Is it Possible to Stretch Too Much?

We’ve all seen the images of young,  bendy children being folded up like pretzels, or of long, lean dancers doing over splits on like 15 yoga blocks. Kind of leads us to believe that the only way to improve flexibility is to go to extremes, doesn’t it?

But how do you know when it’s too much?

Flexibility training is challenging for both the connective tissue (muscles, tendons, ligaments) and the nervous system. And both can be over trained or over stimulated. It takes a coach who is trained to understand and assess each students body as they train, to ensure training is progressing safely. Those people are not easy to find!

Let’s talk about the connective tissue for a moment…

I have been physically pushed into movements in both flexibility classes and in pole classes. Sometimes it was just what I needed to break through a plateau (the result of good coaching). But there have been many times when the push put me past what my body was capable of at that moment. And I got injured. Definitely not the best coaching in those scenarios!

And sometimes I push myself too far as well. The result: usually an injury of some sort.  Not gonna lie, I’ve been pushing my overhead shoulder mobility too much lately and my shoulder is fighting back with a vengeance.

Not only am I in pain, my mobility has actually regressed in the process. Push too hard, take two steps back.

So how do all the bendy internet people do it all? Because we’re just seeing their highlight reels, it’s hard to tell how long they’ve worked, if they have any injuries, or much else about their training for that matter. So I have no real answer for that.

My best advice to you if you’d like to improve your flexibility in any area of your body: slow and steady wins the race!  If you can be patient and consistent with your training, and avoid the urge to do too much too soon, you will see improvements.

And if you’re teaching flexibility classes, please encourage your students to train hard without encouraging the “more is more” philosophy we see far too often. Remember: if you’re not working as a professional circus artist, #circuseverydamnday is probably not the best mantra

Want to learn more about flexibility, pole strength & conditioning, or even teaching pole? Head over to @bodybyfran on IG and sign up for the Body By Fran Training email newsletter today (on the home page).

Train smarter not harder!

Xo,

Fran