pnf and Teenagers

[Afiya Zia]

I'd like to supplement my lower body weighted work with some mobility pieces. I like Kelly Starret's Squat Series, as well as Kit Laughlin's soleus stretch, but they feature elements of pnf, which I read can damage growth plates in adolescents. Does this danger spread to:

1) the Contract-Relax kind of stretch, where one strives to increase the stretch as much as possible?

2) stretches where one moves in and out of the position, or oscilates through it? Are these safe?

I'm fourteen years old, and am around 5 ft 6 in. I can't buy Kit's book as of now, as I am saving money for H1, and eventually, M1.

As always, any and all help is appreciated

Thanks,

Aadil

[Karl Kallio]

Personally I'd take the advice from all these "it damages the young body" naysayers with a grain of salt.  If growth plates were all that fragile there would be a lot of deformed people around.

 

It seems popular and easy to think up 1001 reasons why not to do something and not so common to heat someone say why and how to do it.

 

What damage is done if you go through your formative years without stretching, strengthening, impacting, endurancing and otherwise using your body?  Yes, you should learn good technique and exercise common sense.  Yes, you should advance gradually permitting your body to accustom to one increase before piling on another.

[George Vere]

I got an ex-library copy of Kit's Stretching and Flexibility from Amazon for £20 a few weeks ago - I see it's not so relatively cheap in the US for a used copy, but it's worth it.

 

I won't write much as it is Kit's material but Contract-Relax is part of Kit's system - two things about it:

1) Don't do it every day - only a few times a week (2 or less), but spend every day limbering.

2) You don't need to use absolute maximal contraction to bring about the required relaxation - only around 50% for a beginner (but it depends on what you're stretching)

 

http://kitlaughlin.com/forums/index.php?/topic/215-limbering-mobility-and-stretching-what-do-these-terms-mean-how-to-best-use/

Take a look at his posts on this forum, they're searchable by member.

ANd also look up Kit's youtube channel.

 

I don't know about C-R stretching actually damaging growth plates - I doubt it, but you need to approach it properly, which entails stretching correctly. I'm a teenager too.

[Connor Davies]

I say go for it.  If you end up crippled, at least we'll be able to use you as an example for the next teenager that comes along.

 

In all seriousness though, I've heard about the ridiculous workload you're under.  If you haven't broken yet, I'm pretty sure you'll be fine...

[Afiya Zia]

http://web.mit.edu/tkd/stretch/stretching_4.html

I believe this is Kit's book, and he states that adolescents shouldn't be doing pnf.

[FREDERIC DUPONT]

This is not kit's book, but the document is interesting nonetheless, and copyright free.

[Afiya Zia]

Does this make it a no-go?

[FREDERIC DUPONT]

You mean for teens? I have no idea.

[Coach Sommer]

This is a ridiculous assertion that the author has made.  Absolutely no basis in reality.

 

Most of this sort of confusion would go away if people would quite listening to self designated experts who possess no expertise in the area about which they are writing.

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[Afiya Zia]

Thank you for the clarification, Coach. It is unfortunate that unreliable sources of information are rampant on the Internet nowadays. The fact that we willingly believe what we read, in my opinion, stems from the assumption that for someone to post a factual piece of writing on the Internet, they must be knowledgeable in their field of "expertise."

That is why a site like this is important.

[Coach Sommer]

To my mind it is also equally the fault of the reader for being gullible.  Remember the old saying, "Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me."  Having an open mind does not mean allowing the wind to whistle through one's ears.  

 

The solution is simple; thoroughly vet your sources of information and their level of professionalism.  

 

Don't take their word for it.  Look it up.  Verify it.  Who are they?  What have they done?  Who have they produced?  At what level (internet only, local, state, regional, national, international, world class)?  If they claim world class, was it in a real sport or a self created event?

 

In almost all case, the higher the qualifications of the author, the higher the quality of the information that is being provided.

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[Afiya Zia]

You're right about that, I have never stopped to look at the credentials of someone presenting information to prospective readers, unless it is clearly earmarked in the authors' section of the piece. Lesson learned.

I assume you use pnf with your athletes at some point in their training. Am I correct in this assumption?

[Coach Sommer]

And by "producing", I am referring to someone who actually had the primary responsiblity (as measured in years) in the development and coaching of the athlete they are claiming credit for.  Not someone who supervised their workout for a few months, or became their personal trainer after they retired or who served them coffee once upon a time when they were overseas. 

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[Connor Davies]

And by "producing", I am referring to someone who actually had the primary responsiblity (as measured in years) in the development and coaching of the athlete they are claiming credit for.  Not someone who supervised their workout for a few months, or became their personal trainer after they retired or who served them coffee once upon a time when they were overseas. 

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

I've served loads of people coffee!  Does that make me a personal trainer now?

[Afiya Zia]

Yeah! They don't let just anyone to have a blog these days!