‘All at once~’ vs. ‘Little by little, more! More!’… What is the correct way to stretch?

When stretching to the command "one, two, three, four, two, two, three, four," there are two main types of stretching. Some people sway their bodies to the beat, stretching their muscles further. Others remain motionless throughout the eight beats, compressing their muscles. Which is the correct stretching method?

 

The correct answer is the latter. You have to press hard to effectively relax the muscles. Stretching that uses bouncing motion actually contracts muscles, increasing the risk of injury. "Muscles have sensory organs called 'muscle spindles,' which detect the degree of muscle stretch and send signals to contract when overstretched, protecting joints," explains instructor Kim Gyu-nam. "Bounce-style stretching causes the muscle to elongate sharply and momentarily, activating the muscle spindle, which in turn causes the muscle to contract more strongly."

Even when stretching, be careful not to stretch your muscles to the point of pain, as this can also trigger muscle spindles. Bones are connected by ligaments, and repeated excessive stretching can damage these ligaments. Inflammation of the ligaments or damage to the cartilage can also increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis.

 

Meanwhile, there's another sensation that works in opposition to muscle spindles: the Golgi tendon organ, which relaxes muscles when they contract strongly. Some stretching techniques utilize this mechanism. "PNF stretching" induces a strong muscle contraction, resulting in muscle relaxation. This technique adds resistance to static stretching.

 

For example, if you tie a band around your ankle or wrist to a fixed object and then bend it, the muscles will contract excessively and then relax. The angle of bending should be just right without causing pain. PNF stretching is effective for those who hold a single movement for long periods or who frequently exercise their muscles, resulting in muscle and ligament stiffness.

 

 

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While pressing it hard

Do some stretching~~

I also sat down and put my hands up

1.2.3 Counting like this

They even stretch and do other things.