The Big Myth About Stretching: Should It Hurt?

Should stretching hurt?

So many of my stretching students ask me this!

The BIG MYTH about stretching is that it seems easy to do and should feel good.

But stretching really tight muscle tissue can radiate a sensation of discomfort or feel painful—this is sometimes shocking to people who have never really stretched before!

I always love when a student groans and moans as they find areas of their body that are extremely tight and not easy to stretch.

I know that it is the inside of their body signaling to them, “Here it is! You found it! Way to go—now stretch it out!”

Can you imagine if we just ignored that signal?

That tight muscle tissue is not going away, and it will only get tighter and tighter as we continue our daily living! After all, the tightest muscles in our bodies are mostly overused from daily life and routine exercise.

When a new student experiences real deep tissue stretches for the first time, they either love it or hate it.

The lovers can’t get enough and usually have an “ah-ha” moment.

The haters usually retreat and are afraid of the discomfort for fear that they will have more pain and not less. If I can coach them to stay with it and continue until that discomfort has eased—and it will!—then I know they have done something very profound and amazing for their body.

They are now on track to reap the life changing benefits of STRETCHING!

Remember: It takes time to get tight—it takes time to get un-tight!

If decades have passed and we have only focused on exercising and going through daily life routines without also taking time to open up and elongate the muscles in our bodies, those muscles bind up so tight that it puts strain on joints, range of motion becomes restricted and painful, sleep is disrupted, and more.

So we go to the doctor for relief only to be prescribed medications, shots, sleep aids, and surgeries. Ugh!

I had to take a moment here to stop writing and “Pause” because I felt tears begin to roll down my cheeks.

I see what is happening, because it happened to me!

My life has totally transformed through stretching. I don’t believe that I would still be able to teach my fitness classes and keep up an extremely active lifestyle at the age of 60 if I didn’t stretch daily!

I want to shout from the mountaintop: PEOPLE… STOP AND STRETCH!

What do you have to lose except mobility? It is too much for my heart to bear to watch that happen! I believe in Assisted Stretching so much that I have made it my life’s mission to inspire the world to stretch properly! I want everyone to reap its life-changing benefits.

So… should stretching hurt?

Stretching can be hard and yes… you can feel discomfort!

I always tell me students when I see the grimace on their faces as they move through something really tough and tight: “Way to go… I am really excited for you!”

It should feel good in a bad way or bad in a good way. We should never strain to stretch though. If we allow our bodies to talk to us and show us what’s going on inside, it will direct us how to heal it.

If we listen, I am convinced that our lives will change forever for the better!

Stretch out your aches & pains

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It Doesn't Come in a Bottle

This is a really hard question to ask, but…

Are you addicted to Ibuprofen?

If the answer is “yes,” then you are in good company because so many people are.

I have decided to write about it in hopes that this will give people hope that they can find alternative ways to deal with pain and feel better in their mind and body!

I have students that tell me that they have to take Ibuprofen before they work out in order to go through movements without pain.

Could it be magic?

Could “it” be magic? I can’t seem to get this question out of my head. You see, I have a new private student who is an avid golfer. She loves it and seems to be a bit competitive with her fellow golfers.

At our first session, I told her that stretching would improve her golf game.

She looked a me with skepticism, but said “well, if you think so, I hope so, I’ll give it a try.”

She has been stretching with me for 4 weeks now. Yesterday, she casually mentioned to me that she had her best golf game ever the day before.

Hydrate... and then hydrate some more!

Hydration is essential to life!

Think about it…

Every human, every animal, every plant, every tree, every blade of grass needs water to survive. If it doesn’t get enough, it shrivels, dries up, and dies.

What does hydration have to do with stretching, you ask?

2 Partner Stretches for Your Quads, Low Back & Upper Body

Did you know…

Our flexibility decreases by 10% every decade!

It does not matter if you are an extreme athlete, a fitness buff, play a sport, walker, runner, biker, swimmer, or if you’re none of these.

Muscle tissue tightens over time just by doing daily life!

One of the most beneficial ways to decrease tight muscle tissue is a form of Stretch Therapy known as Partner Stretching.

Debunking Common Stretching Myths: Stretching Is NOT About Touching Your Toes

Many people have the misconception that you have to be flexible to be able to stretch. They think that an Assisted Stretching class means trying to touch your toes or strain your muscles.

This is not true at all.

Assisted Stretching is NOT about trying to touch your toes or straining to stretch.

3 Easy Beginner Level Stretches for a Quick 10 Minute Stretch Routine

You don’t need hours of your day to stretch! And I’m going to show you how with this easy 10 minute beginner-level stretch routine.

You can call on any of these stretches throughout the day if you find yourself feeling tight and stiff. You don’t need any special equipment—only yourself and your home.

The Power of Posture, Part II: 2 Stretches for Your Quads

Our quads are responsible for every step we take. They stand us up and sit us down.

You don’t have to be a big athlete or work out every day or walk 20 miles a week—everyone’s quads tighten over time from our normal daily routines.

When our quads are overly-contracted, the muscle tissue shortens. These shortened muscles pull the hip flexor down which, in turn, tilts the pelvis down in front and up in the back.

This is a posture problem!

The Power Of Posture: 5 Stretches to Improve Posture

“If you don’t stand up straight… you are going to grow that way.”

This is what my mom used to tell us if she saw us slouching as we were growing up. At the time, we were made aware of our poor posture mostly for its appearance—not its health benefits.

Little did my mom know that poor posture is the cause of many health issues and she was right—you WILL grow that way!

Thank you, mom!

We can’t escape poor posture unless we are aware of it and take steps to correct it.

Here are 5 stretches to help you improve posture.

Grab A Partner: Try these 2 Hip Opening & Spine Elongating Partner Stretches

The truest form of Assisted Stretching is when someone (a partner) helps stretch your body into a deeper range of motion that you cannot do on your own. I call it “partner stretching.”

I first learned this technique in the late 1980s when I was at The Cooper Clinic doing research for my personal training business’ soon-to-be-launched Step Aerobics Program.

When I came home from Cooper Clinic, I started partner stretching my clients at the end of each workout session. I had many of them tell me that they would pay me to skip the workout and go straight to stretching—no joke!

Health Tips, Stretches, Stretch TherapyConnie WilliamsOctober 21, 2019