Conditioning?

What does it mean, exactly, when Coach says, "Don't treat your stretching like conditioning"  or something to that effect?

I mean, I condition my hair in the shower,  (in other words, speak to me slow like).

It shouldn't feel like a strength or endurance training. You should be working hard and be moderately uncomfortable but you shouldn't feel like you've just finished a foundation session.

I understand what you are saying but I don't think I get it.   I've had two weeks now and have done each class twice (TB only first ~ 3/4 of class) and I do notice a general overall increase in that wiped out feeling.     Is that what you mean?

How wiped though? The stretch courses should feel like hard work. I suppose it's subtle, but a good comparison would be the level of intensity between F and H, S should be closer to H.

Murray Truelove said:

You should be working hard and be moderately uncomfortable

I think this is key. In your strength training you are not interested in your comfort. If you are painfree and your form is good you push yourself to the limit. With stretching you should be more gentle. You do not "overcome" your body's limitation by forcing it to work harder, but you put it in position and try to "convince" it to soften in the right places so you can go deeper. This is also why contracting and relaxing might help. The contraction makes you aware of the area you have to relax and a subsequent relaxation often allows you to go deeper a little bit.

I'm rather bendy, so other than the last elements of TB which I am skipping for now, I don't really feel like I'm forcing anything.  I don't feel any soreness or DOMS from the stretching.   I just feel now that I've added it in, I feel a little zapped of energy, which surprises me bc I was definitely stretching before.

Thanks guys for taking the time to answer.  Maybe I'm just catching a cold.

See how it goes for few weeks. Might be that you need to increase your calorie intake on stretch days to accommodate the extra 45 minutes.

Sounds like you are doing just fine. Take care, and do not go to hard. You want it to feel comfortable and make progress over time. If you are feeling zapped of energy, try having some carbohydrates afterwards, possible some bread or potatoes. 

We are not talking about the level of perceived cumulative fatigue after training. As long as your intensity during a set is only moderately uncomfortable you are on the right track. If you feel like you are dying during a set; you are working too hard.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

What if you feel like you want to throw up during the stretches, not quite like dying and not sure what the hell thats all about, but I guess I'm good?   Yikes, I'm not a stranger to stretching but this is a diff thing all together. Never held a stretch for the length done here but feel real good right now though....

Sean, I felt similarly nauseous during my first sessions of the front split series, just wanted to throw up during all the hamstring stretches, but luckily after three sessions that feeling went away, fight it ... and avoid partner stretching until then :-)

Very good to know thanks......