By If you are interested in fitness, you must have come across the term hyperbolic stretching. It is an online stretching routine that many are doing now to make themselves fitter and faster.
Alex Larsson first developed this stretching regimen in his book about this exercise routine. This stretching routine involves you going through a 4-week training routine that consists of doing various stretches.
Each week targets a muscle group by doing specific stretching exercises, changing every week. In this article, we will go through the training regimen and understand how it will help you become more flexible and stronger.
Difference Between Dynamic Stretching and Static Stretching
There is always a debate on stretching techniques, especially the advantages of static vs. dynamic stretching, there are different types of stretching, all of which have been beneficial for years. To the various types of stretches that are present, dynamic, active and hyperbolic stretching are prominent.
Static means still and something that is not moving, the meaning of dynamic is movement. Static stretching includes a relaxing, slow stretch while staying in a fixed position. The muscles stretch similarly, in a static position. Dynamic stretching includes constant movement that allows blood flow to the muscles.
The prominent difference between static and dynamic stretching is the time for which you must hold the stretch. Static stretch allows your muscles to reach a stretch point which you can hold for at least 30 seconds. When you stretch the muscles only for a few seconds, you are constantly proceeding through a range of motion.
Who Is It For?
Hyperbolic stretching is an ideal stretching method that is suitable for older adults, individuals who are looking to get back in shape and those recovering from an injury. The stretching is gentle, so it does not pose a threat such as a major injury.
Stretching also helps in limbering up in the morning. It is also a great way to stretch out the kinks when you have just gotten out of the building. Athletes also benefit from the stretching technique. However, you must be careful to do it in moderation.
Hyperbolic stretching, when overdone, can cause the muscles to lose the necessary tension which helps athletes power through a performance. Additionally, the explosive power that athletes need to sprint and quick turn or vertical jump, can be reduced with this stretching.
In addition, the hyperbolic stretching includes a lot of activity, change, and progress. Dynamic stretching includes full range of motion for a muscle group. There are a series of motions that help in building momentum before an exercise. Moreover, the design can mimic an activity or sport. There are repetitive motions that let your muscle fibers lengthen without losing any of the stored energy.
The repeating of motion can increase your range of motion a bit more. You repeat dynamic stretches around 10-11 times. The perfect people for this stretching are athletes and weightlifters. Also, it is suitable for anyone who is into cardiovascular workouts.
Tips To Remember:
- Do not do static stretching before your performance as it can slow it down.
- Dynamic stretching promotes specific movements that are good for sports, as they improve agility and speed.
- Recovering from an injury is improved with dynamic stretching, however, you should consult with your therapist or doctor.
- People above the age of 65 years should consult the doctor before doing hyperbolic stretching on their own.
Despite being good for everyone, it is important to know the limits within which you can freely do the stretches without injuring yourself. Some popular examples include exercises such as:
- Trunk twist
- Arm circles
- Butt kicks
- Leg swings
- Hip circles
- Walking lunges
- Lunges with a twist
All these exercises are easy to do and do not require any equipment unless you are mixing them with another exercise.
What Is Hyperbolic Stretching?
In the online stretching guide provided by Larsson, he explains hyperbolic stretching as a set of 21 different exercises. Each of these exercises will take only 8 minutes per day. In addition, each of these 21 exercises has a brief tutorial video created by Larsson himself.
Larsson has claimed in his book that doing this exercise for six months will significantly improve your flexibility, strengthening your arm and leg muscles. The tutorial videos will cost $27 for all users and come with a 6-month money-back guarantee scheme if you are unhappy with the results.
Hyperbolic Stretching Routine
Information about hyperbolic stretching is only available on the website, from where you get to download all the tutorial videos. Unfortunately, these are all hidden behind a paywall. Therefore, we will not be divulging specific information about all the exercises and how to do them.
We can tell you that hyperbolic stretching includes many challenges that you need to do in 30 days. The aim of these exercises, according to Larsson, is to make your body flexible and prevent back pain and neck pains due to long hours of sitting in front of a computer.
The demand for this exercise routine has become popular ever since the Covid pandemic started. Since most people are working from their homes, long hours of sitting in front of your desk can cause many health problems like body aches and joint pains. Therefore, you can try this stretching routine if you think your life is becoming sedentary.
Some of the main exercises are:
1. Complete Side Splits
This requires you to do side splits and improve your pelvic movement. These exercises require no additional equipment, and you can do them in your room. Doing side splits will allow you to relieve your hips and thigh muscles, making your pelvic musicals more flexible than before.
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2. Complete Front Splits
Front splits are the perfect beginner exercises for you. This is because front splits help in strengthening your hamstrings and hip muscles. It will also help relieve back pain, correct body posture, and make your back more flexible.
3. Dynamic Flexibility For High Kicks
If you are looking for complete elastic control of your lower body, then this exercise will be perfect for you. This involves doing 180 degree splits with one leg vertically straight up in the air.
In the words of Larsson, this will help improve your strength and flexibility in your lower body while also increasing blood circulation for more muscular legs.
In addition, this also develops your kicking speed, allowing you to kick higher in the air. Therefore, you can start your journey to become a martial artist by learning high kicks just by stretching!
4. Complete Upper Body Stretching
Once you have mastered your lower body flexibility, it’s time to shift the weight and the focus to the upper body. These exercises are great for intermediate bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts.
These exercises include upper body stretches involving touching your feet with one hand and pointing the other vertically upwards towards the sky. These exercises will help you strengthen chest muscles, biceps, triceps, shoulders, and upper back muscles.
5. Pike Mastery And Front Bending
Pike is an exercise where you place your forehead on your knees and grab your feet with both your hands simultaneously. Piking enhances your capability of front bending. This helps increase the flexibility of your lower back muscles, glutes, hamstrings, and abs.
6. Bridge And Back Bending
A bridge is an exercise where you bend backward and touch the ground. This famous yoga pose also acts as a stretching exercise. What this does is help in strengthening your lower back muscles and increases shoulder flexibility. This exercise is great for dancers who require body fitness to dance away to their favorite rhythm!
Is Hyperbolic Stretching Legit?
Now that you have some idea of the various hyperbolic stretching exercises let’s address the elephant in the room. First, we will directly address the burning question – does all this work?
Our hyperbolic stretching review, yer it does help. But we see that most people have exaggerated expectations from this stretching routine. Many believe doing this exercise for a month will give them a physique like Bruce Lee. But that is not the case here.
This exercise helps you to become more flexible and get a little stronger. However, we have done these exercises and have not experienced muscle gain to achieve a physique like a Greek god.
We have experienced a surge of energy inside us, along with improved flexibility in our bodies. This has helped us stay focused on our activities and increase our body’s range of motion.
Frequently Asked Questions:
This question is complex and varies from person to person since hyperbolic stretching will provide different results. Therefore, you might not feel anything at all or become fit within a month. Hyperbolic stretching works best when combined with a supplement to your other workout routines.
Hyperbolic stretching refers to a four-week online stretching regimen that Alex Larsson created. The main objective of this stretching program is to help you become more flexible and strengthen your muscles.
There exist four different types of stretching. They are:
Active Stretching
Passive Stretching
Dynamic Stretching
PNF Stretching
Many health experts and fitness trainers claim that hyperbolic stretching is the same as PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation). Therefore, both involve laying on a table to do the exercises, targeting individual muscle groups on every stretch.
Conclusion
Hyperbolic stretching is a fun set of 21 exercises you need to do for a month to achieve overall body fitness. After completing this workout routine, you will experience better body flexibility and improved strength and muscle coordination. We highly recommend doing this if you sit in front of your office desk for long periods.
Suppose you enjoyed reading this article and got motivated to try hyperbolic stretching out. In that case, we recommend you to read our other articles and like and share them with your friends!
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