Does stretching and being flexible contribute to muscle gain?
Yes, very much so. Joel Marion just had a great article on this in MM. If that issue is no longer available, shoot him an email and he’ll send it to you. You’ll learn a lot!
Also, there are a few articles on stretching here at T-Mag.
Hope this helps.
Can somebosy post joel’s email addy? or a link to the article
maximizeyourefforts@hotmail.com
If anyone is interested in the article, just shoot me an email.
Joel
I had a great number of individuals respond to this offer by emailing me; however, the thread is now burried and others don’t have the chance to view it. I ask that if you are planning on emailing me, just reply to this thread with an “sounds cool” or something to keep the thread active so that others have the opportunity to view it.
Thanks,
Joel
Sounds cool 
Just wanted to add this:
Let me quote Dr. McGregor from the Myostatin Roundtable article in issue 204.
"I would certainly stretch. In some other work I was involved in, we found that stretch elicited some of the physiological responses associated with eccentric contractions, without inducing the injury. So, non-contractile stretch might activate the satellite cells and then a traditional hypertrophy workout would provide the stimulus for continued proliferation."
Need I say more? Who knows what kind of gains you could make by incorporating Loaded Passive Stretching (LPS) with a myostatin binder such as Myostat. That's just one more reason, added to the many given in the article, to incorporate LPS into your bulking cycles.
Sounds interesting to me, maybe this will get me to stretch more often.
sounds cool but wtf is LPS???
Sounds good to me!
I'll email you within the hour!
Thanks. Nelson
Joel, Roman hooked me up with your article after I tried to go to Barnes & Noble only to find that the new (Feb) issue was out.
I found the article pretty interesting. However, you mention a 2-on 1-off protocol. Would being on androgens have any effect on those numbers? Also, would you go as far as to say that gains that hit a ceiling while on androgens happen (partially) because of the fascia lining being constrictive and simply not allowing anymore growth? This is assuming that nutrition and training remain optimal.
Sounds Cool!
The numbers given in the article are for both androgen and natural bulking cycles.
Also, yes I believe that tight fascia plays a partial role in stalled gains, as well as how close you are to your genetic potential, etc. Many people I have worked w/ have reported accelerated gains (more than what is "normal" for them), and in others who have suffered from prolonged plateaus in gains have stated that it "got them growing again."
Joel
bump (sounds cool!)
LPS is a type of stretching that can actually accelerate muscle growth; it is the topic of the article.
Joel
Thank you for your offer Joel. Sounds like something everyone can benefit from.
First off thanks for sending me the article Joelmeister, very intersting, a few questions follow. You state not to use LPS year round yet upon reading the article I actually use this method as part of my regular post workout stretch routine. Examples being, Lats - alternative stretch, Hams, Quads, also the stretches you describe are common. Should I change the stretches I presently do? In his bench article in issue 243, Christian Thibaudeau states “It’s well documented that intense stretching prior to a muscle contraction greatly reduces the force production potential from that contraction. That’s one of the reasons why it’s best to stretch after a workout rather than before it.” How does this relate to your article and stretching between sets?
Joel, sounds cool!
Most of the streches are loaded, while some are not; reason being, they’re still effective without the load. As far as conducting a few of the stretches in your regular post workout regimen (such as the hamstring and quad stretches which are not loaded), I don’t see a real problem with this. You definitly won’t have to do any pre or post workout stretching when conducting LPS, however. Also, conducting just a few of these stretches once in a while is not near as damaging (nuerologically to the CNS and physiologically to the fascia tissue) as performing whole body loaded stretching with multiple sets; you just can’t do it for extended periods of time due to CNS and fascial recovery issues. I only recommend it while bulking for the reasons stated in the article and even then, you need to take some time off.
Secondly, I believe the negative impact on strength is simply because individuals are not used to this type of stress inbetween their sets. A slight drop off in strength from what is normal for you may occur during the first few sessions, but after a week, this should no longer be occuring. Furthermore, this should not occur should you repeat the cycle; it's temporary to only a short period of time (if it even happens). Basically, the longterm benefits far outweigh any temporary drawbacks.
Lastly, with individuals who are experienced with LPS, it has been noted by various russian researchers and some newer studies that performing this type of stretching between sets can actually increase your strength. I still don't recommend it for anything other than bulking cycles due to recovery issues, however.
Joel
sounds cool!