STRETCHING vs. FLEXIBILITY: WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?!

As we become more passionate about Pole, we start to become much more body-aware and begin to set ourselves new goals in terms of strength and flexibility. We want to be flexible so we can achieve advanced pole moves and positions, and even dancers who are already flexible work hard to ‘stretch’ their limits further. Regular stretching helps with balance, posture and strength and can be done by anyone at any age.

Flexibility is certainly important and increasing it will allow you to extend your repertoire of Pole skills further, but we need to achieve it in the safest way possible and we must always work within our own range of movement, and not push our bodies further than they are able, just so we can achieve a particular shape. This is dangerous, should not be encouraged as safe practice and is a common cause of injury amongst athletes, particularly over-eager pole dance students!

We are taught to always stretch before our PoleFit® class and before any workout, pole or other, but stretching to warm up our body for action and stretching to specifically increase our general flexibility are two very different things. To increase flexibility takes time and care, and cannot be achieved from 5 minutes of static stretching during class warm-up. At Studio Verve® we offer a 1-hour Stretch & Flex class to help you work on your own personal target areas but here is some info and tips that may help you to better understand the concept of ‘stretching’ and get you a bit more body aware:

·         What are we stretching?

When we stretch, we usually think of the muscles and this is where you feel sore in the days following a stretch class. But to be flexible, we actually need everything in the body parts we are moving to be able to stretch and slide past each other. This includes the muscles, the tendons at the ends of the muscles, the ligaments of the joints, the nerves, and the fascia, which is the fine tissue which surrounds, supports and connects all of the structures in the body. Many small movements at all of these different places add up to make the overall larger movement you are performing and when you move or stretch, all of these parts come into play.

·         What’s the difference between stretching for class and stretching to become more flexible?

Maintenance stretching should be done slowly without bouncing. The purpose of maintenance stretching is to maintain your current level of flexibility and reduce tightness in the muscle, like we do before every PoleFit® class (e.g., stretching our biceps on the poles, pulling our foot up behind the body to stretch the quads).

Developmental stretching aims to improve your current level of flexibility. So, for example if you are unable to touch your toes at present, a developmental hamstring stretch should, over time, improve your flexibility levels and eventually allow you to touch your toes. A developmental stretch is performed by increasing the stretch by a fraction until you feel the mild tension in the muscle again; hold this position and when the tension eases repeat again. Again, this should be done with control and without bouncing. To see any noticeable gains in flexibility, you should stretch a few times a week and flexibility gains can be seen in as little as two weeks.

·         Warm up first
You need to do at least 5-10 minutes of aerobic-type activity before having a good stretch. After a PoleFit® class is a good time to stretch as you are already warm.

·         Breathe
Keep breathing while stretching, slow and easy. Never hold your breath.

·         Alignment

Always do your stretches with correct alignment (Twee can help you with this if you’re unsure).

·         Relax
Stay relaxed while you are stretching. It is easy to tense up, but you need to relax to get the most out of your stretch session.

·         Strength and control
Don’t push for big changes in your flexibility over a short period of time. It is useless to become flexible without building the strength and control to be able to use it, as this can lead to pain and injury. Instead, aim for a steady, gradual improvement.

Finally, the number one thing to remember is to respect your body – know your limits, be mindful of pre-existing injuries and always ask Twee or one of your friendly instructors to help you if you’re unsure of anything. With passion, commitment and safe practice, you’ll increase your flexibility in no time and you’ll push your Pole skills to the next level, which is, after all, what we’re all aiming for!!

Studio Verve’s® Stretch & Flex class currently runs on Mondays at 8pm and can be taken as an 8-week or 4-week Enhancement Course, or can be taken as one-off. Come and try it out and see how great you’ll feel afterwards – (02) 92819332 or bookings@studioverve.com.au.