In this video, movement and mobility expert Kelly Starrett talks about lengthening the muscle via proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, or PNF.
To illustrate, he has class participants get into the deadlift position, relax and re-tension.
“What are we doing here? Testing and retesting, showing that there’s actual change,” he says.
Next, it’s time to bring the hammer down on the posterior chain, Starrett says.
He asks everyone to lie on the floor and pull one knee to the chest, grab the ankle and pull back. After holding for a few seconds, they relax, and then it’s back to re-tensioning, picking up the “slack” of the stretched muscle and pulling back once more. After five such stretches, he asks participants to stand and find their deadlift positions once more.
“Does that feel different side to side?” he asks, rhetorically. “You’re not a linear human being, and only you know where you’re tight.”
7min 43sec
Additional audio: CrossFit Radio Episode 148 by Justin Judkins, published Dec. 1, 2010.
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3 Comments on “Lengthening Muscle With PNF”
1
wrote …
K-Starr, I just wanted to say thanks for all that you do for our Community, I injured My shoulder over 7 months ago and cam to the realization that I needed mobility, since then I have been using every once of information that I can find on the MWOD website and I strongly believe that had allot to do with me qualifying for regionals this year, I am happy to say that I am injury free and am more mobile than ever!!!! Athletes will never realize the potential they could unleash until they decide to adopt an extensive mobility bias to there training, I think that not doing this before every WOD would put an immediate chance of injury on every person, again thank you. God Bless you sir!!!
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2
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Absolutely brilliant. Thanks.
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3
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This should be part of the L-1 cert. Kelly you are the man. Thanks!
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