Creating Stability for Lasting Mobility Training

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Whether you want to be able to do impressive bendy feats or just move easily without pain or restriction, you need flexibility that you can use. Simply increasing your range of motion is not enough. You need that increase to be sustainable and accessible.

In last week’s post on passive static stretching I explored the strengths and limitations of the most popular form of stretching. While numerous studies have shown that passive static stretching is effective at increasing range of motion over time, those studies have only measured joint range or muscle stiffness. They have not looked at the way that muscles perform in the new range, or how stretching has affected other joints. Nor have they examined what goes wrong in the people who do not experience benefits from regular passive static stretching.

Other researchers have noticed the drawbacks of passive static stretching, to the extent that some in sports medicine have actually advocated that flexibility training be removed from fitness curricula altogether. This would be a terrible loss for everyone who has experienced the benefits, in performance, mental health, and quality of life, that are possible with increased flexibility.

What is missing from this discussion is how passive static stretching is not the only tool in the flexibility training toolbox. This technique alone is not enough to achieve sustainable, usable flexibility. It must be supplemented with techniques that build control, awareness, and stability.

Balancing Stability and Mobility in Joint Movement

Whenever we increase the range of motion in a given joint we move it past our bodies’ accustomed comfort zone. Our muscles are able to contract only within the range that we have trained them. Go beyond that range, either by lengthening or shortening the muscle more than it feels comfortable, and the muscle will not work as well.

For people who respond quickly to passive static stretching, danger looms. It can be hard to control that newly acquired range of motion, so the joint is now capable of reaching positions where it is unstable. This can lead to wear and tear on the connective tissue or joint capsule or create new chronic tightness in other muscles as the body struggles for stability. It also increases the likelihood of an acute injury like a sprained ankle or dislocated shoulder. Again, ask me how I know.

Other folks may find that passive static stretching doesn’t really work to increase their range of motion at all. Muscles are always tight for a reason and if that reason isn’t addressed they will just tighten up again, recoiling like a heavy spring.

Passive stretching alone cannot address these issues and may actually make them worse. The missing ingredient is developing end range strength.

What is end range strength and how does it build mobility and stability together?

Muscles contract by sliding tiny fibers closer together, shortening the overall length of the muscle. The more little fibers slide, the more the muscle can contract. This means that muscles have the most contractile potential in their mid range. Once a muscle is very shortened or very lengthened there are fewer fibers available to slide along their friends and the muscle is harder to activate.

Imagine a long line of people all holding hands. A muscle contraction would mean those people are pulling themselves toward each other, getting closer together. At a certain point their arms would be all squished together and it would be hard to effectively pull each other closer. This is a contracted muscle. If someone pulls those people farther apart they may just be holding on to the tips of each others’ fingers. This would also make it difficult for them to pull each other closer. That is a stretched muscle.

Add to this the neurological component of muscle contraction: a muscle can only contract successfully when it receives a signal from the nervous system telling it that its go time. If you have a joint position that you have never trained, your brain isn’t going to be as good at figuring out how to send signals and the muscles, absent clear leadership from the top, get sleepy and confused.

These factors combine to make it more difficult to be strong when we are at the end range (most stretched position) of a joint. This is why our passive range will always be greater than our active range.

While it is very unusual to every have the active range equal or exceed the passive range, training end range strength reduces that discrepancy, uniting our stability and mobility for a healthier flexibility.

Next week, we'll explore the signs of joint laxity - and why those chronically tight muscles might actually be trying to tell you something about your joint stability. Some of the symptoms may surprise you. You'll learn how to identify whether you need more stability work, even if (or especially if!) you have some muscles that feel as flexible as bridge cables.

Happy Bendings,

Kristina