Counter Reactive Stretching

I was asked about this from a client of mine and I wanted to bring it to everyone because it is one of those topics I had to go research.  Counter Reactive Stretching is the idea that if you doing something a lot (like sitting or standing for prolonged periods) with a muscles or group of muscles you must counteract that with the opposing muscles to prevent injury or soreness. The logic is simple enough right? If you sitting all day at a desk you should go run after work to balance yourself out. 

So why is this even news or coming up for discussion if it’s common sense? I mean after all there are many people to already do this without even thinking about it and we also have more options than ever for activities that in their own round-about way do this like yoga. Interestingly enough this topic brought me back to two simple principals that have guided me my whole adult life: 1. Your instincts are normally right you just lack a complete understanding of the why behind what your thinking. 2. There is more than one way to skin a cat.

Ever heard of the workout craze of the early 2000’s called “muscle confusion”? It was the idea that if you kept doing the same workout routines your body would adapt and your program would because less effective. The same principle that was applied in fitness fits exactly with the counter reactive stretching concept. So does this mean that I will be going out to learn this stretching specialization? No, I just remind people that if you do something for too long or too often your body will adapt. That adoption can be good or bad. But you can counteract the effects but sometimes that requires the use of a professional. 

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