Improve mobility without static stretching

Improve mobility without static stretching

Today we spend most of the time we are awake sitting: we sit while having breakfast at the table, on our way to work, at work, during lunch and in the evening on the sofa. Our everyday routines are mostly very passive, which harms posture and mobility. Did you know that when you want to improve your mobility, static stretching is not the most important thing? In this article, we will explore the things you can do to improve your mobility without spending many minutes in one and the same position.

Stretching

There are many kinds of stretches, active and passive, static and dynamic. If we really want to
affect our mobility we need especially dynamic stretches combined with ballistic and contract-relax stretches. Instead of only specific muscles, it is important to pay attention to muscular myofascial chains and their mobility. Some of the points mentioned above are probably familiar to you, but let’s look at each one in more detail.

Submaximal dynamic stretches

In Anatomic Functional Training, we sometimes use the name cat movement for these type of stretches, because the exercises are calm and dynamic. Every part of the movement is controlled. In dynamic stretches, the stretch itself is only momentary, and the movement takes you back to the starting position afterwards. One example of this is forward leg swings. The leg swings forward to around 90% of its full range of motion and returns next to the other leg. During the exercise, the movement alternates between contracting (quad) and stretching (hamstring, calf). Dynamic stretches are excellent, especially for warm-up when we want to wake up and prepare the body for the training to come. The work of the muscles during mobility training increases the temperature in the muscle, which has positive effects on the elasticity of the muscle and the ability to use elastic energy.

Ballistic stretches

Compared to dynamic stretching, ballistic stretches happen quickly and using a larger range of motion. In Ballistic stretching, the arms and legs move in pendulum-like movements, and the range of motion is from one extreme of the joint to the other. Ballistic stretches are popular especially among athletes and specifically in sports that require strength, speed, and mobility, for example, football or weight lifting. Compared to dynamic stretches, ballistic stretches are not controlled, which is why it’s best to start from dynamic stretches and add ballistic stretches later on. Even though the movement happens without control, it doesn’t mean it is completely out of control. Let’s look at an arm swing, for example. When we swing the arm forward in a calm and controlled way, it’s a dynamic movement. Respectively, when we swing the arm like a pendulum, the arm itself moves freely, but we should still have control of the core and shoulder. Ballistic stretches help us maintain the important elasticity of the fascia and improve the recoil.

Muscle chain activity

Even though our bodies don’t have one single muscle that reaches from the calf to the skull, there is one factor that can connect the calf and the base of the skull to each other. They were
introduced by the American author Thomas Myers in his book Anatomy Trains and are called
myofascial lines. The word myo refers to muscle and fascia to the connective tissue. Together
these two form a close collaboration: if one part of the chain is not working properly, it affects the functions of the whole chain.

There are seven different myofascial lines in our bodies, which help us move tension, strength, and burden. For example, the superficial back line runs from the foot through the calf to the back of the thigh, glute and through the back to above the eyes, connecting all these muscles into one muscle chain. The functions of this chain are, for example, to maintain an upright position and straighten the body. If these chains don’t function properly, it causes many different problems, for example, limitation of movement, pain, and decreased strength. You can try to demonstrate how the chains work by putting on a t-shirt and pulling on the low corner of the shirt. Do you notice how there is movement on the opposing top corner too?
Myofascial lines require dynamic and pumping movement to stay elastic and mobile. When the chain is stretched, we don’t focus on just one muscle but move the whole chain.

Contract-relax stretching

In this mode of stretching, the movement is taken into a stretch, and the muscle is contracted for a short time, 5-10 seconds. After the contraction, the muscle is released from the stretch by reducing the range of motion for a few seconds, after which the stretch is repeated again using the longer range of motion.

Foam rolling

Stretching moves the layers in one direction, along the length of the muscle fibrils. Movements that we do in Anatomic Functional Training are effective by themselves, but if the layers of connective tissue have dried out or there are new attachments in the body, we won’t be able to affect these and open them up with stretching. This is where we need the help of a roller, which can create fluid pressure that hydrates the tissues and friction which slides the connective tissue. Connective tissue below the skin separates the superficial and deep fasciae. These structures of connective tissue surround our whole body forming myofascial lines (muscular myofascial chains). The fascia tissue has a high water content, and when it dries out, it becomes stuck. The foam roller helps us move the fluids within the tissue, which has a positive effect on the metabolism and fluid flow of the fascia tissue.
The superficial layer can be affected through gentle pressure - a fly would survive. When we want the effect to go deeper and get the fluids moving, we use a slow, maximum painless pressure, and keep the muscle being treated with the roller relaxed. Rolling slowly with maximum painless pressure doesn’t always help if the problem is deeper inside. In these cases, the movement needs to be applied locally from different directions. In this technique, you need a slightly harder roller with bump-like texture (for example, Rumble or Bubble roller), which creates friction that makes connective tissue slide in relation to each other.
When you use a roller, see how your body feels in the moment and choose the pressure based on that feeling.

Nutrition

Nutrition has an effect on the condition of the fasciae. If the body is not hydrated enough, the
fasciae will not be well. You might compare a fascia to a sponge, which needs humidity to maintain its qualities. If the sponge dries out, it becomes brittle and breaks easily. You can compare a dry and wet sponge by pressing on them, what happens? The dry sponge has no elasticity, but the wet sponge will give in and returns to its original shape. Through foam rolling and mobility exercises we can move fluids, but if our body is not well hydrated, we won’t get the right effect. What should we take into account in the nutrition so we can hydrate the body and feed the fasciae? The main thing is nutrition that has a high water content. Add berries, salads, and vegetables to your diet. At least half of the plate - preferably even 70% should be made up of food with a high water content.

Smoothies are another great way to take care of hydration, and they don’t take long to make. Put some berries, a handful of something green and, for example, a banana or protein powder into the blender, add as much water as you want, mix and gulp it down.
In addition to hydration, we must get enough micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. You can affect this easily by eating real food, which you cook yourself out of a variety of ingredients and by choosing products that have not been processed more than necessary. Be brave in using spices like turmeric, ginger, black pepper and wild herbs in cooking.
You should add lemon and unrefined sea salt which helps the water to absorb into the body and maintain the balance of electrolytes. As the lemon burns, it makes the body more alkaline.

Relaxation

In addition to training mobility, we take care of the fasciae through foam rolling and nutrition, but we must also take into account stress and its effect on mobility. During stress adrenaline and cortisol, stress hormones, start collecting into our body. The hormones affect, for example, the activity of muscles, which on the other hand, affects mobility. The stress hormones formed during stress - adrenaline and cortisol - contract the muscles and reduce the level of oxytocin, which has a relaxing effect. These effects cause our bodies to tighten, and the mobility worsens when we are stressed. I recommend including relaxation exercises and other tasks that relax you into your daily routine. Relaxation can include stretching, reading a book, walking in the forest, or anything at all that allows you to relax and activate your parasympathetic nervous system.

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