Stretching?

The shoulders are fixed in that slumped forward position for a lot of guys because they focus more on pushing movements than pulling movements. That has nothing to do with stretching. Sure those guys have tight pecs and lats pulling their shoulders in but stretching is just going to focus on passive structures and result in instability around the joint while doing nothing to fix posture. It's the upper back work you did that helped, the stretching you could've done without.
There is no evidence that stretching prevents or treats injury in anyway. A good rehab program focuses on neuromuscular reconditioning and strengthening, activating muscles in the correct order at the correct time at the correct length. Stretching is a waste of time for most people.

 

There's a reason why most online S and C coaches and guys working with boxers are poorly credentialed and have to try and promote themselves on the internet.

 

Flexibility is largely hereditary, based on how deep your ball and socket joints are. Passive range of motion and active range of motion are two different things, learning to use a muscle through a range of motion is how you improve range of motion. Weights can be used for this. Passive stretching is just yanking on knots and passive structures, causing instability and a lack of neuromuscular awareness. Why would you need to be flexible beyond the range of motion of the movements you make anyway? Again, you're just creating instability. You need stiffness around certain areas, to decrease that is to impair performance and increase injury risk. Which is reflected in some studies that show stretching programs increase injury risk.
Everything you do needs to have a reason, stretching muscles just for the hell of it is asking for trouble and for most people the reward isn't there.

 

Rollout your pecs, lats, and triceps. You probably also have poor lower trap activation so you can't rotate your scapular properly. Getting your elbows up to receive has nothing to do with your forearms if you're doing it right, get your arms up moving from the shoulder instead of trying to bend them at the elbows.

 

Another one for the ignore list. :hi:

 

Why would I care what S & C coaches do with boxers? You sound like you're easily influenced by what you see on the internet. Don't just do things because you've seen someone else doing them.. :nono

 

There is a lot of talk of static stretching being detrimental to maximal muscle performance, however most of the studies making this claim have employed stretches of long duration (i.e. holding a stretch for >60 seconds). When a stretch is held for a shorter period, maximal muscle performance does not seem to be compromised. Saying that, there is conflicting evidence in the literature because of different methodologies used.

I would say that if you're feeling tight in a particular area before a work-out, there are acute benefits to flexibility after performing static stretching. However, it would be more advisable to perform dynamic stretching and myofascial release (foam rollers) as you will this will also facilitate greater range of motion without the potential detrimental impact on explosive performance.

 

Ive been a professional athlete since I was 16good

 

Stretching ABSOLUTELY helps.
Theres a reason all the top football and rugby clubs now do yoga.
Foam rolling is for myofascial release, which is also very helpful, but for lack of mobility, stretching is a must.
Gymnasts spend HOURS stretching, Colin Jackson the hurdler spend hours stretching.
As for your forearms, it could be your wrist mobility, thats an issue for a lot of guys, especially ones involved in combat sports as the wrist takes a lot of punishment.

 

Wow I'm impressed. :happy

What drugs are you on?

 

I dont claim to be a pro in this but I've read recently that stretching before exercise can actually do more harm than good, and can lead to an increase in the chance of injury, it was found that stretching should be best left to part of a cool-down or at the end of the training

 

Is there a book or an author that you would recommend to someone who doesn't know much about what you are talking about?