Get better results from stretching!

How can we make our stretching programmes work infinitely better?

Stretching muscles in three dimensions increases the body's awareness of it's overall potential; through the awareness of joint mobility , muscle tension and the awareness of comfortable end ranges and power zones.

The three dimensional movement of the body is made up of joint motion and soft tissue reaction -and it all happens in 3D. Remember that when you are in motion: you aren't thinking about moving - you are just moving - walking for example!

Muscles respond to the position of your joints and your forwards/sideways/backwards motion ... more about this in the 3D anatomy workshop, but, importantly it can be experienced in the 3D workshop.

Joints move first and muscles respond to that action - the golden rule of Anatomy in Motion.

Motion of any joint in the body has a direct impact on another - a kind of domino effect  - foot, knee, hip, pelvis, spine etc . As one joint mobilises another, it naturally invites motion within a second set of muscles.

The motion at this second joint generates motion in a third, fourth and consecutively fifth set of joints - as you can see: more and more muscles are now being invited to react by shortening/lengthening, stabilising/mobilising. We cannot hide from the fact that ultimately all of the joints and, consequently, all of the muscles in the body are active 100% of the time and in all three dimensions - even when you are stood still... more about that in the 3D mechanics workshop!

Muscles and joints operate in couples, pairings or groups. We can't move one joint without moving a collective group of them; in the same way we can't stretch a muscle without stretching a collective chain of them (and causing contraction in a bunch of others too).

Muscle couples create contractile chains of soft tissue that connect one muscle to another much like the skin surrounding linked sausages - they are bound together by fascia, which plays a vastly important role in the body's overall awareness, explained in the 3D Fascial Systems workshop.

We can maximise the awareness of potential within a group of muscles by learning to stretch in 3D. In Motion, yes it's true, all muscles are being contracted or stretched at any point in time... ALL OF THEM!

3D stretching incorporates the full three dimensions of each major muscle in the body along with the couples they operate in and dynamic and static patterns to ground your understanding that stretching in motion is infinitely more rewarding for the client.

See the date of my next 3D Stretching workshop

Tags: Stretching | Joint Mobility | Muscle Tension | Anatomy

This entry was posted on 14 November 2009 at 13:11 and is filed under 3D Stretching. You can leave a response here.

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