How important is Fascia stretching?

[hardrock]

I stretch each bodypart for 60 seconds after working it. it hurts like a mofo, but aids in recovery and growth. Check out some threads on intense muscle in the dogg pound. It's DC training, but I'd think everyone could benefit from the stretches.

 

[string_bean00]

extreme stretching gives results

 

[mustang_00]

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

does anyone else feel the tricep stretch in their bicep??? like a god awful pump before it cramps?? haha

 

[ceo]

There are some alternate stretches. If you're creative, you may come up with some yourself. For triceps, some have had luck doing something setup similar to the shoulder stretch with a barbell or smith machine, but gripping it overhand with your feet planted fairly well back behind the bar, and then easing your body down almost like you were about to hang from the bar but letting your triceps catch the weight, thus stretching them. You're leaning into and under the bar. Hard to describe some of these but easier to show.

Some people do the tricep stretch using a low pulley too. Use your imagination(s)!

 

[calveless wonder]

i did chest today.

i've never had such a pumped up chest in my life.

i fuckin love it

facist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the pain makes you want to train even harder

 

[Jacob Creutzfeldt]

Extreme stretching of fascia leads to herniations. I doubt that anything Parillo did truly stretched fascia enough to deform it. It was likely just a gimick to differentiate his theories from pre-existing theories and sell article and books. The most flexible yogists I've seen are much less muscular than bodybuilders. If the yogist's fascia isn't overstretched I doubt a bodybuilder using the same plane of motion, yet far less range is stretching his or hers. If the stretching does by chance deform fascia, it produces no visible cosmetic end result.

 

[calveless wonder]

Extreme stretching of fascia leads to herniations. I doubt that anything Parillo did truly stretched fascia enough to deform it. It was likely just a gimick to differentiate his theories from pre-existing theories and sell article and books. The most flexible yogists I've seen are much less muscular than bodybuilders. If the yogist's fascia isn't overstretched I doubt a bodybuilder using the same plane of motion, yet far less range is stretching his or hers. If the stretching does by chance deform fascia, it produces no visible cosmetic end result.

Of course yogists are skinny........that's not going to do anything in itself. They don't train or eat the way bodybuilders do. so that point is completely irrelevant

the point of it and the theory is that tight or inflexible fascia can deter muscle growth.and given the feedback, its helped alot of people

i also suppose jay cutler has no idea what he's talking about?

 

[SouthernLord]

does anyone else feel the tricep stretch in their bicep??? like a god awful pump before it cramps?? haha

This stretch kills my shoulders. I like the stretch CEO explained as an alternative a lot better. You basically grip the bar with your hands thumb width apart and lower your self down like a bodyweight skull crusher. The racked barbell should be behind your head when in the fully stretched position. This one kills my tris.

 

[timtim]

Extreme stretching of fascia leads to herniations. I doubt that anything Parillo did truly stretched fascia enough to deform it. It was likely just a gimick to differentiate his theories from pre-existing theories and sell article and books. The most flexible yogists I've seen are much less muscular than bodybuilders. If the yogist's fascia isn't overstretched I doubt a bodybuilder using the same plane of motion, yet far less range is stretching his or hers. If the stretching does by chance deform fascia, it produces no visible cosmetic end result.

if you havent tried it then you really cant say what it does or doesnt do. the stretch combined with the flex has added density to all of my body parts and people have noticed. very effective in my opinion.

 

[mustang_00]

This stretch kills my shoulders. I like the stretch CEO explained as an alternative a lot better. You basically grip the bar with your hands thumb width apart and lower your self down like a bodyweight skull crusher. The racked barbell should be behind your head when in the fully stretched position. This one kills my tris.

i'd like to know more ways to stretch your tri's!! i think this will help me out alot considering one of my tri's is bigger than the other one. so far i've only really done it with chest/biceps/forearms. i love it aside from the stretch marks. no idea why they pop up so damn fast