NOTE: This message was SO good I'm putting here on my blog from these guys,
Ryan and Adam from BodyWeightCoach.com It reveals a huge mistake
putting the brakes on your gains...
In short - if you ignore this advice - you're a FOOL!
Read each and every word and I'll be back with my thoughts on this
controversial topic tomorrow.
================
Are you making this muscle building mistake?
By Ryan Murdock & Adam Steer
Do you take a few minutes to stretch after you hit the gym? Or do
you just head for the showers in an exhausted post-lifting haze?
I'm willing to bet that most of us skip the stretching after a good
weight lifting session, because I used to be that way too. Let's
face it. When I rack that last rep, I'm tired. I've squeezed out
every ounce of effort and I've got nothing more to give. Besides,
stretching is boring and I just don't have the time.
At least, that's how I used to be...
What if I told you that skipping your cool down puts you on a long
downward slope to ineffective lifting technique--and eventually to
injury?
It happens because heavy lifting causes your muscles to contract.
That's how you generate massive amounts of force--your muscles
contract and shorten, pulling on the levers of your bones and
joints to move the weight. The better you get at firing those
muscles and making them contract, the more weight you can move, and
the more your muscles will grow.
The problem is, your body adapts to this need in order to make
those contractions easier and more efficient. It tricks you into
using the mid-range of motion. And one of the ways it does this is
to cause your muscles to shorten. The more you work them in this
range, the shorter and tighter they get.
If you're one of those guys who walks around the gym with his arms
in parentheses, then yeah, I'm talking about you. Scratch your own
back lately? I didn't think so...
Overly tight muscles don't just look silly or stop you from combing
your hair. When your muscles become chronically shortened, it's
like you're driving with the parking brake on. You're fighting
against your own body in addition to the weight. And your
performance in the gym suffers because of it.
You also lose access to the muscle's full range of motion. That
puts a hole in your results too, because it's by working through
those fully contracted and fully extended ranges that you'll see
the most growth.
Keep reading, cause it gets worse. The only thing that'll slow down
your results more than crap technique is not lifting at all--and if
you're sidelined by injury, that's gonna be you.
Chronic tightness leads to muscle imbalance, and THAT leads to
injury. Ever tighten a guitar string too much? You don't want to
hear that "snap" when it comes to your muscles.
So yeah, stretching. Don't neglect it.
Just be sure to heed this warning: DO NOT perform stretching
exercises before your workout. Stretching before lifting has been
proven to reduce strength and power output. Do your stretches right
after your weight lifting session, when your muscles are warm.
That's when you'll get the best results.
You'll release the tension you just put into those tissues, you'll
chip away at the chronic tension you've been carrying around for
years, and you'll speed up your recovery and reduce the occurrence
and severity of DOMS. What's not to like?
You're probably thinking, "Oh crap! Are you telling me I've gotta
spend another 20-30 minutes stretching after each workout?!?"
Nope. And that's the best news of all.
You can get all of these benefits by adding just one or two
carefully chosen stretches that focus on the body parts you trained
that day. It only takes a few minutes. And your lifts will increase
because of it.
That's what Yoga for Bodybuilders is all about.
A quick and easy, strategically-targeted solution for guys who need
to stretch--but who hate to take the time.
Cheers,
Ryan
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