Should you Stretch or Strengthen?
Jun 08, 2022
The common thought is: “Stretch what feels tight."
Here’s the problem, your hip flexors may feel tight because of...
- Neuroprotective tension resulting in the “locked long” phenomena (really common with hamstrings too)
- Your movement patterns make the hip flexor your path of least resistance and “Overwork”
- Your movement patterns don’t involve the hip flexor much “Underwork”
- Actually shortened muscle lacking tissue extensibility
You probably need to strengthen more than you need to stretch
Most people who “feel tight” fall into 1-3 and would be better served with full range of motion strengthening rather than stretching.
That being said, there’s a time and a place for stretching!
Bottom Line: Go deeper than “stretch what feels tight” and if for example you’ve stretched your tight hamstrings for months, try adding some posterior chain volume.
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