Sunday, October 29, 2006
Week Six! October 30 - November 5/06
Stretching, cramps and the GTO.
One day before an exercise class at the Wellness Centre, Wally was giving Kevin and I some stretching advice and mentioned something called the‘GTO’. GTO, believe it or not, stands for Golgi Tendon Organ and has nothing to do with classic Pontiacs.
Having become a recent fan of all things ‘stretched’, I Googled the term hoping to gain some inside knowledge. Results? Dense medical research papers aimed at Sports Researchers, Medical Students and/or Dr. Frankenstein. So pay attention – it may turn up in a future CSI episode.
The GTO is a bundle of nerves on every muscle that protect those same muscles from ‘blowing out”. They sense when a muscle is going too far and stop further extension. They act like governors, which is a good thing. But they also get in the way of stretching a muscle fully.
You can use your knowledge of how GTO's work to enhance your stretching exercise. Stretch a muscle, for example your hamstrings, as far as they want to go (before pain, of course!). Then (here comes the Sports therapists lingo), contract the muscle ‘isometrically’ to increase tension in the muscle. To do this for your ham, press your heel or whole leg onto whatever surface you are sitting on. Press hard, without moving, and after 5-10 seconds, gently but completely let go of the contraction, again without moving.
This ‘isometric’ stretching is the same kind used when stretching calf muscles by pushing against a wall. It refers to stretching a muscle against something fixed or immovable, unlike a free weight (although they sometimes feel immovable).
Now slowly resume your stretch, and see if you go a little further! You may already have heard this referred to as "a PNF method" or "hold-relax. It’s this kind of training that claims to be able to turn middle-aged men into contortionists. And I’m not making this up.
So what does GTO and stretching have to do with cramps?
This is all new and based on recent studies by Bentley and Schwellnus. When you over exert yourself, the GTO for an exhausted muscle is itself inhibited and therefore stops working, and becomes a direct causes of cramping. The theory implies that routine stretching is preventive medicine for cramping.
We also now know there are two very different kinds of cramps.
The first is caused by over-tired muscles. These can be worked out with stretches and/or ice in a fairly short period of time. A second type of cramp is caused by the loss of sodium through sweating, generally in hot conditions. These are called ‘heat cramps’ and can only be treated by restoring sodium levels in the body. And they hurt more too. Gatorade anyone?
One day before an exercise class at the Wellness Centre, Wally was giving Kevin and I some stretching advice and mentioned something called the‘GTO’. GTO, believe it or not, stands for Golgi Tendon Organ and has nothing to do with classic Pontiacs.
Having become a recent fan of all things ‘stretched’, I Googled the term hoping to gain some inside knowledge. Results? Dense medical research papers aimed at Sports Researchers, Medical Students and/or Dr. Frankenstein. So pay attention – it may turn up in a future CSI episode.
The GTO is a bundle of nerves on every muscle that protect those same muscles from ‘blowing out”. They sense when a muscle is going too far and stop further extension. They act like governors, which is a good thing. But they also get in the way of stretching a muscle fully.You can use your knowledge of how GTO's work to enhance your stretching exercise. Stretch a muscle, for example your hamstrings, as far as they want to go (before pain, of course!). Then (here comes the Sports therapists lingo), contract the muscle ‘isometrically’ to increase tension in the muscle. To do this for your ham, press your heel or whole leg onto whatever surface you are sitting on. Press hard, without moving, and after 5-10 seconds, gently but completely let go of the contraction, again without moving.
This ‘isometric’ stretching is the same kind used when stretching calf muscles by pushing against a wall. It refers to stretching a muscle against something fixed or immovable, unlike a free weight (although they sometimes feel immovable).
Now slowly resume your stretch, and see if you go a little further! You may already have heard this referred to as "a PNF method" or "hold-relax. It’s this kind of training that claims to be able to turn middle-aged men into contortionists. And I’m not making this up.
So what does GTO and stretching have to do with cramps?
This is all new and based on recent studies by Bentley and Schwellnus. When you over exert yourself, the GTO for an exhausted muscle is itself inhibited and therefore stops working, and becomes a direct causes of cramping. The theory implies that routine stretching is preventive medicine for cramping.
We also now know there are two very different kinds of cramps.
The first is caused by over-tired muscles. These can be worked out with stretches and/or ice in a fairly short period of time. A second type of cramp is caused by the loss of sodium through sweating, generally in hot conditions. These are called ‘heat cramps’ and can only be treated by restoring sodium levels in the body. And they hurt more too. Gatorade anyone?
# posted by Theo Cage @ 4:22 PM 
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CHECK OUT THE NEW LINKS
See the new links on the left side of the page. Real Age is a very cool site for fitness and diet stuff.
See the new links on the left side of the page. Real Age is a very cool site for fitness and diet stuff.
I've been fighting off a stubborn sinus/chest infection for nearly 3 weeks and couldn't push myself as I usually do this past week (not an excuse...just the fact).
Wednesday (side note) - finally had my 'Personal Wellness Assessment' at the Wellness Centre along with a Physio appointment for my crappy knees. Completed 1 hr yoga dvd
Thursday - sick as a dog! (...what does that expression mean anyway?)
Friday - still sick, 30 min walk
Saturday - 1 hr yoga dvd, 30 min walk
Sunday - 1 hr walk
Wednesday (side note) - finally had my 'Personal Wellness Assessment' at the Wellness Centre along with a Physio appointment for my crappy knees. Completed 1 hr yoga dvd
Thursday - sick as a dog! (...what does that expression mean anyway?)
Friday - still sick, 30 min walk
Saturday - 1 hr yoga dvd, 30 min walk
Sunday - 1 hr walk
# posted by 
: 1:46 PM
: 1:46 PM
WEEK SIX . . .
Starts good but ends badly.
Tues - Wellness fun, running, resistance stepper. Hit 111 floors in 20 min, do 56 situps. 70 Min
Fri - as above only do 67 situps. 70 Min.
Sat - do something stupid and pull lumbar muscles - walk and recumbant bike 60 Min. (ouch)
Sun - bike at home 50 Min (also ouch)
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Starts good but ends badly.
Tues - Wellness fun, running, resistance stepper. Hit 111 floors in 20 min, do 56 situps. 70 Min
Fri - as above only do 67 situps. 70 Min.
Sat - do something stupid and pull lumbar muscles - walk and recumbant bike 60 Min. (ouch)
Sun - bike at home 50 Min (also ouch)
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