I posted something similar to this in a thread about calves. However, this doesnt apply to just calves but ALL muscle groups. Listen up guys.
Ever reach a point where you feel your arms arent growing or your chest or your legs? Feel like you've hit your size limit? wrong, your forgetting to due, in my eyes, one of the most crucial things when trying to add MASS. STRETCHING. and not just any old kind of stretching, stretching your fasica
Every muscle has a membrane coating it, this membrane is called your Fascia. your muscles can grow up until the point when that membrane is full. Meaning, you can only fit enough mass in your arms/legs/chest etc that your fascia will allow. this is when you feel youve hit your limit. However, more room can become available.
A plastic bag can only hold so much water before it is full. if you stretch that bag out, it can hold more water. Same idea with your fascia. If you stretch out your muscle membrane you allow more room for growth.
for this to be done you must stretch the muscle WHEN THE MUSCLE IS PUMPED. the only way to stretch the membrane is when the muscle is pumped/filled with blood. the muscle is already pushing against the limits of the membrane and stretching at this point is crucial for adding more room. a stretch should be a deep, loaded (weighted) stretch held for 30-60 seconds.
For example. after my chest workout when my chest is completely filled with blood i will lie on a flat bench with very light weights and hold the deep stretch to a fly. I will hold that stretch for 45 seconds and then ill repeat once or twice more. Thats it, your membrane is already starting to be stretched.This should be done for each muscle group after its worked/while its pumped. A few mini stretches during your exercise helps aswell.
the fascia coating your calves is stronger/more dense because of its weight beering properties so stretch this one more and deeper then say biceps.
you may put it aside and continue not to stretch but then you will be limited to how big you will become. Have fun getting bigger
* do not decide to do this type of stretching and neglect proper nutrition and trainning. that would be a big mistake.
Ever reach a point where you feel your arms arent growing or your chest or your legs? Feel like you've hit your size limit? wrong, your forgetting to due, in my eyes, one of the most crucial things when trying to add MASS. STRETCHING. and not just any old kind of stretching, stretching your fasica
Every muscle has a membrane coating it, this membrane is called your Fascia. your muscles can grow up until the point when that membrane is full. Meaning, you can only fit enough mass in your arms/legs/chest etc that your fascia will allow. this is when you feel youve hit your limit. However, more room can become available.
A plastic bag can only hold so much water before it is full. if you stretch that bag out, it can hold more water. Same idea with your fascia. If you stretch out your muscle membrane you allow more room for growth.
for this to be done you must stretch the muscle WHEN THE MUSCLE IS PUMPED. the only way to stretch the membrane is when the muscle is pumped/filled with blood. the muscle is already pushing against the limits of the membrane and stretching at this point is crucial for adding more room. a stretch should be a deep, loaded (weighted) stretch held for 30-60 seconds.
For example. after my chest workout when my chest is completely filled with blood i will lie on a flat bench with very light weights and hold the deep stretch to a fly. I will hold that stretch for 45 seconds and then ill repeat once or twice more. Thats it, your membrane is already starting to be stretched.This should be done for each muscle group after its worked/while its pumped. A few mini stretches during your exercise helps aswell.
the fascia coating your calves is stronger/more dense because of its weight beering properties so stretch this one more and deeper then say biceps.
you may put it aside and continue not to stretch but then you will be limited to how big you will become. Have fun getting bigger
* do not decide to do this type of stretching and neglect proper nutrition and trainning. that would be a big mistake.