by Lloyd Shaw
To answer this question , understanding how traditional flexibility is achieved should be noted first , so the stark contrast between methods can be examined.
(1) Use opposing muscles or body weight you create constant tension on muscle and tendon tissue , causing it to be stretched out over a period of time. This is usually done after warming up the muscle with some light work. Initially when a stretch is forced you will get some resistance but after 30sec or so this subsides , the muscle will relax and allow the stretching process to begin. This form of stretching is well proven and is effective , but does have a few flaws , and they can all be blamed on us.
(a) Not warming up properly.
(2) Forcing the stretch.
The second is the most common and repeat damage can cause serious injury. It is important to note that even the best athletes have problems in this area and it is reported that 70% of all injuries in the U.S. Olympic track teams are over-stretch related , and not done during the drills or the sport itself.
So is there another way to stretch a muscle ? Well yes there is , and its important to know that without an electrical current running through a muscle , it is very stretchy and has little resistance( I am a mortician and can confirm that is true).
Its all about that little bit of resistance you get for the first 30sec of a forced stretch. This is called a Myotatic reflex and is caused by pressure being put on a nerve which sends and electrical impulse in both directions from the point of pressure , contracting all surrounding muscle tissue( it is like a built in alarm telling you to not work so hard against your own body). You see a version of this when someone hits you below the kneecap and your leg kicks up by itself. They use tests like that to determine the health of your central nervous system. A short sharp whack to the nerve directly will produce a sudden large surge of current , while slowly applied pressure as in a stretch will produce a constant light current , slowly contracting surrounding muscle.
Here is an example....
Try to touch your toes with your legs locked , without warming up , you will get halfway down and you will get pulled back up by some invisible force. What is actually happening is the pressure placed on the tissue at the back of your legs ( just behind your knees ) is creating a Myotatic reflex that contracts your hamstring and pulls you back up like a bungee cord . But this local reflex can be overridden by larger systems, I will give you example and explain how it works.
Example without vibration.....
Stamp your feet hard and fast , on your toes , for about 5 secs , then "without hesitating" drop down legs locked and touch your toes. Relax your entire body when you are down and notice how that "pulling reflex does not kick in , as once you are past a certain point it wont. Bend knees when standing back up. Do this 3 times in a row and you will remain flexible for hrs .
So what happened ? Essentially you over rid the Myotatic signal with a much larger command that went from your brain to your legs to get you to stamp your feet. This blocking effect only lasts about 0.5 of a second which is why you cant hesitate when dropping down.
With a Vibration Training platform......
The vibrations sets off multiple involuntary reflexes that confuse and override the contraction that pulls you back up , this confusion allows you to stretch out your muscles with little or no resistance . With 2580 involuntary reflexes in 1 minute at 43Hz the effect you gained from the manual version is magnified.
Note for athletes...
As with most things in life , one thing that makes you strong , as in a healthy central nervous system giving you natural speed and strength , can make you prone to injury somewhere else So understanding how these systems really work beyond your standard gym education is very important.
Read this article to discover more about your CNS... http://www.vibra-train.com/sport_strength.html
