WHICH MUSCLES SHOULD YOU REALLY STRETCH-PART #1
Updated: Jun 9
It's more than safe to say that the notion of stretching for athletes hasn't lost any traction in recent times. Like core training, I don't think that it ever will, regardless of whether or not it's benefiting you, which is highly debatable, to say the least. I digress, though, and for this article specifically, the focus will remain almost solely on what areas of the lower body you undoubtedly need to stretch. The next follow-up article will cover the remaining upper half of the body.
The Joint By Joint Approach
I know you are familiar with the old saying that the more things change, the more they will remain the same. Well, eventually this becomes the case, and there is tremendous application with this common cliche when it comes to stretching. About two decades ago, a movement model was proposed that was revolutionary at the time and cannot be refuted. It's known as "The Joint-by-Joint Approach." With this model, you can view each joint in terms of mobility or stability in an alternating fashion. Of course, joints will require both, but in terms of primary movement needs, you can simplify the process and deem a single need that rotates at each joint. For example, the neck is designed primarily for stability, shoulder mobility, etc.
The Ankle
You have two joints that essentially comprise the ankle. Only one is going to be of concern when it comes to stretching, and that is The Talo-crural Joint. Beware the ankle has tri-planar capacity in human movement. Meaning that it can bend and extend in three directions. The disconnect here is that many athletes and coaches neglect two directions of stretch. Be sure to roll your foot inward and outward, bend and extend front to back and you should be covered.
The Knee
According to Dr. Gray Cook's brilliant "Joint by Joint" model, the knee is a hinge joint, much like your elbow, designed primarily for stability. In other words, too much lateral or rotational motion inside the joint, and bad things will inevitably happen. This is why mobility (strength + control) at the hip is imperative to keeping your knees healthy and unlocking true athletic performance potential. Think about it for a moment, aside from planting injuries where the ankle and or knee roll in a certain direction, or an opponent crashes into the risky fixed position, a lack of motion at the hip will have to be compensated for or made up at the knee, which has no availability for movement. By default, the pressure will be placed on the passive restraints such as ligaments and tendons, and eventually they will reach a stress threshold and tear to some 1-3 degrees. Pretty simple.
The Hip
And now to the best for last. The true regulator of all lower body functions: the hips. Much like the ankle, but far more so, the hip has to be strong and mobile in all three available directions of motion. Furthermore, this will limit stress at both the knees and ankles, and even the lower back, and up the chain. At best, your brain will detect a weakness and lock you up at multiple locations, and at worst, you'll eventually become injured if you don't risk not getting your hips strong and mobile. It's not a matter of if but when this happens, and symptoms or injury begin to emerge. As I've stated before, the Functional Range Course and its applied concepts are the best I've seen in the industry (see here). The primary reason is that they use applied anatomy and consider not only the mobility aspect potential of the hips, but also the need for lots of strength to ultimately both attain and hold advanced stretched positions in training settings.
In closing, I truly hope this first piece was a helpful guide for you with your stretching efforts. In the next installment, we'll look at the upper body stretching needs in depth. Also, please understand that stretching is just one means to an end for most. The exception being tasks that require demanding stretch positions (i.e. gymasts, and ballerinas, etc.). The majority can also use full range of motion strength training and implement "loading stretching" to achieve very similar results, and many would rather opt for this approach. If you read my book, you'll see that sprinters and speed athletes may be the exception according to certain meta-analyses. Here is a link if you would like to learn more about the product:
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