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Stretching exercices are essential for recovery but also to prevent from injuries. Many videos. |
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The following stretching exercises should be done after each training session as a recovery tool. They can be done immediately after the training or a few hours later. However, after hard training sessions or competitions, it could be better not to pull too much immediately after effort – you’d better wait until the next day.
The goal is trying to find the best slackening possible of the muscle: make the contractures, that block the good vascularization of the fibres, disappear. The aim here is not trying to gain amplitude “to be more supple”. Stretching is used for recovery, which guarantees better performance and prevents microtraumas.
Above all, during a stretching session, you must listen to your body. You need to pay attention to your sensations and take the time to learn to feel them. You should not reproduce a mechanical movement; everybody needs to adapt his or her position according to his or her feeling.
To carry out a stretching exercise:
1. Take a position to put the muscle under tension and take time to adopt the right position.
2. Once the right position is found (and only when you get it), slightly heighten the tension without jolts (do not mix up tensioning and torture. It must not be painful. You should not make faces while stretching).
3. Breathe calmly, without forcing. In the same time, concentrate on the slackening of the stretched muscle while maintaining a constant tension during 15 to 20 seconds.
4. Slowly loosen the tension.
Methodology of the session:
In order not to forget any muscle and to make your stretching session become automatic, try to do it methodically by adopting a logical order like the one I suggest below:
Start at one end,
Stretch one side,
Then the other,
Do it 2 more times,
Then take the muscle back up progressively by stretching one muscle and then its antagonist.
The short movies below start with the hand, continue with the upper limb, then go down the trunk and finish with the lower limb. The last movies show stretching exercises of musculo-aponeurotic structures.
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Interosseous [{avrpopup type="lightbox" id="lecteur_01"}voir la vidéo{/avrpopup}]
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Finger and wrist flexor Located in the forearm, these muscles are the “key” muscles of our sport. We stretch them intuitively but not always in the right manner. Here is how to do. [{avrpopup type="lightbox" id="lecteur_02"}voir la vidéo{/avrpopup}] |
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Finger and wrist extensors Also located in the forearm but at the back side, they are highly strained too when practising with climbing holds, especially when pinching tufas. [{avrpopup type="lightbox" id="lecteur_03"}voir la vidéo{/avrpopup}] |
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Biceps brachii and anterior deltoid
The biceps is one of the big muscles of the elbow flexion; traction and blocking are its main functions. However it needs to preserve a maximum of its “liberty” to accomplish its other role: the lowering of the head of the humerus. [{avrpopup type="lightbox" id="lecteur_04"}voir la vidéo{/avrpopup}]
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Triceps brachii and teres major The triceps enables the elbow extension, which is useful for low blocking and dynamic movements. The teres major is a muscle of the “rotator cuff”; it is an internal rotator, contractures of this muscle are common. [{avrpopup type="lightbox" id="lecteur_05"}voir la vidéo{/avrpopup}] |
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Posterior deltoid and rhomboids Located at the posterior side of the shoulder and between the shoulder blades, this region is always used a lot. [{avrpopup type="lightbox" id="lecteur_06"}voir la vidéo{/avrpopup}] |
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Pectoralis major It is located in the chest area, it is much strained for slope and tends to lock the shoulders forward – regular stretching may avoid getting kyphosis. [{avrpopup type="lightbox" id="lecteur_07"}voir la vidéo{/avrpopup}] |
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Latissimus dorsi (broadest muscle of the back) It is a very strong and highly strained muscle that also contributes to kyphosis. It is the last one of the 3 big muscles (teres muscle, pectoral and dorsal). Trio of the internal rotation and of the lowering of the arm. [{avrpopup type="lightbox" id="lecteur_08"}voir la vidéo{/avrpopup}] |
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Rectus abdominis muscles Six packs are “nice” but it should not limit your mobility. Improving muscle strength and exercising abs should not be done at the expense of mobility, otherwise your will lose effectiveness. [{avrpopup type="lightbox" id="lecteur_09"}voir la vidéo{/avrpopup}] |
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Abdominal external oblique muscle “abs” have straight (see above) and crossed fibres. The latter enables the torsion of the trunk and also need to keep their whole amplitude. [{avrpopup type="lightbox" id="lecteur_10"}voir la vidéo{/avrpopup}] |
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Paravertebral lumbar muscles These muscles of the “low back” are sometimes overworked. Relaxing them regularly is very important. [{avrpopup type="lightbox" id="lecteur_11"}voir la vidéo{/avrpopup}] |