How important is Fascia stretching?

[calveless wonder]

fuck...my back workout was AWESOME.

oh man, this stuff rocks.

it burned like a motherfucker, but it's been awhile since i felt that good and pumped. i really think this is gonna bring my progress ahead leaps and bounds given my body type

 

[AAP]

Most definately has helped me tremendously.

I used to get 2 deep tissue massages a week before my friend killed himself. Have not found another therapist as good as he was.

You can also get some serious work going on with a foam roller too.

 

[mustang_00]

i started doing that after reading an article about it on abcbodybuilding... my biceps and my left forearm got deep stretch marks after the 2nd week. i'm growing a little more but i'm fucking pissed!!! thors hammer contributed too. i've been doing that for the last 2 months.

 

[timtim]

been doing the stretch flex for awhile now.

i do 4 to 6 60 second stretches followed by 60 second flexes for chest, back, and shoulders. very effective. i actually posted the same link jackangel did like 2 weeks ago in the training forum for someone else asking about stretching

 

[calveless wonder]

i enjoy this facist stuff

 

[SouthernLord]

I have noticed a huge improvement in chest density and shape since incorporating fascia stretching.

 

[wootoom]

when we planning on going to spain? i have another buddy coming

 

[lartinos]

I'm gonna have to give this a try.

 

[ceo]

John Parillo was a big advocate of extreme fascia stretching directly after a bodypart was trained. He believed it was key for recovery and muscle growth. Here are some guidelines for extreme stretches from Doggcrapp (training):

Chest
Use dumbbells that are a little over half of what your heaviest set of 6-8 reps would be. On a flat bench, with your chest high and lungs full of air, drop down into the deepest fly you can for the first 10 seconds or so, keeping the dumbells close to your body so you feel the stretch in your chest - NOT your shoulders! Staying in this position, arch your back slightly and try to press your sternum upward. The rest of the 60 seconds, try to concentrate on dropping your elbows farther and farther down (the last 15 seconds are excruciating).

Shoulders
This one is tough to describe. Put a barbell in squat rack shoulder height (or use a smith machine). Face away from it and reach back and grab it palms up (hands on bottom of bar). Walk yourself outward until you are on your heels and the stretch gets painful, then roll your shoulders downward and hold for 60 seconds.

Triceps
Seated on a flat bench with your back up against the barbell, take a dumbbell in your hand behind your head (like in an overhead dumbbell extension). Sink the dumbbell down into position for the first 10 seconds and then an agonizing 50 seconds slightly leaning back and pushing the dumbbell down with the back of your head.

Back
I'll quote DC directly on this one: "Honestly for about 3 years my training partner and I would hang a 100lb dumbbell from our waist and hung on the widest chinup bar (with wrist straps) to see who could get closest to 3 minutes--I never made it--I think 2 minutes 27 seconds was my record--but my back width is by far my best body part--I pull on a doorknob or stationary equipment with a rounded back now and it’s way too hard too explain here--just try it and get your feel for it."

Biceps
Just like the position for the shoulder stretch, but hold barbell palms down now (hands on top of bar). Now, either sink down with one leg forward/one leg back or better yet squat down and try (I say try because its absolutely excruciating) to kneel. Go down to the stretch that is almost unbearable and then hold that for 45 to 60 seconds. Your own bodyweight is the load. Put the bar at a place on the squat rack in which you can kneel at a severe stretch and then try to sink your ass down to touch your feet. If its too easy, put the bar up to the next rung.

Hamstrings
Leg up on a high barbell holding your toe and trying to force your leg straight with your free hand for a very painful 60 seconds.

Quads
Facing a barbell in a power rack about hip high, grip it and simultaneously sink down and throw your knees under the barbell and do a sissy squat underneath it while going up on your toes. Then, straighten your arms and lean as far back as you can. 60 seconds and if this one doesn't bring tears to your eyes nothing will. Do this one faithfully and see in 4 weeks if your quads don’t look a lot different than they used to.

Calves
This is straight from Dante too: "My weak body part that I couldn’t get up too par until 2 years ago when I finally thought it out and figured out how to make them grow (with only one set twice a week too). I don’t need to stretch calves after because when I do calves I explode on the positive and take 5 seconds to get back to full stretch and then 15 seconds at the very bottom "one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand etc" --15 seconds stretching at the bottom thinking and trying to flex my toes toward my shin--it is absolutely unbearable and you will most likely be shaking and wan to give up at about 7 reps (I always go for 12reps with maximum weights)--do this on a hack squat or a leg press--my calves have finally taken off due to this and caught up to the rest of me thank God."

Here are all the stretches in a collage:
http://server6.theimagehosting.com/image.php?img=extremestretches66.jpg

Here are all the stretches in a slideshow:
http://img396.imageshack.us/slideshow/player.php?id=img396/4756/1163465404m2r.smil

 

[digimon7068]

i had long, skinny little arms when i was a kid. . .they started growing significantly when i started doing biceps and triceps on the same day. . .actually, i do them at the same time. . .supersets. . .e.g., one set of standing barbell curls, one set of facebreakers. . .back and forth. . .i honestly believe the having both muscles pumped at the same time, stretched out the fascia and allowed me to grow more than i would have otherwise. . .