Use Touch To Increase Flexibility And Strength

As a dancer, stretching and strength training are vital parts of my day. While, I probably have to stretch and train a lot more than the average gym goer it’s still incredibly important to keep your muscles flexible and in control. Muscles will constrict and weaken unless they are used and stretched, especially as we age. Improving flexibility and control of your muscles will improve your performance and prevent injury no matter what type of movement or exercise you do. Even if that is just carrying a heavy load of laundry up the stairs or mowing the lawn.

With that said, here is a fabulous technique that I picked up from Eric Franklin’s book years ago. Simply touch the muscle you are trying to lengthen or work. Why does touch help? By touching the muscle you are drawing your focus to that area. This technique is similar to simply using intention when your working out, but with touch you can feel the correct muscles work or learn to initiate the proper muscle. A lot of times we try to copy an exercise that we have seen and end up working the wrong muscle groups because the form is off. Using touch to feel the right muscle contracting or stretching is a great way to get more out of the work with better alignment.

So how should I touch?
When stretching, for example, if I am in a forward fold where I am stretching my hamstrings I will put a few fingertips or my whole palm and hand on the muscle. This draws my attention to the area so when I breathe I can imagine lots of oxygenated blood rushing to those muscles to loosen them up.

When lifting weights, first make sure your form is correct, then in something like a lat pull down, cup your hand onto your lat under your arm pit and feel the exercise initiate from there.

I love this technique because it really gets you to hone in on the muscles you want working. How many times does a simple bicep curl turn into a shoulder exercise where the upper trapezius takes over? Or an abdominal crunch turns into hip flexor work? It’s really easy to let large muscle groups carry the entire load, but then you’re not really working the area you want to lengthen or strengthen.

By using touch and intention when working out you will get more out of each exercise or stretch and therefore spend less time and do less reps! Remember it’s quality vs. quantity.