Active Isolated Stretching

So... you had some heavy deadlifting, or a million squats for time.  Then as the day goes on you feel your hamstrings, quads, butt, & low back just tightening up... Or even worse, the minute you are done with your WOD.


This has happened to everyone and of it hasn't, they are not working out hard enough, jk (no really you aren't)... 


Okay, Enough about them, let's get back to pain engulfing your lower half. What can you do to help decrease the pain?  Stretching is probably the best way to start  and today I am going to talk about a certain type of stretching which I use a lot is AIS, or Active Isolated Stretching. 


This type of stretching goes in this sequence: stretch, contract, relax, and stretch technique. You stretch the muscle that you are trying to lengthen, then contract the opposite (or as we call the antagonist muscle) for a 2-3 seconds, then relax and as you are relaxing you will try to stretch the desired muscle a little more than originally...


So how does AIS differ from traditional static and dynamic stretching?
Three main principles of AIS that will help anyone understand this method of flexibility.

1.) active isolated stretching uses the body's own laws to facilitate the results. The stretches are held for only 1.5-2 seconds, and are completed in repetitions.

       The reason for this is that when a stretch is held for longer than two seconds, a protective mechanism called "myotatic stretch reflex" is triggered. This reflex happens in the body under many normal circumstances. However in elite performance, injury rehabilitation or the desire to instill lasting changes in the body, this reflex is undesirable.

The aforementioned is true because when the myotatic stretch reflex is initiated (by holding stretches for more than approx. 2.5-3 seconds), the muscle being stretched will begin to contract, creating what is known as an eccentric contraction - something we do not want to happen.

Allowing the myotatic stretch reflex to occur while stretching causes oxygen to be depleted from the tissue being stretched. Reduction of oxygen is the opposite of what you want to happen in a rehabilitation or performance situation.

2.) stretches performed in this technique are "active"-- meaning the person being stretched is ACTIVELY moving their own body part with their own muscles, before any assistance with a rope (if done alone) or a therapist (if treated by therapist) is initiated.

This active movement causes "reciprocal inhibition" (Sherrington's law). Simply put, when a muscle contracts, another muscle called the "antagonist" (the opposite) muscle is shut off.

The perfect environment to stretch a muscle is when it is relaxed. Active Isolated Stretching achieves this concept with every stretch.

3.) Breathing... In this concept, we are talking about optimizing the oxygen content of the muscle and surrounding fascia (connective tissue). The person should always be exhaling during the "work phase" of the stretch, or while the myofascia is being stretched.

Breathing in this manner will allow the maximum amount of oxygen to be delivered to the region being treated.

The originator of these technique is Aaron Mattes. Click the link to learn a little about him and his reasoning behind AIS...
http://www.stretchingusa.com/aboutAIS.cfm

Here is another link about AIS and a few other instructional videos on how to person AIS

http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/training/active-isolated-stretching.html

So start stretching and BREATHING people!