1 Stretching Secret to Amplify Your Mobility

This shouldn't be a secret...

We tend to compartmentalize strength training and mobility as if they're separate things, and in some ways they are.

But if you've ever focused on squatting to the fullest range of motion or bringing your dumbbells on a chest press as low as you can, you know there's no better stretch for your hips and shoulders, respectively.

What people don't realize is that the "stretch" feeling is a type of muscle contraction in the first place. When we lengthen a muscle in a stretched position, it contracts as a way to prevent overstretching and a potential strain. This can be adapted to in a similar way to our biceps adapting to the load placed on them during a bicep curl.

And what do we do when an exercise becomes easy or when we've plateaued in our progress? We load it further. And that's exactly what you should be doing with your stretches.

Instead of holding the same toe-touching hamstring stretch and wondering why you're still always tight, why not hold a dumbbell to accentuate the stretch and cause further adaptation of both mobility and strength?

Below you'll see some examples that I love from Lucas Hardie, otherwise known as "Range of Strength."

So take your favourite stretches, or ones that target specific areas of the body you care about, and load them. It may take some creativity with both weights and bands, but the results are amazing.

You amplify your stretching, prevent plateaus, and build more resilience in tougher positions.

To your good health,

Coach Stephen

Thanks for reading.

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