Which Muscles Should You Really Stretch? Part 2
In part #1 you were introduced to a foundational stretching principle and gained valuable practical insight into how to go about selecting stretches for specific joints of the lower body. Recall that some areas are designed to be stretched, while others are naturally geared towards stability and not so much stretching. Next, we are going to look at the remainder of the upper half of the human body and identify which areas need stretching, and vice versa. Let’s get started.
The Lower Back
Since the invention of fitness training, there has been a constant promotion of stretches for the lower back (i.e. Child’s pose, etc.) but it’s undoubtedly at the expense of all local or direct structures of the unique area. I don’t care who you are and what have been through or told, the lower back is designed for stability more so than just about any other joint.
But why is that? Well for starters, the spine possesses very little capacity to rotate, and just a tad more when it comes to bending and extending according to research from Dr. Mcgill. Factor in loading factors with weight training, gravity, poor posture, and more and you can see why over 80 percent of Americans incur back pain at some point in their life. The take-home message here will always be to create stiffness and stability through your spine with exercises like planks, chops, lifts, pallof presses, dead bugs, and bridges to name a few. And just ditch the stretching altogether.
Mid-Back (aka Thoracic Spine)
Now if you are looking for a safe area to integrate some stretching this is it. Unlike the lower back, the middle back has more degrees of freedom and movement when it comes to stretching. There is some strategic benefit when it comes to mobilizing this area of your spine as it trains and develops key muscles of the scapula which are linked to shoulder health mostly.
Last but not least, the Lat encompasses about as much area on the body as any other muscle group along with the Quadriceps. As such, the lats tend to bully the smaller muscles and keep the shoulder blades and mid back in tight and eventually dysfunctional positions. Some mobility work here can go a long way toward aiding some weak areas when it comes to the structural balance of your muscles and keeping the lats at bay.
Scapula
Right on top of the mid back sits the scapula. Now as I just alluded to there is nothing wrong with some rounding of the back and shoulder blades to activate commonly weak areas and untrain extended back postures. However, just as important if not more is the need to teach the scapula to pull back, retract, and stay locked in during movement. Think about deadlifting, squatting, benching, and anything that requires a stable upright posture for that matter.
You are only as strong as your weakest link, and a very strong argument could be made for the scapula in general being that weak link. Your biggest allies in this department to address the scapula specifically would be ytwl’s, seated hang cleans, t-bar rows, seated rows, DB rows, and much more.
The shoulder
The Glenohumeral Joint would be more formal here, but the shoulder works just as well as a reference. You need stability to prevent unwanted micro-movements or false gliding at the shoulder joint. However, the lats and other relative muscles can pose problems and become stiff, so some restoration and maintenance of proper muscle length through stretching can be warranted after a simple evaluation of the mobility of your shoulder. The over-under stretch and shoulder flexion against the wall compliments of The National Academy of Sports Medicine will do the trick and tell you what you need.
The Neck
The last area of concern when it comes to stretching would be the neck. A naturally delicate and weaker area will not require much stretching at all. Simple chin tucks with the head pressed against the wall are all that you need. This position provides a very subtle but effective stretch without compromising any vulnerable areas of the neck and builds positional awareness as well. The exception to the rule here are athletes who require tremendous amounts of neck strength to be able to effectively offset the repetitive demands of their sport and stay safe. Football players and combat athletes are the most common examples here.
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Which Muscles Should You Really Stretch? Part 2
In part #1 you were introduced to a foundational stretching principle and gained valuable practical insight into how to go about selecting stretches for specific joints of the lower body. Recall that some areas are designed to be stretched, while others are naturally geared towards stability and not so much stretching. Next, we are going to look at the remainder of the upper half of the human body and identify which areas need stretching, and vice versa. Let’s get started.
The Lower Back
Since the invention of fitness training, there has been a constant promotion of stretches for the lower back (i.e. Child’s pose, etc.) but it’s undoubtedly at the expense of all local or direct structures of the unique area. I don’t care who you are and what have been through or told, the lower back is designed for stability more so than just about any other joint.
But why is that? Well for starters, the spine possesses very little capacity to rotate, and just a tad more when it comes to bending and extending according to research from Dr. Mcgill. Factor in loading factors with weight training, gravity, poor posture, and more and you can see why over 80 percent of Americans incur back pain at some point in their life. The take-home message here will always be to create stiffness and stability through your spine with exercises like planks, chops, lifts, pallof presses, dead bugs, and bridges to name a few. And just ditch the stretching altogether.
Mid-Back (aka Thoracic Spine)
Now if you are looking for a safe area to integrate some stretching this is it. Unlike the lower back, the middle back has more degrees of freedom and movement when it comes to stretching. There is some strategic benefit when it comes to mobilizing this area of your spine as it trains and develops key muscles of the scapula which are linked to shoulder health mostly.
Last but not least, the Lat encompasses about as much area on the body as any other muscle group along with the Quadriceps. As such, the lats tend to bully the smaller muscles and keep the shoulder blades and mid back in tight and eventually dysfunctional positions. Some mobility work here can go a long way toward aiding some weak areas when it comes to the structural balance of your muscles and keeping the lats at bay.
Scapula
Right on top of the mid back sits the scapula. Now as I just alluded to there is nothing wrong with some rounding of the back and shoulder blades to activate commonly weak areas and untrain extended back postures. However, just as important if not more is the need to teach the scapula to pull back, retract, and stay locked in during movement. Think about deadlifting, squatting, benching, and anything that requires a stable upright posture for that matter.
You are only as strong as your weakest link, and a very strong argument could be made for the scapula in general being that weak link. Your biggest allies in this department to address the scapula specifically would be ytwl’s, seated hang cleans, t-bar rows, seated rows, DB rows, and much more.
The shoulder
The Glenohumeral Joint would be more formal here, but the shoulder works just as well as a reference. You need stability to prevent unwanted micro-movements or false gliding at the shoulder joint. However, the lats and other relative muscles can pose problems and become stiff, so some restoration and maintenance of proper muscle length through stretching can be warranted after a simple evaluation of the mobility of your shoulder. The over-under stretch and shoulder flexion against the wall compliments of The National Academy of Sports Medicine will do the trick and tell you what you need.
The Neck
The last area of concern when it comes to stretching would be the neck. A naturally delicate and weaker area will not require much stretching at all. Simple chin tucks with the head pressed against the wall are all that you need. This position provides a very subtle but effective stretch without compromising any vulnerable areas of the neck and builds positional awareness as well. The exception to the rule here are athletes who require tremendous amounts of neck strength to be able to effectively offset the repetitive demands of their sport and stay safe. Football players and combat athletes are the most common examples here.