Could "Loaded Stretching" Cure Your Mobility Issues?

"Functional fitness was never something I was interested in when I was younger. Instead, my 20s were all about vanity workouts. Anything that could get me to sculpted abs? Sign me up. It wasn't until I became old enough to groan while getting out of a chair that I became more concerned with my mobility and how to maintain it."

"These declines can make mundane tasks harder (such as carrying groceries), while increasing clumsiness and the risk of injury. Functional fitness helps slow this process down through workouts that mimic everyday activities, incorporating movements such as lunges, squats, twists and other simple yet effective exercises. That way, you don't have to tell your buddies you hurt your back getting up from the toilet."

"While investigating mobility hacks, I stumbled on a term I'd never heard before: "loaded stretching." Recently popularized on social media, loaded stretching essentially refers to stretching with weights. Although it may seem like a new online trend, certified personal trainer Sergio Pedemonte notes that the concept has been around for decades and is often referred to under different names, such as "eccentric holds, deep stretch, or stretch under load.""

"In contrast to concentric exercises, which involve contracting muscles to build strength, eccentric exercises lengthen muscles with the assistance of resistance. In Pilates, this is done through reformer machines; but resistance can also come from holding a weight. As for what it can do for reducing daily aches, pains and potentially embarrassing injuries, "loaded stretching is great for mobility," Pedemonte confirms."

Functional fitness centers on movements that mimic everyday activities to preserve mobility and reduce injury risk with age. Age-related mobility loss arises from impairments across the central nervous system, muscles, joints, and sensory and energetic systems, making daily tasks harder and increasing clumsiness. Loaded stretching means stretching under resistance, commonly using weights, and has existed for decades under names like eccentric holds or stretch under load. Eccentric exercises lengthen muscles under resistance and can be performed with machines or free weights. Loaded stretching can simultaneously develop strength and flexibility, improving mobility and reducing aches and injuries.

Read at InsideHook