These Advanced Stretching Techniques Can Actually Make You More Flexible.
Stretching can indeed make you more flexible, but progress will often feel slow. As I explained earlier, stretching has two main effects. We typically think of increasing flexibility in the long term, but you can also achieve significant improvements in the short term if you know how. Today, I’ll show you a few techniques that work surprisingly quickly and effectively, known as “PNF” or “PAILS and RAILS.”
But before we get to that, I want to clarify that flexibility isn’t a competition, and certainly not a race. I approach stretching the same way I approach strength training or any other form of fitness. If someone wants to find the most “optimal” strength training program, I’d advise them not to overthink it, just develop a habit and be consistent. Don’t get too caught up in any one method or guru who claims to have all the answers; they probably don’t. The same applies to stretching.
There are many gurus in the world of stretching. Many of them profit from presenting flexibility as something complicated (because then you’ll need their programs as a guide). This doesn’t mean their methods are bad or wrong, but they may not be anything special. Here’s a brief overview of what makes some stretching exercises more “advanced” than others.
The difference between active, static and other types of stretching
It might seem like there are only one or two stretching methods. But in reality, there are many, and proponents of each will claim their method is the best. Definitions of each aren’t always agreed upon, which leads to even more controversy. So, I’ll tell you about some of the most commonly used terms and what you need to know about them.
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Static stretching is when you hold a stretch for a period of time (such as 10 seconds or longer).
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Dynamic stretching is when you move in and out of a stretch, or, in other words, actively perform movements within a range of motion. This is done as active stretching; for example, kicking or lifting a leg while running.
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Passive stretching is when you position a body part in a stretched position. This can be done using supports, gravity, immobile objects (such as the floor), and/or a partner.
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A weighted stretch is when you use weight or force to deepen the stretch (for example, holding a dumbbell and leaning forward as if trying to reach your toes). For safety, make sure the weight isn’t too heavy and that you remain in control at all times.
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Ballistic stretching is when you sharply and forcefully extend your body, temporarily achieving a more extended position than can be achieved passively or actively. Many of us were taught never to do this; in fact, it’s safe when done correctly, but it’s probably not the best option for beginners.
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Active stretching is when you use your own muscles to get into a stretching position—for example, standing on one leg and lifting the other. You contract the muscles opposite the ones you’re trying to stretch.
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Isometric stretching is contracting the same muscles you are trying to stretch.
Trying to figure out which type of stretching is “best” is a real bummer. Before trying PNF stretching, I spent a lot of time poring over acrobat blogs and delving into Google Scholar, and I can’t promise I’ve figured it all out. It seems every type of stretching (even ballistic) has its own benefits, and most people who train for flexibility use more than one.
How to perform PNF or Buckets and Rails stretching
When I first tried these techniques, I wanted to stick to common sense rather than seek the optimal solution. I opened the textbook I used to study for my personal trainer certification . It described an “advanced” type of stretching called PNF, for proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation. I’d often read about this method, but rarely seen it in practice.
The technique I tried is considered the most effective, but it’s not suitable for beginners. (Did that stop me? No.) It’s called “hold-relax with agonistic contraction.” And damn, it really works . If you want to try it at home, I’d recommend reading up on it first and making sure the stretches and contractions are performed gently, no more than a 5 out of 10. That way, they’ll still be effective, and you’ll reduce the likelihood of having a sore muscle the next day or, worse, pulling one.
PNF stretching is typically described as a procedure a coach performs on an athlete, but I thought, why not use the same techniques on myself? With that in mind, here’s how I adapted some of my regular stretching exercises to take advantage of PNF techniques:
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I held the stretch in a passive state for about 10 seconds (that is, a regular stretch).
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Then I performed an isometric contraction of the muscle I was trying to stretch, pressing that leg (or something else) against my hand or an immovable object, like the floor. This also lasted for 10 seconds.
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Then, using the opposite muscle, I pulled myself deeper into the stretch and held that position for about 20 seconds.
For example, in the toe-touching exercise, I reached toward the floor, then grabbed the backs of my ankles and tightened my hamstrings, as if trying to lift them from my hands. Then I reached toward the floor again, this time using my abs, quads, and hip flexors to deepen the stretch. And guess what? I could now touch the floor with my whole toes, not just the tips. The results were very similar to what I described in the previous post , which demonstrated the toe-touching exercise.
Then I repeated the same thing with a split/kneeling lunge stretch. As you may remember, I can’t even get close to a split. So I’d hold the stretch for 10 seconds, then push off the ground with the heel of my front foot and the knee of my back foot for 10 seconds, as if trying to stand up. Then, for the final stretch, I used my leg muscles to pull myself deeper into the stretch. It was weird: my hip flexors relaxed, as expected, but my hamstrings just ached . It was as if they were saying, “We’ve done enough! Don’t overexert yourself!” So I eased off.
The final exercise: a standing quad/hip flexor stretch. This is the same exercise you see runners do where they stand on one leg and hold the heel of the other leg near their buttocks. I stretched as usual for 10 seconds, then grabbed my ankle and tried to pull my foot and knee forward (squeezing my quads and hip flexors). I then contracted my glutes and hamstrings to pull my heel further back, and—yes—I was able to easily touch my heel to my buttocks, which I couldn’t do in the first exercise. I made a video of this exercise, which demonstrates the technique quite clearly (note that the video is sped up 4x):
Only then did my dabbling lead me to what’s called PAIL and RAIL (which stands for progressive angular isometric loading and regressive angular isometric loading). First, you passively stretch, then perform a PAIL contraction, then a RAIL contraction. This tends to be the favorite technique of those people I mentioned, who seem to overcomplicate their explanations, and I kept putting it off. But then I saw someone say that PAIL and RAIL are the same as PNF, and oh my god, they’re right. Here’s a five-minute video demonstrating the exact same stretching technique as in my video above , stretching the same muscle group, except they hold the initial passive stretch for two minutes instead of 10 seconds, and there’s a lot of extra stuff like pads, a bench, a stick, and you’re stretching your entire side of the body, or something like that. Does that extra help? Maybe. But the basic principles seem to be the same as in my standing stretch.
Why does PNF stretching work?
Stretching isn’t just about how far your muscles can stretch; it’s also about how far your nervous system allows them to stretch. Stretching techniques like PNF target the nervous system.
The first system we’ll use here is called autogenic inhibition. Muscles work by pulling on bones, and the tissue connecting muscle to bone is called a tendon. Within this tendon are microscopic sensors called Golgi tendon organs. The traditional explanation is that when a muscle (for example, one of the muscles that makes up your quadriceps) pulls too hard on its tendon, the Golgi organs signal your nervous system to relax the tension so you don’t tear the muscle from the bone.
In reality, things are probably a bit different, as this phenomenon can be triggered even with a light stretch (remember, we’re only looking for a 5/10 stretch here). But that’s precisely why PNF therapy requires contracting the muscle you’re about to stretch. This forces your body to try to relax that muscle. So you immediately return to the stretch, and voila, you can relax that muscle even further.
The second stage uses a different mechanism called reciprocal inhibition. In this case, contracting one muscle causes the opposite muscle to relax. For example, when you use your biceps to curl a dumbbell, your triceps should relax and lengthen. Therefore, with this type of PNF stretching, after using autogenic inhibition to slightly relax your quadriceps, you then contract your hamstrings to further relax your quadriceps.
Research shows that a PNF exercise program can be more effective for long-term flexibility than static stretching alone. The noticeable increase in range of motion after a PNF session lasts only a few minutes, but with regular practice, you can gradually increase your range of motion over weeks and months.