The best stretches you're not doing....

       This article can be a bit misleading.

    I'm not going to deep dive which stretches that you should incorporate into your routine. Generally, more active people are more flexible than non-active people, females tend to be more flexible than males and younger people are more flexible than older population. Much like any aspect of fitness flexibility is highly individualized. One person could have higher flexibility in the hips while the shoulders are tight, or a person could be flexible in the upper body and have tight hip flexors  

    When it comes to stretching there are typically three categories of stretching: Static, Ballistic and PNF. The first two I'm willing to bet that you have some sort of familiarity with or possibly perform them without knowing all the details. PNF is a unique stretch that is not widely used in the fitness community but is superior to both. I'll kick off with a brief description of each type then go into the different methods of PNF and why it works. Before we deep dive each type, we have to go over some vocabulary. 

    Active stretching is the person actively providing the stretch

    Passive Stretching is using external source such as another person or a machine.

    These definitions will come in handy as the article progresses.  

Static

    Static stretching is an active stretch performed slow (as to not engage muscle spindles and illicit the stretch reflex) steady stretch to mild discomfort that is held for 15-30 seconds. The old school sit and reach test is a perfect example of static stretching.

Ballistic

     Ballistic stretching is marked by a "bouncing" movement that is not held. It is often used in pre-exercise warmups, however if not performed or supervised correctly then it can lead to injury. It is proven to be just as effective as static stretching in terms of increasing Range of Motion (ROM). Given that it is a high-risk maneuver it is often skipped in favor of a dynamic warm up and static stretching. 

PNF

    PNF or Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation is the best stretch you are not doing. The stretch itself us conducted with a partner (This part may be impractical due to not having enough personal nor the know how to conduct this style of stretching). Since PNF uses a partner, it includes passive and active movements. Additionally, PNF uses isometric and concentric movements to enable autogenic inhibition. PNF can be accomplished in a few different ways. For the sake of this article, we will cover two: Hold-Relax and Contract-Relax.

    Hold-Relax: Hold-Relax begin with a passive movement that is held to the point of mild discomfort for 10 seconds. Then the partner holds the limb to cause an isometric muscle action for 6 seconds then another passive stretch is held for 30 seconds. On the second static hold the ROM should increase. A video example can be found here 

    Contract-Relax. Contract relax begins similar to the hold and relax technique with a passive stretch for 10 seconds. Then the partner provides resistance through a concentric movement. Then another static stretch is used for thirty seconds. A video can be found here