The Lazy Man's Guide to Stretching
15 minutes to (joint) freedom!
by Ian King

The following article is a reprint. It first appeared in issue #89 of Testosterone Magazine.

If you're reading this article, I'm going to assume that you're interested enough in learning how to stretch, but not so much as to want to read a dissertation about why you should stretch. So I'm going to give you the Reader's Digest version of why before we get into the how.
When
we popped out of Mommy, we were provided with a certain degree of
flexibility (i.e. range of movement at the joint). But since then, most
things that we've done in life have contributed to taking away what
flexibility we started with. Understand this?training of any type
potentially shortens connective tissue. It's not just the muscle length that determines flexibility, but all connective tissue, including ligaments, tendons, fascia, etc.
So
why stretch? My number-one reason for stretching is to maintain a
"specific joint relationship." Put simply, if the bones get drawn
closer together than desirable, the impingement of connective tissue at
the joint can cause all sorts of problems, especially nerve pinching.
This can set off a range of neural activity, all the way from muscle
spasms to feelings that the muscle has been torn. By stretching and
keeping the joints healthy, you can continue to train. The two most
critical joints are the hip joint (where the femur or upper leg meets
the hipbone) and the shoulder (where the humerus or upper arm meets the
shoulder joint).
My second reason
for stretching is to allow you to obtain joint angles in your strength
exercises that will provide greater training effects (more strength at
specific joint angles and higher amounts of hypertrophy). Anyone
wanting to confirm this theory just needs to have, say, a small muscle
like the tibialis anterior (front shin muscle) loosened up. The
immediate payoff, in most cases, will be an automatic increase in squat
range. And if this doesn't increase your range of motion, bring in the
big guns and extensively stretch the hip flexors, then squat.
You'll immediately know what I'm speaking about from your own personal
experience, which is much more valuable than just reading my opinion
about it!
My third and final reason for stretching is to support and/or accelerate recovery.
Most
of what I've said so far (nothing new or controversial) would be backed
up by most "experts." So now let me run something by you that's less
politically correct: I like static stretching. I know, I know...current trends in sport science have found favor in other methods, like dynamic stretching.
But, in my opinion, it's all part of a circle that's slowly turning.
Static stretching was the big hit in the '80s, and I suggest that it
will be again.
But it gets worse?I believe in static stretching before
the workout! How could I? Has my head been baking too long in the
Australian sun? Don't I know that none of the "experts" support this,
and neither does any of the "science?" Blah, blah, blah...

Here's my suggestion. Forget what you've heard or read. I'll have more
respect for your opinion based on what it actually did for you, not what you think that
it will do for you. Do the following stretching for, say, two to four
weeks. After which, if you feel that it's reinforced all the negatives
that you've heard about pre-training static stretching, great...stop
doing it.
But, on the other hand,
if?to your surprise?it actually does something positive for you, maybe
you'll want to keep it going or even expand on it. That's okay, I won't
mind if you remain a closet stretcher and continue to nod your head in
agreement at seminars when all of the nasties about pre-training static
stretching are rolled out.
Of
course, you may not know the difference between static and dynamic
stretching. Maybe you don't care, and the whole subject of stretching
ranks right up there with the "history of napkins" as far as your
interest levels are concerned. That's exactly why this program might be
perfect for you.
What I've done is
develop a pre-stretching program that takes 15 minutes or less. I
suggest that you try it. If you can follow through for at least a
couple of weeks, the benefits should easily outweigh any resistance on
your part.
There's rationale to the
order that I've laid out?it basically aims to reduce the limiting
factor of the next subsequent stretch. For example, a tight neck (upper
trap) can cause impingement symptoms through the shoulder joint, so
loosening up the neck first will allow the muscles of the shoulder to
"let go."
Focus on what you're doing, feeling for
the stretch, relaxing into them. Go ahead, keep yourself mildly
occupied while you're doing them. But if I had to pick between you
checking out the T and A or chatting to your buddy, I'd opt for the T
and A. Ideally, though, I'd like you to focus on what you're doing. If
nothing else, the latter option (T and A) will negate the theory of
"excessive lowering of neural arousal" that the anti pre-training
static stretch people like to harp about. In other words, what goes up
must come down and, therefore, what goes down (neural arousal during
stretching) can also come up (during your specific warm-up sets).

Stretches Before an Upper Body Workout
Arms)
Using one arm at a time, and keeping the arm in line with the body,
swing the arm in circles from front to back ten times, then back to
front ten times. Do the same on the other side. If you have arthritic
shoulders, you'll want to start the arm circles slowly and in smaller
circles, progressing to a faster movement and bigger circles.
Neck) While
standing, let one arm hang straight down. Turn the hand so that the
palm faces the ceiling and the fingers point outward. Lean your head in
the opposite direction of the aforementioned arm. Using the opposite
arm, gently pull the top of your head further, actually trying to take
the ear to the shoulder. Then do the same in reverse on the other side.
Repeat the process for the tightest side. You can also use this
variation: pull the ear toward the outer pec, thereby stretching the broader, upper trap area.
Shoulders) There are three positions that I recommend for this old standby:

1)
Stretch one arm up over the head, with the hand of the other arm
pulling backward on the triceps just above the elbow, thereby
stretching the tris, too. 2)
Stretch one arm across the front of the chest, with the hand of the
other arm pulling it in toward the body from that same leverage point
on the tricep (just above the elbow), thereby stretching the posterior
or rear of the shoulder and compressing the acromio-clavicular joint. 3)
Stretch one arm up behind the body, with the hand of the other arm also
behind the body pulling it up, thereby stretching the anterior or front
of the shoulder. Repeat the process for the other side.
Forearms) Place
one arm straight in front of the body. Use the other hand to assist in
creating the stretch. There are three positions that I recommend: 1)
Starting with the palm facing away from you, as if you were a traffic
cop, grab the fingers with your opposite hand and pull the hand toward
the body, thereby stretching the forearm flexors. 2)
Starting with the palm facing down (in the opposite position of the
first step above), grab the fingers with your opposite hand and pull
toward the body, thereby stretching the forearm extensors. 3)
Starting with the palm facing down, rotate it outward, then upward so
that the fingers end up pointing away from your body. Grab the back of
the first hand with the palm of the other hand and pull the fingers
around and up more, thereby stretching the forearm rotators.