Loaded Stretch
- Thread starter Qba87
- Start date
From Jules' Pimp my HST manual:
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Loaded stretches are essentially static holds in an extremely stretched position. When a mildly-heavy to heavy weight is held in an unusually stretched position for sufficient time, the passive-stretch reflex kicks in and slowly increases the effective tension at that point. Natural application of loaded stretch is to simply perform a static hold with your stretch-point movement at that load. That facilitates a progressive element with loaded stretches. ...
... Loaded stretches are a good way to add some extra work at the end of an exercise, particularly during 5s when you might not be able to get as many reps out as you did earlier in the cycle.</div>
I only do loaded stretches at the end of my last set for shrugs and calf raises during the second week of 5s. Tonight, for example, I did them at the end of my shrugs. So what I do is get my final 5 reps done and then before racking the bar I continue to hold it and allow my traps to stretch out under load and also do very slight pulses at the lowest part of the movement for around 30 seconds. (Not really pulse stretches as I never let the load drop quickly). It's a killer!
LSs are only well suited to a handful of exercises. I only use them after shrugs and calf raises but you could use any stretch point exercise, so flyes would be a contender. However, do be careful! I pulled my calf muscle doing something akin to a stretched pulse with a heavy load. Needless to say I don't do those anymore!
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Loaded stretches are essentially static holds in an extremely stretched position. When a mildly-heavy to heavy weight is held in an unusually stretched position for sufficient time, the passive-stretch reflex kicks in and slowly increases the effective tension at that point. Natural application of loaded stretch is to simply perform a static hold with your stretch-point movement at that load. That facilitates a progressive element with loaded stretches. ...
... Loaded stretches are a good way to add some extra work at the end of an exercise, particularly during 5s when you might not be able to get as many reps out as you did earlier in the cycle.</div>
I only do loaded stretches at the end of my last set for shrugs and calf raises during the second week of 5s. Tonight, for example, I did them at the end of my shrugs. So what I do is get my final 5 reps done and then before racking the bar I continue to hold it and allow my traps to stretch out under load and also do very slight pulses at the lowest part of the movement for around 30 seconds. (Not really pulse stretches as I never let the load drop quickly). It's a killer!
LSs are only well suited to a handful of exercises. I only use them after shrugs and calf raises but you could use any stretch point exercise, so flyes would be a contender. However, do be careful! I pulled my calf muscle doing something akin to a stretched pulse with a heavy load. Needless to say I don't do those anymore!