize your
feet and ankles with this stretch.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. From the previous stretch position, slide the back leg forward and
then bend the knee and shift the hips forward and back until you feel
a stretch lower in your calf or posterior ankle.
2. Stay in this modified split squat position as you rotate the hips to the
left and look over the left shoulder; then, rotate the hips to the right
and look over the right shoulder. Alternate rotating to each side until
no further gains are noted.
3. Switch leg positions and repeat the same sequence.
171
172 Stretch to Win
The previous movements help prepare all the systems of the body for athletic
movement. They also help prepare the body for dynamic stretching for ballistic
flexibility. Details of ballistic flexibility training are tied in with sport-specific
warm-ups and other preparations that are beyond the scope of this book. The
next chapter contains assisted stretching routines that can be used by coaches,
trainers, therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, and others who do various forms
of manual therapy. We provide routines and techniques that are designed to
be used on the floor or on a table. We have used these techniques with great
success on some of the most elite and professional athletes in the world.
Chapter 8
Assisted
Stretching
173
174 Stretch to Win
Two-Way Communication
Because the brain is wired for survival, the athlete’s trust in the assis-
tant is imperative to a successful working relationship. As an assistant,
you must be clear in your intentions and clear about the athlete’s goals
or concerns in each session. In addition, you need to check in with
the athlete on a regular basis. The athlete’s tissue tells you what it
needs, but you must also pay attention to athlete’s verbal cues, facial
expressions, and body language.
Another key to good assisted stretching is to ask for feedback from
the athlete and give communication cues to get specific information.
Some examples of such cues are
• Where do you feel that stretch?
• On a scale of 1 to 10 . . . ?
• Is there any pinching?
Use different ways to elicit feedback because people don’t necessar-
ily know what they’re supposed to feel like or experience. Use tactile
cues such as gentle taps into areas that need to be fired back into the
assistant’s resistance or verbal cues with instructions such as “meet
my resistance” or “press your leg back into my hand.”
Less Is More
Do not allow the athlete to convince to deepen a stretch when you know
the stretch is already at the correct intensity for the best results. Our
philosophy is that less is more; you can always increase the stretch
during another session, but it is difficult to undo overstretching.
It takes time and patience to learn to listen and understand the
tissue. Go easy on yourself. It has taken us over 40 years to develop
this technique, and we are still learning every day from each client and
student! Patience and practice are necessary for success, so slow
down and keep listening to your intuition and the tissue. Listen with
your heart and not just your brain to tune into an athlete’s body. When
you are in the right position, the stretch movement comes naturally
and just flows. If you feel like you’re working too hard, you usually are.
It takes energy, patience, and skill to pay attention and not just use
physical force.
(continued)
175
176 Stretch to Win
INSTRUCTIONS
1. The athlete lies in a supine position with one leg lifted and the foot in
slight dorsiflexion. Stand at the athlete’s feet.
2. Bend down and grasp the athlete’s heel, and then hook the top of
your foot under the athlete’s foot on the floor just above the heel (see
figure 8.1a). Move the leg across the midline of the athlete’s body
and stop moving the leg when you feel the tissue resist. The athlete
presses back into your leg with their leg.
3. Increase the stretch by leaning away from the athlete’s feet and out
to the side that you are moving toward (see figure 8.1b). The athlete
raises the same-side arm and reaches overhead, bending the upper
body as far as possible. Think of moving in an arc.
4. Repeat the stretch on the same side if there is still tightness, or switch
sides and repeat.
COMMON ERRORS
• Not getting enough traction by not leaning far enough away from the
feet and to the side
• Pulling with your hands and not using your body to create traction
• Moving too quickly to get a feel on the tissue
• Not having the athlete help increase the stretch from their upper
body
(continued)
177
Lateral Net Stretch (continued)
Floor Stretch Routine
178
Power Net, Superficial Back Net,
INSTRUCTIONS
1. The athlete lies in a supine position with the knees stacked over to
one side and the arms reaching out to the sides (see figure 8.2a). To
achieve this position, place the athlete’s feet on their quads, bend
the athlete’s knees into their chest, and drop the knees to one side.
2. Separate the athlete’s legs by moving them apart as if you were
opening a pair of scissors.
3. Step in between the athlete’s open legs, hook the tops of your feet
behind the knees, and press the athlete’s legs apart with your legs by
rocking one side open, then the other, and finally both sides together
(see figure 8.2b). The athlete reaches the opposite arm overhead and
squeezes both of their legs into you. Increase the stretch using your
legs by opening your legs into a deeper squat.
4. Bend your body over and place one hand on the athlete’s rib cage
(be careful to not press on the 12th floating rib). Place your other
hand on the athlete’s lower ribcage and move it through the lats and
pelvis to increase rotation (see figure 8.2c).
5. Move your hands in opposite directions, and press down on the ath-
lete’s lats with the flat top hand and rotate their ribs upward.
6. To increase the stretch, squat even deeper or increase the spinal
rotation of the rib cage.
7. Repeat the stretch on the same side if there is still tightness, or switch
sides and repeat.
COMMON ERRORS
• Not getting the athlete’s legs far enough apart
• Moving too quickly to get a feel on the tissue
• Not having the athlete help increase the stretch from their upper
body
• Pulling with your hands only and not using your body to create
traction
(continued)
179
Power Net, Superficial Back Net, and Low Back Stretch (continued)
Floor Stretch Routine
Figure 8.2 Power net, superficial back net, and low back stretch.
180
Floor Stretch Routine
c
Figure 8.2 Power net, superficial back net, and low back stretch.
181
Power Net, Gluteus Medius,
Floor Stretch Routine
INSTRUCTIONS
1. The athlete lies in a supine position with the arms out to the sides.
Kneel on one knee over athlete’s thighs.
2. Place your outside hand on the outside of the athlete’s ankle and your
other hand on the back of the athlete’s knee. Use only slight pressure.
The focus of the stretch is the ankle and not the knee.
3. Bend the athlete’s knee to move it toward the center of the chest with
the foot below the knee and toward the floor so the leg is in a triangle
shape (see figure 8.3). The athlete presses their knee into your hand.
4. Lift the athlete’s body to bring the femur out of the socket and create
traction. Then, gently drop the athlete’s weight to find the athlete’s
range and increase the stretch.
5. Repeat the stretch on the same side if there is still tightness, or switch
sides and repeat.
COMMON ERRORS
• Pressing the knee toward the chest more than you press the ankle
down
• Moving too quickly to get a feel on the tissue
• Starting with the knee too far across the midline
• Pulling with your hands only and not using your body to create
traction
182
Floor Stretch Routine
Figure 8.3 Power net, gluteus medius, and piriformis stretch.
183
Power Net, Gluteus Maximus,
Floor Stretch Routine
INSTRUCTIONS
1. The athlete lies in a supine position with the arms out to sides. Kneel
on one knee over the athlete’s thighs.
2. Raise one of the athlete’s legs by bending it at a 90-degree angle, and
then bringing it up to your inside shoulder (the same shoulder as the
leg being stretched). Support the resting foot with your outside hand,
which anchors the heel, and gently place the inside hand on the back
of the knee. The focus of the stretch is the ankle and not the knee.
3. Lift the athlete’s body to bring the femur out of the socket and create
traction.
4. Move the leg out toward your knee. The athlete presses their knee
into your hand.
5. Switch hands and bring the leg in toward your outside shoulder. The
athlete presses their knee into your hand.
6. Bend the athlete’s knee to move it toward the center of the chest
with the foot below the knee and toward the floor so the leg is at a
90-degree angle (see figure 8.4). The athlete presses their knee into
your hand.
7. Repeat the stretch on the same side if there is still tightness, or switch
sides and repeat.
COMMON ERRORS
• Pressing the knee toward the chest more than you press the ankle
down
• Moving too quickly to get a feel on the tissue
• Starting with the knee too far across the midline
• Pulling with your hands only and not using your body to create
traction
184
Floor Stretch Routine
Figure 8.4 Power net, gluteus maximus, and deep rotator stretch.
185
Glute Swoop
Floor Stretch Routine
This move is done to ensure all the fibers of the glutes are stretched. It is
a finishing move that targets all the tissue.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. From the final position of the previous stretch, finish the movement by
sweeping the glutes in a fan-like manner across the athlete’s chest
into traction (see figure 8.5). Think of the motion as down and around.
2. Continue to gently drop their body weight as you move the leg through
this motion to get all the fibers sweeping across the body.
3. Repeat the stretch on the same side if there is still tightness, or switch
sides and repeat.
COMMON ERRORS
• Pressing the knee toward the chest more than you press the ankle
down
• Moving too quickly to get a feel on the tissue
• Starting with the knee too far across the midline
• Pulling with your hands only and not using your body to create
traction
186
Superficial Front Net, Deep Front Net,
INSTRUCTIONS
1. From the supine position of the previous stretch, the athlete rolls onto
the nonstretching side, reaches up with the top arm, and supports
the head with the bottom arm if needed.
2. Facing the athlete’s feet, step over the athlete’s body to straddle it
with one foot on each side. The athlete’s bottom foot rests on top of
your nearest foot.
3. Bend at the waist, and place the outside hand on top of the athlete’s
ankle. Your inside hand supports the knee by letting the leg rest in the
hand. Bend the athlete’s knee slightly, but not more than 90 degrees.
4. Lean your body back to create traction while you slightly pull the leg
back.
5. Gently drop the body weight, and take the athlete’s top leg back into
extension and toward the floor until you feel the tissue resist. The
athlete attempts to counterrotate the leg in the opposite direction to
increase the hip flexion (see figure 8.6a).
6. Bring the athlete’s leg back into flexion and move the bottom leg for-
ward (see figure 8.6b) before taking the top leg back into extension
again (see figure 8.6c). The farther apart the legs move the deeper
the stretch will be.
7. To increase the stretch further, the athlete can actively reach overhead
while opening their chest to the ceiling or increase knee flexion.
8. Repeat the stretch on the same side if there is still tightness, or switch
sides and repeat.
COMMON ERRORS
• Moving too quickly to get a feel on the tissue
• Not taking the leg into enough extension
• Allowing the athlete to roll onto their back
• Pulling with your hands only and not using your body to create
traction
(continued)
187
Superficial Front Net, Deep Front Net, and Hip Flexors Stretch (continued)
Floor Stretch Routine
188
Floor Stretch Routine
b
189
Front Net and Lat Stretch
Floor Stretch Routine
The front net and the lats are crucial areas because the lats connect the arms
to the trunk. If these areas are tight or imbalanced, this must be addressed.
These areas have a huge influence on movement and can greatly reduce
overall mobility if they are restricted or if there are imbalances.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. The athlete remains on their side as in the previous stretch. The knees
are slightly bent and are stacked one on top of the other. The athlete
supports the head with the bottom arm if needed. Sit or squat near
the athlete’s head.
2. Hook your arm with the athlete’s arm by connecting elbows crook to
crook. Hold the athlete’s wrist with the other hand (see figure 8.7a).
Usually, the arm used is the same for you and the athlete.
3. Lift the arm toward the ceiling while maintaining slight tension on the
wrist to traction. Lean back until you feel the tissue resistance. Main-
tain the traction by leaning back even more for increased leverage.
4. Lean to each side to target different fibers, and bring the athlete’s arm
over and down to the floor to increase overhead flexion to increase
the stretch (see figure 8.7b and c). At the same time, the athlete pulls
the scapula toward the same-side hip.
5. Repeat the stretch on the same side if there is still tightness, or switch
sides and repeat.
COMMON ERRORS
• Not maintaining traction throughout
• Allowing the shoulder to pinch
• Using your arm instead of your body for the traction and stretch
• Moving too quickly to get a feel on the tissue
190
Floor Stretch Routine
a
191
Superficial Back Net, Gastrocnemius,
Floor Stretch Routine
INSTRUCTIONS
1. The athlete leans against a wall or pole in a lunge position by bending
both knees and keeping the back heel on the floor.
2. Sit behind the athlete on the ground, and cross your legs around the
ankle of the athlete’s back leg using the adductors to stabilize the
leg (see figure 8.8a). Gently grasp the front of the athlete’s ankle by
interlacing your fingers above the anklebones. The athlete then leans
forward until you both feel resistance.
3. The athlete presses the ball of the front foot into the floor and slowly
shifts the hips forward and back while you maintain traction by pulling
back on the lower leg (see figure 8.8b). The athlete can also move
the hips from side to side.
4. Slowly move your hands up the front of the athlete’s shin as the athlete
continues to press the hips forward to access and stretch different
areas of the tissue higher up the leg.
5. For a stretch of the soleus, the athlete bends the back knee while
pushing the hips forward and back or side to side.
6. Repeat the stretch on the same side if there is still tightness, or switch
sides and repeat.
COMMON ERRORS
• Causing any pain (the athlete controls the intensity of the stretch)
• Not keeping the hips pressed forward
• Gripping too firmly with the hands
• Using your hands instead of your body for the traction and stretch
• Moving too quickly to get a feel on the tissue
192
Floor Stretch Routine
a
193
Assisted Stretching: Table Straps
One aspect that makes our technique unique is the use of stabiliza-
tion straps. When we were developing this method, the necessity of
creating leverage was obvious, especially given the size and strength
of the athletes with whom we were working. Our stabilization straps
have progressed from uncomfortable seat belt-type straps to cush-
ioned belts that can easily slide under our specialized tables. These
straps allow the athlete to relax and allow the assistant to focus on the
area they are trying to open or release without having to stabilize the
opposite leg that might be moving around. If you don’t have straps,
you will have to modify the stretch accordingly. Use your other hand to
stabilize when possible, use an assistant, or have the athlete perform
active stabilization.
Figure 8.9a shows the awkwardness and lack of control of an
assisted stretch done without the restraining straps. Figure 8.9b shows
the level of control you can attain by using the stabilization straps. NFL
players were the majority of our client base in our clinic for almost 20
years; you may notice that there is a slight difference between the size
of the athlete and the size of the woman who created FST!
194
Assisted Stretching 195
The goal of this stretch is to assess tension and restrictions throughout the
entire fascial net.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. The athlete lies in a supine position with the arms at their sides or
resting on their torso.
2. Square your hips to the foot of the table. Cup each of the athlete’s
calcanei in the palms of your hands, and gently wrap your fingers
around the athlete’s heels without thumb contact.
3. Lift the athlete’s extended legs with traction so the hip flexion is 10
to 20 degrees.
4. Gently pull on the athlete’s legs until the feet move into a slight dorsi-
flexion by engaging the core, bending the knees slightly, and leaning
back with the entire body while remaining relaxed (see figure 8.10).
The arms are kept straight and the shoulders are relaxed and down.
5. Slowly move into and out of each traction, and use the breath to guide
when to release; then, repeat.
COMMON ERRORS
• Gripping the achilles
• Not pulling strongly enough or pulling too quickly
• Dropping into a squat
196
Table Stretch Routine
Figure 8.10 Double-leg traction.
197
Single-Leg Traction
Table Stretch Routine
The goal of this stretch is to assess movement in the hip joint capsule.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. The athlete lies in a supine position with the arms at their sides or
resting on their torso.
2. Square your hips to the foot of the table, and grasp one of the athlete’s
legs. The heel of the foot rests in the cupped palm of your outside
hand, and your inside hand supports and assists the other hand and
locks the foot into dorsiflexion. The thumb goes under the foot, and
the fingers wrap around the top of foot.
3. Lift the athlete’s leg off the table so hip flexion and abduction are
approximately 20 degrees and there is a slight external rotation of the
femur. Find the sweet spot where the joint is in the most open position
for traction; this is usually slightly abducted and in external rotation.
Explore to make sure you are in the perfect position.
4. Gently pull on the athlete’s leg until a slight elastic give is felt in the
joint capsule by engaging the core, bending the knees slightly, and
leaning back with the entire body while remaining relaxed (see figure
8.11). Do not try to pull, yank, or pop the hip.
5. Repeat three times, and increase the intensity with each repetition.
COMMON ERRORS
• Not pulling strongly enough with the lead bottom hand
• Not keeping the foot locked in dorsiflexion
• Pulling with your arms and not using your body
• Dropping into a squat and losing the correct angle of the pull
• Jeopardizing the integrity of the ligaments
• Pulling too quickly
198
Table Stretch Routine
Figure 8.11 Single-leg traction.
199
Table-Based Lateral Net Stretch
Table Stretch Routine
The goal of this stretch is to assess ROM of the lateral net and increase
movement of the lateral torso, hip, and leg. This stretch lengthens all the
tissue that lies on the side of the body, specifically that in the lateral torso,
hip, and upper leg, which tends to be quite tight on many athletes. It is
very common to find an imbalance between sides that can be evened out
with a two-to-one or three-to-one stretch ratio. This stretch can also correct
what appears to be a leg length discrepancy that is actually caused by
tissue tightness.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. The athlete lies in a supine position with the arms resting on the torso
(out of the way of the movement).
2. Stand at the end of the table by the athlete’s feet, and grasp the heels
in the palms of your hands. Leans back to traction the athlete’s legs
as you slowly walk to one side of the table. Keep the athlete’s legs in
contact with the table as you do this (figure 8.12a). Once the athlete’s
inside leg clears the table, step in to connect with the athlete’s leg.
3. Lift the athlete’s outside leg just high enough to clear the other leg
and not stretch the hamstring (see figure 8.12b). Your inside hand
remains on the ankle for support. The athlete presses the leg being
stretched against your resistance.
4. Lean away from the table and press the hips forward and into a slight
anterior pelvic tilt to increase the traction. The traction moves out and
away from the table. Think of moving in an arc away from table on
the diagonal and then up toward the top of table.
5. To increase the stretch and target new fibers, shift your weight back
onto the heel of your back foot to release the tension, and allow the
athlete’s leg to easily slide down your leg. Your inside hand assists
in sliding the athlete’s leg toward the floor to increase the stretch and
change the angle of fibers targeted. Repeat the stretch.
6. Pick up both legs and lift them slightly higher to return for the other
side so that you return through a neutral path.
7. Repeat the stretch on the same side if there is still tightness, or switch
sides and repeat.
COMMON ERRORS
• Losing traction
• Lifting the legs off the table
• Moving too quickly to get a good sense of the tissue and its potential
• Allowing the athlete’s hips to roll up or rotate
200
Table Stretch Routine
a
201
Sack of Buns
Table Stretch Routine
The goal of this stretch is to assess ROM and increase rotation. This is a
signature move of FST, and it was developed to get the low back and hip
to open in one stretch. This is a go-to stretch that targets the power net like
nothing else. No matter how much time you have to stretch the athlete, this
one should be on the list.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. The athlete lies in a supine position with one leg crossed over the
midline. The arms are placed out of the way of the movement.
2. Step between the athlete’s legs and face away from the center of the
table. The athlete wraps one leg around the front of your torso (see
figure 8.13a). Place your inside hand under the inside of the athlete’s
leg, and support the entire leg by hugging it into your waist. Place
your outside hand on the athlete’s outside anklebone and press
toward the ground.
3. Move your body forward toward the head of the table with your waist
under the athlete’s leg until you feel the tissue begin to resist.
4. Take a wide stance with your feet parallel and your knees slightly
bent for stability and so you can get under the athlete’s leg. Anchor
your hamstrings into the table so it is stable and will not tip due to all
the weight being on one side.
5. Stand up and lean away from the table by hinging forward from the
hips, and take the athlete’s legs with you (see figure 8.13b). The
athlete pulls the knee toward the ground against your resistance for
the stretch. To increase the stretch, lift your hips up more so there is
an increased external rotation of the leg.
6. For the final stretch, press the athlete’s ankle up into your outside
hand and try to move the leg into internal rotation. To increase the
stretch, lift the leg up and press down on the outside of the ankle at
the same time.
7. Repeat the stretch on the same side if there is still tightness, or switch
sides and repeat.
COMMON ERRORS
• Not getting far enough under the leg toward the head of the table
• Not staying toward the head of the table and in contact with the
athlete because you are leaning too far away from the leg or toward
the foot of the table
• Moving too quickly to get a good sense of the tissue and its potential
• Not anchoring your legs against the table to prevent it from tipping
202
Table Stretch Routine
a
203
Gluteus Medius Stretch
Table Stretch Routine
The goal of this stretch is to assess ROM and increase movement. This
stretch is very important because the power of locomotion is generated
from the glute complex and the hips. If they are restricted, the potential
for explosive and quick movement will be negatively affected. The gluteus
medius will often be much tighter on the stabilizing side of the body and
the gluteus maximus will be tighter on the dominant lead leg; the stretch
should be adjusted accordingly.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. The athlete lies in a supine position with one leg bent across the body.
The arms are placed out of the way of the movement.
2. Stand at the foot of the table. Hold the athlete’s leg and walk up that
side of the table. Face your hips toward the head of the table or turn
them slightly into the table.
3. Place the athlete’s foot in the crease of your outside hip or wherever
it feels comfortable for both of you. Support the outside of the ath-
lete’s ankle by keeping it in contact with your body. You can use your
outside hand to hold the ankle for additional support.
4. Allow the athlete’s knee to bend into the correct position to target
the tissue. Keep the athlete’s foot lower than their knee in the shape
of a triangle, and aim their knee toward the center of their chest if
possible. Rise onto balls of your feet to lift and clear the leg out of
the hip socket for the traction (figure 8.14a).
5. Lower your body; be careful to not press the athlete’s knee into their
chest (see figure 8.14b and c). You should be able to go hands-free;
you can place your inside hand on the back of the athlete’s knee for
cueing only.
6. The athlete contracts their hip back into extension by pressing their
leg back into your resistance. The sequence will be as follows: knee
toward sternum, halfway between sternum and opposite shoulder,
toward opposite shoulder. Continue moving the athlete’s leg in 3- to
5-degree increments toward the outside shoulder to target new fiber.
COMMON ERRORS
• Not lifting the leg out of the hip socket with traction
• Pressing the knee down with the hand
204
Table Stretch Routine
a
205
Gluteus Maximus and Deep
Table Stretch Routine
INSTRUCTIONS
1. The athlete lies in a supine position with one leg crossed over the
body at a 90-degree angle. The athlete’s arms rest on their torso.
2. Stand on the side of the table in a lunge position with your outside
leg forward and your hips squared off to the top of table (if possible).
3. Place the athlete’s foot on the inside of your shoulder (or anywhere on
your body so long as the athlete’s leg is at a 90-degree angle). Your
shoulder is what drives the athlete’s leg back into external rotation
for the correct position.
4. Rise onto the balls of your feet to lift the athlete’s femur up and out of
the hip for traction (see figure 8.15a). Use your entire body to traction
the athlete’s leg up.
5. Lower your body and maintain the 90-degree leg position (see figure
8.15b and c).
6. Your inside hand is on the back of the knee for cueing only. The
athlete presses back into your hand by contracting the leg back into
extension against your resistance.
7. Continue moving the athlete’s leg in 3- to 5-degree increments toward
the outside shoulder to target new fiber. The sequence will be as
follows: knee toward the same shoulder, toward the sternum, and
toward the opposite shoulder.
COMMON ERRORS
• Pushing down on the knee
• Not staying low enough and providing a hamstring stretch instead
• Not getting enough external rotation in the femur
206
Table Stretch Routine
a
207
Hip Flexor Series
Table Stretch Routine
The goal of this stretch is to assess ROM and increase movement in the
deep front net by increasing hip and femur extension.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. The athlete lies on their side with the hip up, the bottom leg in flexion,
and the top leg in extension bent at the knee at 80 to 90 degrees.
Keep the torso rotated forward toward the table or even with the chest
on the table, depending on your upper body flexibility. The arms rest
comfortably.
2. Face the head of the table and stand with your legs open in slight
squat. Pick up the athlete’s top leg and move it into slight extension.
Keep the femur and the lower leg bones aligned. Place the leg across
your hip with the top of the ankle in your outer hip to support the foot
(see figure 8.16a).
3. Move the leg into deeper extension, and wrap your inside arm around
the athlete’s femur in a hug above the knee. Support the medial knee
with your hand or elbow. Your outside arm supports the athlete’s low
back or is placed on the table for stability. If the athlete’s knee needs
extra support, you can use your outside hand there as well.
4. Lean away from the table with your hips to move the athlete’s femur
into extension. Use your body to move the leg; don’t pull it with your
arms.
5. Hinge at the hips and lower your torso over the athlete’s femur as high
as possible for the best leverage (see figure 8.16b). Roll your hips
toward the table while the athlete contracts their hip flexors against
your resistance.
COMMON ERRORS
• Pulling with your arms
• Separation of the knee joint because the knee does not feel sup-
ported or the leg bones are not aligned, which causes discomfort
or pain
• Allowing the femur and lower leg bones to move out of alignment
• Bending the knee past 90 degrees, which makes this a quad stretch
208
Table Stretch Routine
a
209
Hip Flexor Full Fascial Net Stretch
Table Stretch Routine
The goal of this stretch is to assess and increase movement in the front and
power nets and the entire hip flexor complex with all the fascial components
in the deepest hip extension.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. The athlete lies on their side with the bottom leg up into flexion and
the top leg in extension. Keep the torso rotated forward toward the
table or even with the chest on the table, depending on upper body
flexibility. The arms rest comfortably. They can reach the top arm
overhead to engage more of the power net and increase the stretch.
2. Face the head of the table and stand with your legs open in slight
squat. Pick up the athlete’s top leg and move it into slight extension.
Keep the femur and the lower leg bones aligned. Place the leg across
your hip with the top of the ankle in your outer hip to support the foot
(see figure 8.17a).
3. Lunge away from the table with your outside foot. Use your hips and
body for traction, and keep the athlete’s foot on your outside hip.
4. Place your inside hand on the athlete’s femur above the knee to
support the medial knee. Cradle it in your outside hand against your
outside hip. Lean away with your entire body; then move the athlete’s
hip and femur into greater extension by leaning farther with your hips.
Think of moving as a unit with the athlete’s entire leg.
5. The athlete rolls the abdomen and hips toward the table against your
resistance; then the athlete contracts the entire hip flexor complex by
trying to pull their leg toward the other leg against your resistance.
6. To finish stretching the net, increase the knee flexion by bending the
athlete’s heel toward the glutes. For the final move of this stretch,
increase knee flexion to engage the quadriceps. From the last posi-
tion, ease off the athlete’s hip extension by bringing their femur back
to a more neutral position.
7. Slowly increase the knee flexion by bending the athlete’s heel toward
their glutes by swinging your hips toward the top of the table in an
arc motion (see figure 8.17b).
8. Slowly increase hip extension if the athlete’s tissue allows.
COMMON ERRORS
• Pulling with your arms and not using your body to create traction
and stretch
• Not swinging your hips out and toward the head of the table enough
to achieve a full fascial net stretch
• Bending the knee into too much flexion until moving into the last
stretch for the quadriceps
210
Table Stretch Routine
a
211
212 Stretch to Win
We have offered here just a sample of the assisted stretches we do in our clinic
and teach at our institute. We hope the information presented in this book
will encourage you to implement or continue your own flexibility program
using some of the principles and methods of our Stretch to Win system. Our
goal is for you to realize your true performance potential and avoid injury by
maximizing your flexibility, or for you to help athletes realize their potential.
Glossary
213
214 Glossary
relative flexibility—The tendency of the body to take the path of least resis-
tance during functional movement patterns. This type of flexibility can result
in dysfunction and pain.
self-myofascial release (SMFR)—A highly effective method that uses a ball,
foam roller, or other tool to help reduce or eliminate soft tissue restrictions,
trigger points, adhesions, and tight spots that inhibit strength and flexibility.
It is especially beneficial before stretching to warm up the tissue and release
specific areas.
static stretching—The most simple and commonly used type of stretching. It
involves a person placing a muscle or group of muscles in a lengthened posi-
tion and then maintaining that position for a few seconds to several minutes.
By holding the position for a sustained period without movement, the stretch
reflex can be bypassed. Example: The athlete lies on the back and performs a
straight leg raise, and holds it at the position of the stretch.
StretchWave—Metaphor used to help visualize a stretch as made up of
undulations of movement that are coordinated with proper breathing. This
metaphor comes from observing that many physiological and kinesiological
processes in the body occur in waves, from the light waves that stimulate the
retina in vision to the pulsing waves of the blood in arteries and veins. See
also undulating stretching.
superficial fascia—The first layer of connective tissue beneath the skin.
sympathetic nervous system (SNS)— One of two divisions of the autonomic
nervous system. The SNS activates what is often termed the fight-or-flight
response. Sympathetic nerves originate inside the vertebral column, toward
the middle of the spinal cord at the first thoracic segment of the spinal cord,
and extend into the second or third lumbar segments. See also parasympathetic
nervous system.
synergists—Muscles that cooperate with others to produce movement.
tensegrity—A blend of the words tension and integrity first coined by Buck-
minster Fuller. Tensegrity structures are mechanically stable not because of
the strength of individual members but because of the way the entire structure
distributes and balances mechanical stresses.
traction—The physical act of decompressing the two surfaces of a joint. Man-
ually decompressing the joint surfaces triggers a stretch in the joint capsule.
This response within the joint capsule causes reflexive relaxation of the muscles
that share the same innervation source and cross on or near the joint.
undulating stretching—Oscillating at various tempos and directions during
a stretch as the tissue dictates. See also StretchWave.
References
Alter, M. 2004. Science of Flexibility, 3rd ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Cook, G. 2003. Athletic Body in Balance. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Findley, Thomas. 2015. “Foreword.” In Fascia in Sport and Movement, edited by R.
Schleip and R. A. Baker. vii–viii. Pencaitland, East Lothian, Scotland, UK: Hand-
spring Publishing Ltd.
Frederick, A. “Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation: Effectiveness in Increasing
Range of Motion in Dancers and Other Athletes.“ Baccalaureate thesis. University
of Arizona, 1997. https://c.ymcdn.com/sites/stretchtowin.siteym.com/resource/
resmgr/images/marketing/Ann_Frederick_Thesis_1997.pdf.
Frederick, A., and C. Frederick. 2014. Fascial Stretch Therapy. Pencaitland, East Lothian,
Scotland, UK: Handspring Publishing Ltd.
Jeffreys, Ian 2008. “Warm-up and Stretching” In Essentials of Strength Training and
Conditioning Third Edition, by the National Strength and Conditioning Association,
edited by T. Baechle and R. W. Earle. 295-324. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Lavelle, E.D., W. Lavelle, and H.S. Smith. 2007. Myofascial trigger points. Med. Clin.
North Am. 91(2):229–39.
Levin, S.M. 2006. “Tensegrity: The New Biomechanics” In Textbook of Musculoskeletal
Medicine, edited by M. Hutson and R. Ellis. 69-80. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Myers, T.W. 2014. Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Ther-
apists. Edinburgh, UK: Elsevier Health Sciences UK. Kindle Edition.
Page, P. 2012. Current concepts in muscle stretching for exercise and rehabilitation.
Int. J. Sports Phys. Ther. 7(1):109–19.
Pollack, G. 2013. The Fourth Phase of Water: Beyond Solid, Liquid, and Vapor. Seattle,
WA: Ebner and Sons.
Schleip, R. 2015a. “Fascia as a Body-wide Tensional Network: Anatomy, Biomechan-
ics, and Physiology.” In Fascia in Sport and Movement, edited by R. Schleip and A.
Baker. 3–9. Pencaitland, East Lothian, Scotland, UK: Handspring Publishing Ltd.
Schleip, R. 2015b. “Fascial Tissues in Motion: Elastic Storage and Recoil Dynamics”. In
Fascia in Sport and Movement, edited by R. Schleip and A. Baker. 93–96. Pencaitland,
East Lothian, Scotland, UK: Handspring Publishing Ltd.
Schleip, R. and D. Müller, 2012. “Fascial Fitness: Suggestions for a Fascia-oriented
Training Approach in Sports and Movement Therapies”. In Fascia: The Tensional
Network of the Human Body, edited by R. Schleip, T.W. Findley, L. Chaitow, and P.A.
Huijing. 465-476. Edinburgh: Elsevier, Churchill Livngstone.
Schleip, R., T.W. Findley, L. Chaitow, and P.A. Huijing, eds. 2012. Fascia: The Tensional
Network of the Human Body. Edinburgh: Elsevier, Churchill Livingstone.
Siff, M.C. 2003. Supertraining, 6th ed. Denver, CO: Supertraining Institute.
218
Index
Note: The italicized f and t following page numbers refer to figures and tables,
respectively.
219
220 Index
H L
hamstrings lateral net
anatomy 28f, 86f anatomy and issues 25, 29f, 127
back-glutes-latissimus dorsi-hamstrings- assisted stretches 177-178, 200-201, 206-207
quads stretch 163-168 Fascia 5 stretches 128-132
causes of overwork and tightness 6-7, 23 Great 8 targets and stretches 106-111
head check for posture 76 latissimus dorsi
hips check for posture 78 anatomy 32f, 33f, 35f, 106-107, 107f
hips complex, mobility and conditions 6-7, 11. back-glutes-latissimus dorsi-hamstrings-
See also anatomical figures quads stretch 163-168
hips complex, stretches. See also glutes front net and lat stretch (assisted) 190-191
floor stretches for abduction and rotation Great 8 stretch regions 104f, 107, 107f
(assisted) 182-185 hip abductors-latissimus dorsi- quadratus
gastrocnemius-popliteus-hip-torso- lumborum stretch 158-159
shoulder stretch 169-170 power and arm nets stretch 114-115
gluteus maximus and deep hip rotator leg length differences 11, 25, 77-78
stretch (assisted) 206-207 leg traction stretches 196-199
hip abductors-latissimus dorsi- quadratus levator scapulae 36f, 104f, 116, 117f, 123-124
lumborum stretch 158-159 leverage 194
hip adductors-abdominals-torso stretch low back stretches
155-157 low back-glutes-latissimus dorsi-
hip flexor full fascial net stretch (assisted) hamstrings-quads stretch 163-168
210-211 power net, superficial back net, and low
hip flexors-abdominals-spine stretch 160-162 back stretch (assisted) 179-181
hip flexor series (assisted) 208-209 sack of buns (assisted) 202-203
hip flexors stretch (assisted) 187-189 lower-body Core 4 program 104f, 106-115,
hip flexors-torso-shoulder stretch 153-154 106f, 107f
hip-spine-shoulder stretch 150-152 lumbar work. See lower-body Core 4 program
222 Index
side stretches for the lateral net 128-132 traditional categories 48-49
Siff, Mel 63, 65 undulating categories 49-55
signs and symptoms for personal assessment StretchWaves 41, 49-55
73, 74 symptoms and signs for personal assessment
single-leg traction 198-199 73, 74
SMFR. See self-myofascial release (SMFR) synergists 6-7
Smith, Emmitt 64-65
T
soleus 28f, 86f, 171, 192-193
table straps 194, 194f-195f
speed 64-65
table stretch routine 195-211
spine stretches 150-152, 160-162
tempo 13, 47, 51-55
stabilization straps 194, 194f-195f
tensegrity 17-18, 18f, 20-21, 63
staggered-stance backward bend for the deep
tests for flexibility. See fascia mobility
front net 135-136
assessment (FMA)
standing dynamic stretches 169-171
tissue check for CFMA 80, 99
standing side bend for the lateral net 128-129
traction 11-12, 176. See also assisted stretching
static stretching
trigger points 37-38, 64. See also fascia
how it works 47, 48, 50, 51
mobility blocks (FMBs)
vs. StretchWave very slow 52-53
what it is and research 5, 37, 41, 43, 44 U
straps 194, 194f-195f undulating movement
strength 63 key concepts 40-41, 49-50
stretching qualities 50-52
assessing and correcting stretches 144 stretching types 52-55
definitions and key concepts 44, 45, 47 upper-body Core 4 program 104f, 116-125,
parameters and goals 13, 46-48 116f, 117f
planes of movement 9-10
program design 13, 90, 91t
W
research 41-44 warming up 54-55, 90, 91t. See also dynamic
ten principles for optimal flexibility 1-13, 2f stretching
water needs 42
About the Authors
224
About the Authors 225
Chris Frederick has been a licensed physical therapist in the areas of ortho-
pedics, sports medicine, and dance medicine since 1989. He has an extensive
background both in professional dance and in the martial arts. Chris uses his
passion for movement correction and reeducation to teach athletes how to
assess their mobility and help themselves. He is the cofounder of the Stretch
to Win Institute and cocreator of Stretch to Win Fascial Stretch Therapy and
LifeStretch. He is certified in kinesis myofascial integration (KMI) by Thomas
Myers. Chris is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and
the International Association of Structural Integrators and is also a founding
member of the Fascia Research Society.
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