During a Resistance Stretch, the muscle being stretched is trying to contract while it is being forced to lengthen. This is known as an eccentric contraction. In a traditional way of stretching, there is no contraction to the muscle group being stretched which yields no strength from the movement. What we have noticed about Resistance Stretching is that muscle groups that have been Resistance stretched seem much stronger and more resilient than traditionally stretched muscle groups.

A commonly asked question is, “Where does the resistance in a Resistance Stretch come from?” The resistance comes from you (if it’s an individual stretch) or your trainer (if it’s an assisted stretch).

Resistance Stretching can be done on your own or with a Resistance Stretching trainer. The stretches you do on your own are called self stretches and can be a very good workout all by themselves.  If you choose to work with a Resistance Stretching trainer using the assisted stretches, you’ll find that the intensity and benefits of your workouts increase greatly.

In the pictures on to the right, the woman on the floor is reaching forward  while the trainer pulls her arm backwards. The forward reaching, combined with the backward pulling, cause the pectoral (chest) muscles to receive a very complete stretch.