It’s a universally accepted truth that one of the keys to a healthy and active life is stretching. But if you’ve ever attempted to stretch, you can probably testify that it isn’t exactly enjoyable.
It can be difficult and tedious, frequently taking 30 minutes or more for each muscle group to receive an adequate amount of stretching.
And then, after all that time and effort, the benefits may only last for a few hours!
But there is another type of stretching, one where we focus on isolation, which also has many benefits for your mobility and health; we call it “active isolated stretching.”
As opposed to passive forms of stretching, active isolated stretching targets the muscles themselves.
Here is the answer for, what distinguishes active isolated stretching from other stretching exercises?
This technique involves activating the target muscle, preventing it from relaxing. By using this technique, you can stretch a muscle very deeply in only seconds.
And because this method uses your own power to elicit the stretch, there is no need for tedious time-consuming positions that don’t really apply to real life.
Let’s look at a few of the benefits of active isolated stretching, along with a simple way to perform some basic stretches on your own.
1.Muscle Activation
While some forms of stretching do activate your muscles, they don’t go deep enough or can take too long to be effective. Active isolated stretching utilizes resistance from the target muscle in order to push it deeper into its range of motion.
This allows for a deeper level of flexibility and more effective muscle activation.
More specifically, this technique also works to activate the Golgi tendon organs (the neurological receptors that allow you to monitor and control the tension in your muscles).
2.Flexibility
Most people believe that flexibility is about range of motion, but it’s actually about your muscle’s elasticity.
Range of motion is only one component of flexibility, and passive stretching isn’t the most effective way to increase it. Active isolated stretching not only stretches your muscles but also improves their elasticity.
3.Posture
Most people suffer from poor posture, especially when they are sitting at a desk for hours on end each day or driving in a car for long distances.
This is because passive stretching isn’t effective at fighting poor posture, and our muscles become stiff and tighten up throughout the day. Active isolated stretching, however, is able to both stretch and strengthen your muscles.
4.Joint Pain
While this isn’t a direct benefit of active isolated stretching, it can help give you relief from joint pain that you experience from arthritis or other forms of degeneration.
Since active isolated stretching helps to increase your mobility as well as muscle activation and elasticity, it can improve the range of motion within your joints as well as decrease pain from arthritis or injury.
Your body will have better control over its various parts due to higher muscle activation and elasticity.
5.Better Performance
Studies show that active isolated stretching can improve performance in many different ways. Not only does it provide relief from joint pain, but it also increases your coordination and reaction time.
For example, when you go for a jog or work out you perform better when the muscles in your legs and arms are flexible and strong.
Active isolated stretching will give you these benefits in the same way that regular stretching only provides them in part, but in a more efficient and effective way. When it comes to performance, efficiency is king!
6.Improves Your Body’s Muscularity
Muscle strength is determined by two factors: muscle size and motor unit strength (how many muscle fibers are activated at once).
Research has shown that increased muscle size results from increased motor unit strength. You can have many more muscle fibers activated at once when you perform active isolated stretching, thus increasing your muscle’s size.
7.Improves Your Athletic Performance
Activating the muscles in the right way both increases their effectiveness and increases their size, resulting in better athletic performance (which is why I recommend you start with this form of stretching before any other form of stretching).
Although this does not directly affect your athletic performance, it will indirectly affect it by improving your overall mobility and posture. If you are training for an athletic event, make sure to stretch before and after each workout.
8.More Efficient Preparation for Exercise
Most people only think about stretching before they work out, but how you stretch will determine the effectiveness of your workout. If you are stretching too quickly or improperly, you can do more harm than good.
It is often much better to stretch immediately after your workout, since this allows you to increase muscle activation and improve your flexibility prior to each new workout. If possible, try performing one active isolated stretch after each workout.
After you’ve completed your workout, you can then stretch to relax your muscles and prepare for the next one.
9.Increases the Rate of Recovery
Many people believe that it is impossible to improve their general fitness by stretching; however, it is possible. Stretching more than once a week helps to increase the rate of recovery.
To benefit from this technique, try scheduling at least three active isolated stretches per week so that you can perform them throughout the week on days when you aren’t actively working out.
If possible, try getting up at least 15 minutes earlier than usual each day so that you can perform your active isolated stretches right after waking up.
