The way we were taught how to stretch is wrong. Discover the best way to stretch stiff muscles.
DATA:
▶️
0:00 Introduction: What to do for stiff muscles
0:10 The worst way to stretch
0:50 Understanding tight muscles and stretching
2:00 The correct way to stretch
5:10 Learn more about exercise!
Let’s talk about how to relieve muscle stiffness and increase your range of motion.
Many of us have been taught to stretch by holding a position for 30 to 60 seconds—this is called static stretching. But this is the worst way to stretch your muscles.
Tight muscles are weaker and are more susceptible to injury and inflammation. When you stretch incorrectly, you can easily strain or pull a muscle.
Motion is all about the coordination of contraction and relaxation of the muscles. One of the best ways to stretch is a method from a book called The Whartons’ Complete Strength Book, and it’s called Active Isolated Flexibility.
How to stretch correctly (using Active Isolated Flexibility):
1. Identify the muscle you want to stretch
2. Contract or tighten the opposite muscle as you stretch
3. Stretch to a comfortable limit and hold for two seconds and then relax
Repeat this method of stretching eight to ten times per muscle. This would be a great warm-up before you exercise. You may also want to consider a version of this as part of the rehab process for a less severe injury.
Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:
Dr. Berg, age 57, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan, and is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.
Follow Me On Social Media:
Facebook:
Instagram:
Anchor:
TikTok:
Send a Message to his team:
Disclaimer:
Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients so he can focus on educating people as a full time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, and prescription or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
#keto #ketodiet #weightloss #ketolifestyle
Thanks for watching! Try this new method of stretching stiff muscles before you exercise. I’ll see you in the next video.
49 responses to “The End of Stiffness with This New Type of Stretching”
I’m gonna have to try this. It can be difficult retraining my mind after years of bad information. Repetitive practice should help.
Static has been known to be bad for 70 years.
@K E kind of like how sit-ups have been known to damage lower back for 20 years too…
Love how you teach us something new every day Dr. Berg ❤ thank you!
I learn something from him every day too — I really like him and his manner ❤
@donnaflagg absolutely wonderful dear friend!! 💕🌅❤
Dr Livingood😊
Thanks for your support!
@Dr. Eric Berg DC thank you for caring to help us all
Glad I have practiced yoga for several years. Started to remove stiffness and yoga is the only thing that has removed it. Had tried everything else before without it working.
Great. Yoga is so good for mind and body.
@Alyce P. Very true. Never stop with yoga😊
Thx I’ll definitely be implementing this on my workout this morning😊
I’m in an Iyengar yoga class and we do all these stretches. It’s the only thing that’s really helped my two herniated discs.
Iyengar yoga? What hatha yoga does it involve?
@SharkFish It’s a restorative type of yoga. We rarely do flows. It’s not fast paced but I’ve found it more effective than any other kind because it’s more about getting into the correct pose rather than doing poses fast. It’s so incredibly helpful.
@S T acha
I’m a certified Iyengar yoga teacher & agree 100%! Contracting one side & extending its opposite, so you’re not just “stretching” which leads to pulling. ROM within realm of control.
Thanks again Dr Berg – always moving the health agenda forward. 👍
Great episode.
This is Very similar to my morning ritual of stretching n mobility movements.
I’ve worked with such stuff clients that I’ve had to instruct them in how to use resistance bands to stretch hamstrings out , just like how it’s featured in this vid 👍
Good information. Thanks Dr. Berg. You’ve mentioned the importance of muscle balance in other videos. A few years ago I started having knee tracking problems because my quads were strong/stretched/flexible but I didn’t give equal time to stretching and strengthening hams. Live and learn. I’ve been trying to stretch in the sauna after weights and cardio. I’m still a bit lazy about stretching and work-outs but trying. Thanks for all the inspiration. All the best.😊
Kinda makes sense. It feels like dynamic stretching.But I still find good results with the 30 to 60 sec stretching,only on warm muscles. But unfortunately I have the very bad habit of not stretching enough after a long workout. Never do it 🤣
This makes so much sense! A lot of this I did not know! Thank you Dr. Berg!
Basically my whole life I’ve been doing stretches incorrectly lol
Glad to help!
I do yoga, and the stretching feels SO good! Do we do this for yoga? I’m very hypermobile, and always have been. I’m not sure how this works if you have one side of your body that tightens up all the time.
However, I broke my shoulder and that side of my body is so tight and wraps around to the front. It’s miserable, but how do I contract the other side?
the wording in the video is a little unclear. one side of our BODY does not relax while the other flexes
one side of a specific JOINT relaxes while the other side flexes.
pick a muscle that is tight. flex that muscle. stretch that muscle.
hope this helps. 😀
I dislocated my knee during a Jiu Jitsu class last May, I severely injured every part minus the meniscus, with cat 2 tears on every tendon, smashed Cartilage on the femur and underside of the knee cap. I had my knee in a brace and during my 10 weeks off work before surgery, I did 2 hours of hydrotherapy per day, just by myself, walking very very slowly around in a pool at the gym, followed by an hour sauna with just very light stretching, never passing a reasonable pain threshold, i did this every day. When I finally go to the physiotherapy phase of my recovery, he was astonished to see the range of motion I had gained during the first maybe 4 weeks, and stated that I was more like 3 months ahead compared to other people he had seen. It was around that time that I actually discover Dr Eric Berg and dude has my ultimate trust, plus a healthy layer of scepticism to make sure I cross reference things I feel unsure about. Dude’s a god-send.
Great news!
@Dr. Eric Berg DC hi dr berg
@Dr. Eric Berg DC dr. Berg do u consult with patient over the WhatsApp? Iv been receiving some messages from ur side. The person is asking for 800 usd Ifor consultation, is it really you? Or its a spam?? Pls do reply.
Thans
No, that is spam so please don’t reply to them. We delete and block many of them daily.
@Dr. Eric Berg DC Dr. Berg i have a lifetime subscription for ur consultation but unfortunately im not able to consult with u regarding my health conditions
I learned this in my yoga teacher training.
I also suggest with every exercise, stretch, or any health practice to do diaphragm breathing in sync with your practices.
Your breath is the primary thing your body needs once you have your basics in line . On average, we can last three weeks without food three days without water for only three minutes without air….
Thanks for sharing this info.
@Dr. Eric Berg DC and thank you for the work you do brother! ♥️🙏🏾
Dr Berg is one health professional you don’t get all stressed up listening to him. He’s good! His health advice is reliable & calming. There’s hardly ever a day I don’t listen to him.
Thanks a million, Doc! 😊
You’re very welcome!
Excellent information. You are talking about Reciprocal Inhibition, a concept that was introduced by Sir Charles Sherrington in his book “The Integrative Action of the Nervous System” published in 1906. Since then there have been a tone of studies investigating each effects and its consider one of the basic PNF methods. Namelly the Antagonist Contraction Relax and the Contract Relax Antagonist Contraction. Nice to see that you draw attention to these very important flexibility training methods that exist over 100 years. Keep it up!
Does this relate to pandiculation?
@Susan Stewart the google snippet describing pandiculation could also be a definition for reciprocal inhibition from pnf stretching
i would be curious about your sources for pnf predating the 1940s, google’s ngram view has hits for proprioception as early as 1900s
but these are to do with balance, and kinesthetic sensation, the proprioceptive neuromuscular faciliation hits not showing until 40 years later…
@Susan Stewart Okay, so reciprocal inhibition is like a built-in system in our body that helps our muscles work together smoothly. Let’s say you’re lifting something heavy, your biceps will tense up to do the work and at the same time, the opposing muscle group (the triceps) will relax to prevent them from working against the biceps. This helps prevent injury and makes movement look more coordinated.
Pandiculation on the other hand is more like a stretch and release type of thing, like when you wake up in the morning and you stretch and yawn, you’re consciously tensing your muscles and then relaxing them. This helps wake them up and get them ready for the day. They are similar in a way that they both involve muscle activation and relaxation but they serve different purposes.
@Yiannis Christoulas Good explanation. Thank you. I am always so impressed by how dogs and cats stretch after a nap. The quality of the movement is very different compared to our conscious attempts to stretch. When I feel good and healthy, I stretch instinctively like this after sleeping. It’s never the same if done consciously.
I had a really tight calf on my left leg that was causing pain in the arch of my foot. I tried stretching it the normal way, like 10 seconds at a time, for months, but no improvement. Someone suggested stretching it non stop for 5 minuets. I did that for a few days and guess what, I could physically see the improvement in range of motion, and within a week my foot pain was gone.
I do this style of stretching with so many of my clients. Many yoga practices go along with this. The body needs movement vs static stretching.
Thank you for sharing all your info to help us! Can you do another one for fibromyalgia. What supplements,foods,and exercise are best please?🥰🙏🏼
I’ve been using their book now for about 10 years to manage lower back pain. Once you feel this technique you immediately realize why what you were doing before felt wrong.
I think this is what we do on the Pilates reformer. I know I’m extremely tight but always feel more stretched after class. Is Yin yoga also good?