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Lauren, B-Falk, and Al



I am still trying to figure out what happened yesterday too... felt like a truck hit ya

There is a new study that was put out from the Dutch National College of stretching that says if you go tandom you will re-program your CNS and allow great neuro-muscular recruitment for increased stretching..... not really, but a funny picture

We are going to add another class starting next week, March 15, 2010.  We are going to add a 3:30 pm class, which will run Monday through Friday.  There have been some people asking for an earlier class, so we will put it on the board and see how many people show up.  If the numbers are not there, then we will remove it, however this class may free up some space in the evening sessions.  Let us know your thoughts on this.

i want to congratulate Tom Kay, Amanda Vargo, and Jimmy Borrico who all get their CrossFit Level 1 certifications this past weekend.

So we have been a lot of PNF stretching (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching) lately... this is where you hold hold and relax.. below is a write up on PNF stretching from crossfit invictus.

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Stretching – Hold and Relax
Written by George Economou

This post has been a long time coming. Too often an athlete has asked how PNF stretching works after they’ve seen seemingly miraculous gains in mere minutes. A common response: “We’re tricking your muscles.” While that’s true, the intent of this post is to get you to understand how that trickery is occurring.

Flexibility, much like strength, isn’t solely based on the physical mechanics of a muscle – how the tissues and fibers are connected. For example, if you were to do a dissection of my “tight” hamstrings, you may find that the muscle tissue is plenty long enough to accommodate a straight-leg-raise to 90 degrees while lying on my back…but that’s simply not the case. So if the muscle is long enough, why can’t I do it? As it so happens, my brain isn’t functioning at optimal levels; or rather, there’s a miscommunication between my muscles, my brain, and everything in between – the neurological mechanics.

Within the muscles you have sensory receptors known as muscle spindles. The role of the muscle spindle is to sense when a muscle is under a load and prevent that muscle from being ripped to shreds because of that load – it forces a contraction. This function is critical to keeping your muscles safe, but it can compromise certain movements. Take the deadlift as an example; my hamstrings are so tight that in order to prevent injury while under a load, my lower back is forced into flexion.

Static stretching will assist in lengthening the muscle over time, but it won’t necessarily address the issue of your muscle spindles firing overtime. Time to introduce a new variable to the flexibility equation, the Golgi Tendon Organ (GTO). Within the tendons connecting muscle to bone exist the GTO. The GTO’s mission is to prevent a tendon from tearing itself from bone or muscle while under load – it forces a muscle to relax.

Let’s go through a quick example, hamstring stretch with rope assist.

-Lie on your back with legs locked out and extended. Wrap a loop around one foot and pull that leg towards you. As the muscle stretches, muscle spindles in the muscle send a signal to alpha motor neurons in the spinal cord saying, “My muscle is being stretched, what should I do???” To which the alpha motor neuron responds, “CONTRACT!!!!!” And you reach your stretch limit. Hold this position of your stretch limit for approximately 10 seconds.

-Count 3-2-1 and contract against that stretch by trying to press your heel towards the ground. The rope you’re holding prevents your heel from actually making any progress. Hold this contraction for approximately 5 seconds. During the contraction, the frequency of signals from the muscle spindle to alpha motor neurons decreases, which is why some of you may lose the stretch sensation. As the contracting muscle pulls on the associated tendons, the GTOs send impulses in relation to the force of contraction. The impulses sent by the GTOs inhibit the alpha motor neurons, basically saying “Hey there muscles, it’s ok to relax, because you’re going to rock my tendon’s world if you don’t.”

-Once you release the contraction, pull your leg a little bit closer. Upon releasing the contraction, there is slack in the muscle that you can take up, increasing your stretch limit and repeating the cycle.

-Repeat this cycle 3-4 more times and hold the last stretch for 20+ seconds to affect some long-term change in your muscle.

While the gains made during PNF stretching are significant, they are not as persistent as we’d like. Consistency is the name of the game if you’d like to see any lasting effects. While the coaching staff makes great attempts to stretch at least one major muscle group after each session, it’s up to the individual athlete to devote some time to their maintenance and recovery. We’ll teach you the techniques, and provide the reminders, but the hard work is up to you.

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Quote of the day

 

"In spite of everything that was done to me and my race, in spite of the adversity and the bitter moments, again we rise." Maya Angelou

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Northeast Sectional update..

The workouts will be released on Friday evening, giving all athletes 1 week to prepare.  So, on Saturday we are going to have a throw down at noon.  We will be doing the first workout on Saturday, another one on Monday and the third on Tuesday.  So, for all the CFM athletes doing the sectionals please try to be at CFM on Saturday at noon.