Stretching

Stretching For Squat

stretching squat

I read a Frederic Delavier’s book « Strength Training Anatomy » and I learned good stuff.

Here is a stretching exercice often done by the powerlifters to avoid having muscle tears during the squat. It’s a stretching exercise to do during the warm-up session and between the first sets.

This stretching exercise involves crouching slowly while hanging on a stable support such as a pole or the frame of a machine to flex your thighs.

This movement corresponds to squat flexion and this allows you to stretch adductors, mainly adductor magnus. The adductors magnus is the muscle the most frequently injured due to the excessive tilt of the torso with heavy weight.

This exercice stretches quadriceps (except rectus femoris), gluteus maximus and the set of small, deep, external rotator muscles of the hip that stabilize and slow down the anterior tilt of the pelvis during crouching.

Note

To better feel the stretch of the leg you can move the weight of your body on the right leg and then on the left leg.

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-Steph

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Stretching Of Trapezius And Neck

stretching trapezius neck

I read a Frederic Delavier’s book « Strength Training Anatomy » and I learned good stuff.

A hand on your head, you pull slowly to tilt your head to the side. This exercise stretches the sternocleidomastoid, all (anterior, middle and posterior) scalenes muscles, the upper part of the trapezius, splenius capitis , splenius cervicis , semispinalis and small spine muscles like longus colli, rectus capitis posterior minor, rectus capitis lateralis and rectus capitis posterior major muscle.

Attention

Pull your head slowly with caution. Stretching should be done gradually.

Note

While you pull your head, lower your shoulders to feel the stretch of your trapezius.

Concerning the neck

stretching trapezius neck stretching trapezius neck

Quadrupeds and anthropoids (such as the gorilla) have very powerful neck muscles to prevent the head from tipping forward.

For the human being, it’s different. When the human being is fully biped depleted thus a vertical position with the head at the top of the spine , the muscles neck have become less powerful because the muscle’s neck have solely as a function of balancing the head.

  1. When the human being became biped, the morphology changed. The face‘s size decreased, the brain’s size increased and the occipital hole moved to the center of the skull. As the head is at the top of the spine, the neck’s muscles have the function of stabilizing the head

  2. Gorilla which is partially a quadruped has a larger face, a smaller brain and the occipital hole is towards the back. To prevent that head tits forward, the neck’s muscles are very powerful and developed.

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-Steph

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Deltoid And Trapezius And Neck Stretching

deltoid trapezius neck stretching

I read a Frederic Delavier’s book « Strength Training Anatomy » and I learned good stuff.

Standing with legs slightly apart. Your back straight with an arm your the back, Take your wrist with the other hand and pull slowly outwards and downwards to fell the stretch of the deltoid (rear and middle) and trapezius.

Variant

To stretch the neck does the same movement by slowly tilting your head on the opposite side of the shoulder stretched.

This variant allows you to stretch the deep and complex muscles around cervical vertebrae and scalene muscles and sternocleidomastoid muscle.

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-Steph

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Stretching At The Bar

stretching bar back

I read a Frederic Delavier’s book « Strength Training Anatomy » and I learned good stuff.

Suspended at the fixed bar with the hands apart and with a pronated grip (thumb inwards) :

  • Inhale and exhale slowly focusing on the relaxation of your body. This allows you to relax your back and rebalance the pressure inside the intervertebral discs (the discs that connect the vertebrae to each other).

  • When you feel your muscles relaxed, lower you head forward to try to touch your sternum with your chin. This allows you to stretch the middle and the top of your back.

To increase the stretch, you can ask a person to grab your hips and pull you slowly down or you can swing slightly.

This stretching is essential. When you do it regularly at the end of deadlift, squat or other exercise that compresses the spine, this allows you in the long term to limit the deterioration of your intervertebral discs. This means that this stretch reduces the risk of spinal disc herniation.

Variant

With a tight grip, you stretch more the latissimus dorsi and teres major.

Note

When you do this stretch, it’s possible that you hear cracking of the spinal column followed by a pleasant sensation of release and relaxation of the back.

Don’t worry, these crackles have no gravity. It’s because of the relaxation of the paravertebrale muscle that allow the brutal decompression of the small intervertebral and costovertebral joints. This make the same effect as a suction cup that you take off.

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-Steph

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Stretching Latissimus Dorsi And Teres Major

stretching latissimus dorsi teres major

I read a Frederic Delavier’s book « Strength Training Anatomy » and I learned good stuff.

This exercise is to be done with a support like a machine or a squat rack.

Standing with your legs slightly apart :

  • Incline your chest forward and with your arm stretched, grab a stable support.

  • Place your palm of the other hand higher up on the support, your arm is stretched and slowly you push your arm against the support and simultaneously you pull on the support with the other arm

To increase the stretch of the latissimus dorsi and teres major, you can rotate your chest trying to  put on the top the lower shoulder slowly.

This exercise is excellent to do before back’s exercises surch as heavy pull (lat pulldowns) or chin-ups with weights. This allows you to avoid tearing latissimus dorsi and teres major.

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-Steph

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Stretching Pectoralis Major Muscle

stretching pectoralis major muscle chest

I read a Frederic Delavier’s book « Strength Training Anatomy » and there is good stuff.

Standing with your arm outstretched, grip to a support with your hand to slowy rotate your torso on the opposite side of the support.

This exercise mainly works the major pectoralis, anterior deltoid and brachii biceps.

Variant : It’s advisable to place your hand at several different heights to stretch all the pectoralis major’s beams.

Note : It’s an excellent stretch for bench press, throw sports, volleyball and handball.

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-Steph

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Shoulder Stretching

shoulder stretching

I read a Frederic Delavier’s book « Strength Training Anatomy » and there is good stuff.

Standing with an arm to the horizontal. You take your elbow with your opposite hand and you pull slowly on your arm to bring your elbow to the opposite shoulder.

Keep this position for 30 seconds to feel the stretch.

This exercise mainly works the deltoid posterior and lateral. It’s important to do this because the teres minor muscles and infraspinatus, which are external rotator muscles of humerus, often have contractures that can create a functional imbalance of the shoulder. This may be, for example, excessive tendon’s friction of the long portion of the biceps in the bicipital groove of the humerus. And the consequences of these contractures can be inflammatory pathologies

This exercise works a little bit the trapezius middle and lower portion and rhomboid major muscle.

Variant : You can pull the elbow with your opposite arm from below.

shoulder stretching

Note : For very muscular persons, the arm’s adduction may be hampered by compression of the brachial biceps on the pectoralis major, which will limit the proper stretching of the shoulder.’s posterior.

Share this article if you think it can help someone you know. Thank you.

-Steph

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