Prehab Exercises Static Stretching Illustrated Guide to the ABC Approach

490 Pages·2021·83.65 MB·english

by  Rosengart

PREHAB EXERCISES
STATIC STRETCHING

ILLUSTRADED GUIDE TO THE
ABC APPROACH

MICHAEL ROSENGART
EDITED BY PAUL MICHIELS AND RYAN RUGH
PREHAB EXERCISES: STATIC STRETCHING
ILLUSTRADED GUIDE TO THE ABC APROACH
By Michael Rosengart
Published by Prehab Exercises, LLC
McLean, VA
©2021

WWW.PREHABEXERCISES.COM
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PREHAB EXERCISES STATIC STRETCHING
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I
Introduction 1
History 3
Cultural Bias 5
Defining Terms 7
Prehab, Training & Practice 7
Static Stretching 9
Parameters 11
Purpose 11
Mode 12
Position 13
Duration 14
Intensity 17
Frequency 18
Mechanism for Change 21
Applications of Static Stretching 23
Rehab & Corrective Exercise Programs 24
Injury Prevention 26
Positive Mindset 28
Increased Proprioception 28
Coordination 29
Reducing Pain and Discomfort 30
Performance Enhancement 31
Training Effects: Hypertrophy 34
Training Effects: Strength 35
Training Effects: Speed and Power 36
Cool Down 37
Modern Lifestyle, Aging & Recreational Athletes 37

PART II
The ABC Approach
Overview 39
Alignment 41
Breathing 49
Combine Modalities 63
Duration 73
Ease 77
Micromovements 79
Pulse Contractions 80
Frequency 81

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PART III
Resources

Stretching Anatomy
Muscle Maps: Origin and Insertion Points 85

Muscle Maps: Trains and Slings 101

Joint Actions 105

Stretches for Muscle Chains 121

Anterior Chain 123

Posterior Chain 159

Lateral Chain 225

Rotational Chains 281

Joint Specific Stretches 343

Neck 345

Spine 353

Scapula and Shoulder 385

Wrist and Elbow 409

Hip 417

Ankle and Knee 463

Bibliography 475

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HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

This book reviews the scientific literature of static stretching, provides a novel,
theoretically-informed approach to the practice, and offers an encyclopedia with
exercises to use in rehab, prehab or training.

The book is divided into the following three main parts:

Part I – A Review of Static Stretching
Learn all the main components of static stretching, from its history and cultural
bias to the parameters and applications of the technique. This review helps set
the context for where and how the ABC Approach of static stretching can be
integrated into rehab, prehab or training.

Part II – The ABC Approach
Learn how to effectively perform static stretching with the scientifically based
ABC Approach.

Part III – Muscle Atlas, Joint Actions & Static Stretch Library
Build and practice your own static stretching routines and programs with the
following resources:

Muscle Maps
Joint Action Atlas
Static Stretch Library

Sign up for more insights and information at www.prehabexercises.com
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MICHAEL ROSENGART
Author

Michael has been working in fitness and sports for more than two decades,
while playing sports and exercising for another two decades before that.

While playing college football, Michael had a string of injuries that sent him
on a path of exploration within training where he experimented with
numerous exercise modalities and movement techniques all in hopes to
stay active and play sports. Along the way, Michael discovered prehab and
noticed a lot of improvements in how he moved, let alone how he
performed while playing sports and training.

Fortunately, Michael is a personal trainer and certified strength and
conditioning specialist, which means he can devote a significant amount of
time to researching and practicing various training techniques.

In 2012, Michael published his first book, Prehab Exercise Book for
Runners, which chronicles his journey to improve as a runner. After this
book, Michael created the Prehab Exercise website, available at
www.prehabexercises.com, to share techniques and exercises with others.
A few years later, Michael published his second book, Prehab Exercise
Book for Soft Tissue Therapy.

This book, Prehab Exercises Static Stretching, was born out of the
research that Michael conducted for a presentation that he gave for the
National Strength and Conditioning Association at the Virginia State Clinic.

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FROM THE AUTHOR
MICHAEL ROSENGART

In the past, I hardly ever used to stretch.

Why? Because I heard numerous times that ‘stretching didn’t do anything.’

At the same time, I was a very active and athletic person throughout my whole life. I
would play sports any chance that I got when I was growing up and that continued all
throughout my twenties and thirties.

In fact, I was very dedicated to running (and playing in) a flag football league in
Hollywood all throughout the latter half of my thirties. I simply loved the energy and
excitement of sports.

Oddly enough, I never quite understood stretching even though I was a personal trainer
at one of the most innovative commercial gyms in the nation, Equinox Fitness.

I am rather embarrassed by my ignorance, which is why I decided to research and write
this book.

Back then, I understood ‘static stretching was bad for you’ because I heard from several
different places and faces, none of which I can clearly remember now. I just remember
the repeating sentiment: athletes don’t do static stretching; they perform dynamic
stretching.

At the same time, I would sit on the grass in Pan Pacific Park under the clear blue LA
sky and stretch out my legs and hips after I just spent a few hours playing flag football.
And it felt so good! Sweat and all.

In fact, I’d notice how easy it was to just melt deeper and deeper into each stretch with
each passing breath.

I also practiced yoga quite a bit once I started working for Equinox all the way back in
2000. I was very fortunate because Equinox had some amazing yoga teachers, who
easily guided me into a better position for each pose with just a few finely articulated
cues. And I always felt great after a yoga class, which made me want to take a class at
every chance that I got.

Well, that’s a bit of a misnomer.

Working in a gym that has yoga class everyday would make it seem easy to make yoga
a daily habit. It actually was not that easy after all because I usually had to train a
client when the yoga class was going on.
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To make matters worse, I trained a lot of clients and basically only had free time in the
afternoons on the weekend. Of course, my Saturday afternoons were firmly devoted to
playing flag football. As for Sundays… well, everyone one knows how Sunday Fun-days
can bring you far and wide on adventures if the NFL is not in season.

Yet, yoga was always good for me, which was a bit weird since it was a lot of stretching,
more specifically, a lot of static stretching (depending on the yoga teacher and the class
format). But I would really feel great afterwards. In fact, I would also feel taller, lighter,
and proud.

I ramble on about yoga because these classes were clearly showing me how effective
static stretching could be for me despite all of the rumblings, I heard that pinned static
stretching as not good.

Of course, I practiced dynamic stretching. I also included foam rolling and a variety of
activation exercises, all of which certainly helped me prepare for workouts or sports.
However, I wish I had known exactly how good static stretching was, as well as when,
where and how to do it.

I finally started to research static stretching because I started meditation and found it
hard to sit still in a cross-legged position, let alone the icon lotus position. All of the
years that I spent running, playing sports and lifting weights with a shortened Range of
Motion, had left my hips so tight that my knees basically reached up into my armpits
every time I tried to sit cross-legged.

Fortunately, I am curious. So, I headed over to Google Scholar and PubMed to research
static stretching, which ultimately lead to the writing of this book, as well as a
presentation about static stretching with the National Strength and Conditioning
Association.

Though I cannot sit in lotus yet, I am certainly much closer. More importantly, my
understanding of how, when, and why to use static stretching helps me to know that I
have found a way to help myself regarding the ability to sit in a cross-legged position
and meditate. Additionally, static stretching is helping to increase my overall Range of
Motion, create specific positions for various skills that I practice, and improve my
posture after hours of writing this book. There are a lot of good uses for static stretching,
and it is relatively easy to use too – as easy as ABC.

Let’s get started!

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