Why does stretch tolerance matter?
Simply put, stretch tolerance refers to the ability to tolerate the discomfort of a stretch. But what dictates whether we can relax into a stretch or not? Why does it impact our flexibility training?
The term stretch tolerance is mostly used in regards to passive stretching. While it does refer to the ability of our muscles and connective tissues to tolerate and adapt to stretching, it goes beyond that as a lot of it is governed by our central nervous system (CNS). The job of the CNS is to protect you from a threat – in this case by stopping you from getting into positions your body isn’t ready for through this intrinsic protection mechanism that’s designed to keep you safe.
Stretch tolerance is the body’s way of warning of potential injury or harm from moving too far into a range of motion. Once the CNS realises there is no risk to the body, lowers its pain response and lets the body move further into the desired range of motion. However, if stretch tolerance alone was responsible for this increase in range of motion and there was no adaption to muscle tissue, tendons and ligaments, then this increased range should lead to injury or damage to said tissue – which it does not. So this means that while stretch tolerance plays an important role, it is not the only explanation for adaptions to stretching.
To improve your stretch tolerance you will need to make your body feel safe, and there are a few ways to help you signal your CNS that that’s the case:
1. Enter a stretch slowly and once there, only gradually increase the intensity. By moving too fast, your body will only tense up more and won’t let you get into that deeper range you’re hoping to access
2. Deep, controlled breathing helps your muscles relax, but it also signals to your nervous system that the stretch is safe. Paying attention to your breath and using the exhale to soften can make a big difference to overcoming the stretch tolerance
3. Contracting the muscle you’re trying to stretch can help you demonstrate to your brain that you have control and it’s safe to be there, in return the CNS will generally give you access to more range
Spending more time in a position and learning to relax into it can help establish a new baseline of what is safe. This doesn’t just apply to someone that is new to stretching and flexibility training, but experienced people just as much when they work ranges and positions new to their body.
Training these ranges regularly rather than only once in a while can also help with increased stretch tolerance. Trying to force your way into new range is never a good idea – in the best case scenario it’ll lead nowhere, in the worst case you’ll end up with an injury that sets you back by month and have more work to do to re-establish those safe ranges.
As you can see, the nervous system plays a big role in achieving our goals – the better you learn to work with it, rather than against it the faster you will see results.
Stay flexy,
Kat