Why Doesn't Flexibility "stick"?

I have been working very hard to improve my leg flexibility lately.  Pushing through the discomfort, I can see big gains within a given stretching session.  The problem is though, my starting point always returns to the same position during the following days.  For example, if working on pancake I can get my chin to the floor after some hard work but afterwards I will always return to the same nearly vertical starting position.

I am wondering what are the physiological reasons for this?  If I can do 10 pushups one day, chances are I can do 10 pushups the next day too.  So why does this analogy not hold true for flexibility gains as well?  Are there any ways to make one's flexibility gains "stick" for longer?

Curious to know!

It takes a loooong time to build flexibility. Just keep it up.

I am wondering what are the physiological reasons for this?  If I can do 10 pushups one day, chances are I can do 10 pushups the next day too.  So why does this analogy not hold true for flexibility gains as well?

What? It does. If you can get to Point A after 60s of stretching, you can get to Point A (or close enough to it) the next day after 60s of stretching.

A.J. said:

I have been working very hard to improve my leg flexibility lately.  Pushing through the discomfort, I can see big gains within a given stretching session.  The problem is though, my starting point always returns to the same position during the following days.  For example, if working on pancake I can get my chin to the floor after some hard work but afterwards I will always return to the same nearly vertical starting position.

 

I am wondering what are the physiological reasons for this?  If I can do 10 pushups one day, chances are I can do 10 pushups the next day too.  So why does this analogy not hold true for flexibility gains as well?  Are there any ways to make one's flexibility gains "stick" for longer?

 

Curious to know!

When you stretch, you put tension on the muscles and tendons. In response to this elongation, the body will contract the muscles to protect them from over-extending. With consistent pressure, the body will gradually relax the muscles, allowing you to stretch a little further. After 60s of stretching, the muscles will be very relaxed. When you start over the next day however, the muscles have gone back to their normal, less relaxed state. Gains in static flexibility come primarily from two areas. first, the nervous system can be trained to allow more range of motion in the muscles before it contracts them. Second, over a long period of time in which you engage in intense stretching, the muscles and tendons themselves may elongate. 

Getting flexibility to 'stick' requires that you do a lot of stretching over a long period of time (months or years). PNF stretching is very efficient at training the nervous system to allow a greater range of motion. 

Often when people stretch they gain an increased ROM but as they only stretch they do not gain any new functional ROM. There is no strength in that new ROM. The body is not easily fooled for long periods of time. If you want to keep your new ROM then use it. Use it actively, not just during passive work.

jfslocum said:

When you stretch, you put tension on the muscles and tendons. In response to this elongation, the body will contract the muscles to protect them from over-extending. With consistent pressure, the body will gradually relax the muscles, allowing you to stretch a little further. After 60s of stretching, the muscles will be very relaxed. When you start over the next day however, the muscles have gone back to their normal, less relaxed state. Gains in static flexibility come primarily from two areas. first, the nervous system can be trained to allow more range of motion in the muscles before it contracts them. Second, over a long period of time in which you engage in intense stretching, the tendons themselves may elongate.

The major increase in 'physical flexibility' (so non-nervous system stuff) is going to be due to the muscles getting longer, because muscles are much more adaptable than tendons.

Nic Branson said:

Often when people stretch they gain an increased ROM but as they only stretch they do not gain any new functional ROM. There is no strength in that new ROM. The body is not easily fooled for long periods of time. If you want to keep your new ROM then use it. Use it actively, not just during passive work.

Lots of great points here guys - thanks for your time!  

Nic - using the pancake as example, would building active flexibility at end range mean working on straddle-L sit at the end of the stretching session (which is what I currently do - stalder presses) or pushing through my heals when at the deepest point of the stretch as in PNF?

Rik and JFS - what are the differences between muscle elongation and nervous system adaptation in terms of their effect on the "permanence" of flexibility gains?  Are these two attributes developed simultaneously or are they the result of different training protocols?  And if so, which aspect (if either) is best to focus on for long-term gains?

Muscle elongation tends to be a bit slower, but hangs around longer. Nervous system stuff is quicker to gain but quicker to go too.

I can't speak for protocols, but PNF is mostly neurological. If you want gains, you'll have to do both.

The answer is yes. While you would not need to work it after stretching just working it with the focus on getting a good straddle will help in grain it. The PNF is quite important. As you get better at pancake do not just think of through the heels, it should be more of pushing your hips open. Like your opening the sockets themselves if you will.

1) creep

2) CNS adaptation is slow

3)  Our bodies only keep what we use, and, when we don't use our full ROM actively and regularly, creep and CNS adaptations shorten it right back up.

That's pretty basic, but will open up lots and lots of new things to read about.

Our bodies are very, very highly plastic, meaning that we can dramatically alter our functionality, and these alterations are all based on chemical, mechanical and electrical signals that are produced when we do, or do not, use our physical abilities.

If you don't use it, you lose it.

A.J. said:

Lots of great points here guys - thanks for your time!  

 

Nic - using the pancake as example, would building active flexibility at end range mean working on straddle-L sit at the end of the stretching session (which is what I currently do - stalder presses) or pushing through my heals when at the deepest point of the stretch as in PNF?

 

Rik and JFS - what are the differences between muscle elongation and nervous system adaptation in terms of their effect on the "permanence" of flexibility gains?  Are these two attributes developed simultaneously or are they the result of different training protocols?  And if so, which aspect (if either) is best to focus on for long-term gains?

Hard, deep stretching will, over a long period of time, cause tissue elongation. This is the upper limit on your flexibility. However, you need to do be doing PNF stretching concurrently in order to get any real use out of it. 

Rik de Kort said:

Muscle elongation tends to be a bit slower, but hangs around longer. Nervous system stuff is quicker to gain but quicker to go too.

Would you recommend any resources for reading about muscle vs tendon elongation and their response to various stimuli? 

Joshua Naterman said:

1) creep

2) CNS adaptation is slow

3)  Our bodies only keep what we use, and, when we don't use our full ROM actively and regularly, creep and CNS adaptations shorten it right back up.

 

That's pretty basic, but will open up lots and lots of new things to read about.

 

Our bodies are very, very highly plastic, meaning that we can dramatically alter our functionality, and these alterations are all based on chemical, mechanical and electrical signals that are produced when we do, or do not, use our physical abilities.

 

If you don't use it, you lose it.

Hi Joshua,

I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean by "creep."  Could you elaborate?

Some links (this is not meant to be comprehensive, I am absolutely not going to try and get into that):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_tissue which will lead you to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hysteresis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relaxation_%28physics%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creep_%28deformation%29

Quote from the creep link:

In materials science, creep is the tendency of a solid material to move slowly or deform permanently under the influence of stresses. It occurs as a result of long term exposure to high levels of stress that are below the yield strength of the material.

Creep happens very slowly, and as it happens our bodies can actually make the tissues thicker to compensate. I believe this is typically how ligaments end up stretching in adults.

Now, this can be good AND bad. Creep is part of how long stretches help gain flexibility, but the relaxation link will tell you that things tend to go back to normal quickly.

This is especially true of biological materials, which are what we are made of. Creep is part of the advantage of long stretches. You have to be careful not to have too much stress, because that can cause mechanical failure of the tissue (a tear), which is why we try to tell everyone not to stretch super hard.... you want to feel the hard end, which is where movement doesn't seem to increase hardly at all but stress (the pressure) starts to rise rapidly. From there, just spend time.

No amount of PNF can reproduce the effect of creep, but PNF is also a powerful, fast, safe, and effective way to quickly get to your true hard endpoint.

Relaxation tells us that things like to go back to "normal". That's why you need to go through your full ROM multiple times per day... don't let your body "remember" that normal is inflexible. In our bodies, there are very complex mechanisms at work and we aren't 100% sure how they all work. Don't get bogged down in the science on this one

That is why short, frequent, moderate stretching sessions will always lead to good results. You reduce the relaxation effect.

Hysteresis can be (somewhat inaccurately) be summed up as inertia or momentum. Something's current state, or recently past state, can influence how easy it is to change the present state into the desired future state.

This can work for us, because if we go through full ROM several times throughout the day we create a state where relaxation is reduced (we keep the tissues more capable of elongation) and we are not allowing our bodies to lose their "flexibility inertia" if you want to use a descriptive, but made-up, term.

Of course, if we stretch infrequently then this all works against us.

Not understanding WHY we lose flexibility makes it harder to be motivated.

Now that we know some of the basics, maybe we will be much more motivated to keep stretching several times a day for a few minutes, and to try to get at least one session per week where you can do some longer holds at the hard end point (not with huge tension, just "enough"... you will be able to tell what that is).

I have a different view to most commenting here. As well, with respect, I do not think the literature is a very useful guide to best practise here: what has been written on stretching is nowhere near as illuminating as (say) what's been written on the strengthening response.

In my view, the reason you can't usually duplicate one day's gains the next day is that (from a stress absorption perspective) it is simply too soon. A stretch, if it is experienced as such, is a stress that provokes an adaptation. Just like intense strength training, time is needed for this adaptation. On the other hand, once a new ROM is 'owned' and experienced regularly by you, then to take the limbs into that position is no stress at all, and hence this can be repeated whenever desired. If any of you attend dance classes, you will know what I mean: full front and side splits are not "stretches" for them; merely the repetition of known movement and position patterns. And the way young gymnasts and dances get their flexibility is simply no guide for an adult (with the "normal" adult patterns) who wants to get that flexibility.

My strong recommendation—made explicitly to improve existing flexibility is to do all exercises/position that are experienced as difficult once a week only. You will find that, the next time you go to stretch that ROM, it will feel different. Once warmed up, you will feel more 'give'; less resistance, and a change in the feelings being experienced.

A side, but related note: under full anaesthetic, the body can be put into any position (to the limits of joint integrity). Look up spontaneous dislocations during operations for a primer. The point is that the brain controls this extensibility (somatosensory cortex, via proprioceptors/mechanoreceptors). And elicitation of the fight or flight syndrome (and its attendant emotion, fear, is the real limitation in stretching. Few talk about this, but it's real.

And recent research has revealed the presence of all four nerve types in fascia, too, so far from being the inert ground substance that I leaned about in A&P, it is intimately involved in everything we are talking about here. And (tangential) tendons do stretch, contrary to received wisdom; but this facility is time dependent (if 0.2-0.3" loading, then they can stretch and return that energy to the limb; if slower, muscles do the elongating—this is the difference between bounding and walking); and this aspect is the basis of all dynamic movement.

I have to go out now, but will return. In our system, we do our hard (always in reference to direct experience; and different for everybody) stretches once a week, and progress is certain if you can restrict yourself to this. I will elaborate on the differences between limbering and stretching next time (a clue: when you see dancers rolling from front splits ot side splits, that's limbering for them—but not for you, probably!).

You really have to do those examples on the same day: front splits and side splits (and the pike/pancake) stretch the hamstrings and adductors (proportion of which are affected the most changes as leg angle changes), so working on one will leave many of the same structures sore.

If you do have a breakthrough in either, the hamstrings can be sore (as in 'worked out' kind of sore) for up to a week; we think it's likely to be s similar micro-tearing in the fascia as a hard workout produces—and whether this turns out to be accurate or not, the DOMS feels identical.

One more thing I wanted to mention is that I do not believe that the sarcomeres, Z-fibres, etc., etc. are where the effects of stretching are located. A thought experiment: you all will have had the experience of getting down on the floor one day and bending over one leg, and finding (maybe even surprised) that you can go quite a bit further that day, further into the ROM, and when you go as far as you can, it can feel like same point experientially that you have been before. Yet, you are further into the ROM than you have been. The end point feels exactly the same, but you've got deeper. And on another day, it can almost be like you are beginning again—everyone has had this experience, no? If the sarcomeres and other cellular mechanisms were where stretching really happens, this would not occur, I believe.

Another consideration: in our system, while ever contractions produce further elongations, we believe we are affecting the neural system. In any stretch session, up to half-a-dozen repeated contractions can yield further elongation (some parts of the body more; some less; and to some extent muscle size related), but a point is reached where another contraction has no effect. At this point, I believe we are 'hanging off' the fascial system (this is extremely complex and I am simplifying here hugely, for economy) and at this point we back off the intensity of the stretch and stay there for a couple of minutes, sometimes with the tiniest of tension held. As you do this, you will feel a further elongation that, again experientially, feels completely different to the earlier lengthening experience.

What changes between sessions is the degree of innervation that the parts are experiencing, and the more direct experience you have of this, the more you realise that your state of mind is the biggest determinant of what happens on the day. This is why we stress breathing, and the experience that you are having while trying to relax when your body is simply in alarm mode!  

That's enough for now, but if you want to experience this yourself, come along to the next GB seminar; Coach has made Stretch Therapy a core module, and I will be there, happy to help. In my view, stretching is the least understood of all the physical elements (strength, aerobic capacity, etc.). We have learned more in the last five years than the previous 25...

Amazing information... Lots to digest here.  Thanks so much for your time everyone!

Kit - You recommend a once-per-week protocol to "improve existing flexibility."  Does this mean that the training intent is to be able to reach one's current end range with greater ease (as in the dancers who easily move between splits position without really needing to 'stretch'), or is it intended to actually extend one's current end range?  Very curious about this...

The noted effects of anaesthesia on joint mobility are very interesting (something that I have also heard before), and it seems to suggest to me that flexibility is essentially 100% controlled by the nervous system.  If this is indeed the case, how does one stretch to most effectively elicit CNS response?  (Sorry - very vague question...)

Absolutely agree with Kit. Fascia is a huge part of function, and recent reading over the last week has turned up some interesting things.

For example, fascia has contractile properties independent of innervation, and they do not relax immediately OR contract immediately. Appparently this is mediated by chemicals like histamine. It could be that the increased pressure from tight fascia creates an inhibitory feedback loop that inhibits muscle lengthening until the inflammation returns to baseline. I certainly notice that on off days (not hard stretch) it takes a lot longer to reach true hard end point, and that it is usually not quite as deep as the heavy day.

Based on that alone, and knowing that after heavy muscular work (including heavy stretching) we get an inflammatory response to kick-start adaptation, these same chemicals probably also temporarily tighten up the fascia, which is why we often don't see the progress right away. The physics concepts of hysteresis and relaxation, as linked earlier, tell us it's still important to move through our best range of motion on all days, just to make sure we prevent our bodies from regressing to a less flexible state, but if this proposed process is accurate then it makes total sense why you need to wait 4-7 days to do a hard stretch again: The tissues, and fascia in particular, are not in the right chemical environment to allow full stretch until then.

I also found the potential liquid crystal effects to be quite fascinating, and cannot pretend to have a full understanding of what all that means right now, but that's more about manual therapy.

I think Kit has done a phenomenal job of summing things up.

I was just trying to offer a few basic properties of real substances (meaning everything in nature) in an effort to help people understand what the concepts behind flexibility are, and why we need daily work (though not always daily hard work) to see our best results.

Kit's observations very closely match mine.

My flexibility gains came via doing lots and lots of yoga. We used a very different language to talk about these things, and for the most part is was a learn by doing situation. In my case we are talking lots of doing, often more than four hours a day. This is part of why I'm often a bit reluctant to jump into these conversations.

I still remember being very surprised the first time I was sore from yoga. Years later when I became very involved with Ashtanga yoga, DOMS became a way of life.

In that system one is doing maximal stretching most everyday with essentially no recovery time.

It's was quite common for me to be so sore that my flexibility would waver up and down depending on what was the most sore that day. Usually after warming up this would go away, thankfully.

Later when I 'retired' from Ashtanga, I went back to my previous method of stretching intensely about once a week, and honestly believe this to be equally effective now. I realised as well that everyday max work is not needed, and borderline cruel.

Kit however, has managed to find an excellent way of expressing this information, which I never could, and better yet created a wonderful system.

Kit's system is based upon both science and empirical evidence to an extent that I have not seen before. He's quite a way beyond his competition, so much so that it's really kind of hard to even call them true competition.

- Kit's "Stretch Therapy" (ST) methods are the best I have ever worked with.  For adults they are far more productive than any other protocols currently being used by either the Russians, the Chinese or the US National Team.  As per Kit's recommendation above, I have been using them with my elite athletes on Saturdays with tremendous results.

- As also mentioned, Kit has graciously consented to teach a ST module at select 3 day GB Seminars.  

Unfortunately due to schedule constraints, the ST module is not included in either 2 or 1 day GB Workshops.

- But never fear; for some months now Kit and I have been hard at work developing stand alone ST courses to assist you in learning the intricacies of the ST system in a clear cut, easily followed format. 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Kit,

where can we find out more about your "Stretch therapy"???

Is there a book or something?

Thanks

Thank you for those kind words, everyone; what I have written here is the shallowest of sketches, though.

@ Spyro, please search on my name and you will find my site, and there are nearly 70 YouTube clips, too.

Some background: I did a lot of hard yoga (Iyengar and Satyananda styles) when I was in my 20s, and my body was sore all the time, and in my 30s (in Japan) I was my most flexible—and my pelvis/lower back the most unstable. And when I ran a "Unlocking the Yoga Poses" workshop in Toronto of the weekend of 9/11, presenting aspects of my newly developed system, the majority of the attendees were Ashtanga and Iyengar yogis and yoginis, and almost all were carrying injuries, and all were following protocols like Cole described above.

If liberation is your goal, and you have four hours a day to practise, a sophisticated approach (like Iyengar's year plan, as described in his book 'Light on Yoga") will not work the same areas hard daily, but return to them every third or fourth day. 

The ancient systems can work, but traditionally they also include serious amount of samadhi (meditation), pranayama (involved breathing techniques) and more, and all affect the CNS beneficially re. flexibility. All contribute to deep systemic tranquility and equanimity; one of the byproducts is flexibility. None are efficient in term of time spent for results gained, in my view; all have other benefits, though.

For us, where dynamic strength is the goal, I do not believe that any of the modern forms of Yoga are the most efficient way for westerners to get the ROM they need (pike, straddle/pancake, shoulder girdle [think handstands], and eventually splits and full backbends, etc.). Add to this our tendency to leave flexibility to last in the little time we allocate to 'fitness' and one can see why.

One of the great advantages of Coach's system is that the essential mobility elements are built in—in our gym we have all gone back to PEs 1–3, just because there are mobility elements there that we find hard! As well, as I wrote elsewhere, I think the gymnastics community has overlooked the incredible strength and conditioning aspects of the most fundamental bodyline series—by the time we see athletes like Alan, these basics have been repeated many thousands of times and are truly embodied characteristics. 

The strength of the ST system is in identifying and unlocking one's own restrictions in the adult body. The adult's body is a totally different proposition, flexibility-wise, to the child's. Most dancers and gymnasts get their flexibility as children. By the time we get to work with someone, that suppleness is past. My system unlocks adult bodies, and uses completely different techniques that, in fact, are unsuitable for children.

Flexibility is a lot more than ROM, though. For me, it's simply a prerequisite. Let my illustrate. Unless you can assume any gymnastic position (think spinal and shoulder position in the HS), then training your time is largely wasted AND you will be using huge amounts of energy just to hold yourself in the desired position. You will be fighting your own restrictions AND gravity. Two years ago, Dave W (my main training partner) and I had worked up to an incredible (for us) time in wall HS: we were jubilant about having held 2 x 2.5 minutes. Olivia (ex gymnast, who had not been working on HS at all in the previous year, looked bemused, jumped into a perfect wall HS and held it for seven minutes. The point here is that her alignment is simply perfect, and she requires a fraction of the effort than we needed. This was a big lesson for me, and Dave and I turned our attention to form as the primary goal.

And to round this out, in last night's training, once again we returned to side splits, and I immediately (without warmup) got my hips down on an aerobic step with two supports (about 8" off the floor). But, just as immediately, I felt that I had not recovered from the previous week's mini-breakthough (step plus one support). The big thing here is that we need to tune in to what our body is actually telling us, rather than imposing what we want on it! If you can learn to feel what's going on, and you are truly present in your body while doing it, it is very hard to injure yourself, too. This has to be every athlete's primary directive, because a pulled adductor (speaking from multiple experiences) might take you out of the game for months. Anyhow, that's more than enough from me today. Happy to answer any questions, though.

Thanks again everyone for all of your time investment!  Yet another example of why the GB community is so stellar 

Kit if you have some time I could use some assistance from you in regards to a scalene issue.

Those years of basics are definitely under-valued.