5 Gems of Flexibility Zaichik Stretching Technique Five Whole-Body Exercises For Fast, Permanent And Painless Flexibili Flexibility ty
Tis e-book contains five gems o flexibility, five stretching exercises that will change your training lie orever. You only need to try them to see. Tese exercises will open your possibilities or better techniques, improved body control and awareness, a deeper eeling o lightness, strength and balance. Te Zaichik Stretching echniques are very special in that they are the only way to stretch that is natural or your body. For this reason, the techniques are also painless, hence producing permanent results. Compare this with traditional approaches, where you hold difficult (or too easy) positions waiting or something magical to happen, and when it does happen, it disappears much like Cinderella’s carriage, at midnight beore you hit your next workout.
When we get into a stretched position a protective reflex activates in our bodies in less than 2 seconds, tensing up our muscles to prevent us rom getting injured by stretching too ar. Tis tells us that holding stretches or more than 2 seconds is not sae, and whatever is not sae our body rejects it, that is why it is hard to get flexible by holding stretches. Te Zaichik Stretching echniques (ZS) you are about to learn have the solution to this. Firstly, ZS exercises are dynamic, stretching only or 1 second in a given direction, thus avoiding the pain o the stretch reflex. Secondly, each posture, technique or skill we want to master requires the flexibility o many muscles, thus ZS isolates each muscle working on them individually. Te effect o this is a lot less pressure on our joints, and aster progress. Lastly, ZS take into account that no muscle does one single thing, so all the actions or a given muscle are taken care o in one quick exercise.
Each ZS exercise comprises two moves, according to the muscle’s main actions. For example, to stretch “Rectus Femoris” (a quadriceps muscle) we bring the thigh back and we flex the knee, and we do this in a very particular way.
In ZS we name one move the “arget” and the other the “Leverage”. As the names imply, the target is the move that will go deeper and deeper into the stretch, and the leverage is a quick move that goes back and orth. In our Rectus Femoris example, our target will be bringing the thigh urther back, and our leverage will be flexing our knee or 1 second and letting it go. Applying the “leverage” will open up the room or the “target” to go deeper. Tis means that flexing your knee or 1 second will allow your hip to extend deeper, and you’ll notice that or a split second there’s no resistance to bringing your thigh back a little urther. Ten repeating the “leverage” again right away will open up more room or the hip to extend even urther back. wo very important key points: 1.Te arget will never retreat, make sure not to move the target when you apply the leverage, otherwise you’ll lose the progress each rep provides. 2.Te arget will go deeper as you let go o the leverage. Tis happens in 1 second, as you are letting go o the leverage, the target gets deeper into the stretch without the need to push or orce anything, let it happen. Obviously we won’t do 20 repetitions until our eet is touching the back o our head! Please don’t. Tese techniques as powerul as they are and given that there is no pain involved, it is very easy to overdo them. Pace yoursel and do maximum 5 reps at a time, come out o the stretch, let your body adapt, shake it off and repeat.
Te ZS exercises can be used on their own or combined with your main workout. On Teir Own o use them on their own you would do a quick warm up mobilizing all your joints, then jogging in place or a couple o minutes, and adding some simple conditioning exercises such as squats, deadlifs, lunges and pushups. Afer this 5-minute warm-up, you are ready to ocus on the ZS exercises. Do each or 1 to 3 sets, and 3 to 5 repetitions alternating sides. You can do one exercise afer the other or a ew rounds, usually no more than 5. Important Notes: •Do not to hold any position or more than 1 second and keep the tempo steady without attempting to “eel” the stretch. arget, leverage, target, leverage, target, come out. Tat’s it. •Do not push at all. Pushing is not necessary, it is unnatural, it will activate the protective stretch reflex and can only be counterproductive.
•Apply the leverage gently, even i it’s just 1 degree or less, always in a controlled manner and monitoring your muscles and joints or any uncomortable sensation that tells you to come out o the position. •Keep the exercises dynamic, don’t let the “pain reflex” activate. “Don’t enjoy it too much” as ZS instructors would say, meaning when you achieve a very deep stretching position or the first ew times don’t hold it or more than a couple o seconds. Combined with Your Main Workout ZS techniques will work best in between your main routine exercises, or right beore your main workout. ZS are not meant to be used as a cool down, though you can try that modality and see how it works or you in particular. ZS are not relaxed stretches used to calm your nervous system down and release toxins rom your muscles. ZS are techniques that activate your body, give you deeper ranges so that you can work on your techniques, that’s why they work best beore technique practice, not afer. Once you’ve done a ew rounds o ZS, you should do your main practice, whether it’s dance, martial arts, yoga, gymnastics or anything else. Tis will produce aster and more permanent results. raining your sport afer ZS will tell your body that your new ranges are natural, sae and unctional, and they will be accepted as permanent.
Watching the exercise videos will make all the above clear. Should you have any questions contact us at ino@easyflexibility.com and a ZS Certified Instructor will be prompt to assist you. You can also take a look at www.easyflexibility.com where you’ll find a wide variety or ZS ollow routines in video download and Online Certification Courses.
Up until now, flexibility progress was hard to track, so we created Stretch180, an application that will measure each degree o progress accurately, track your rate o progress and estimate the date you’ll reach your goal, whether it’s a high kick, a split, a yoga asana, a gymnastics move, or a dance technique. Check it out at Stretch180.com Here you’ll also find a public Leaderboard, where people share their progress training the Zaichik Stretching echniques. Feel ree to subscribe and participate. Each degree o progress that you share will also give you credit to use at our EasyFlexibility store.
PIRIFORMIS 1
2
3
NOTE: CLICK ON THE VIDEO TO START PLAYING. If the video doesn’t start playing after 5 seconds, go to this link: alternative link
1-Pull one knee toward the chest. Foot out on the oor to prevent the hips from coming up when you perform the leverage-target movements. 2-Bring your foot in performing hip external rotation. Do not let your glutes come off the oor. 3-As you are letting the foot come back pull the knee in travelling across the opposite shoulder.
PSOAS 1
2
3
NOTE: CLICK ON THE VIDEO TO START PLAYING. If the video doesn’t start playing after 5 seconds, go to this link: alternative link
1-Step forward with one leg and move it to the side. Flex to that side from the lower spine as much as possible. 2-Move over to the side (hip abduction) holding the spine lateral exion. 3-As you come back from the abduction increase hip extension (always keep spine lateral exion).
RECTUS FEMORIS 1
2
3
NOTE: CLICK ON THE VIDEO TO START PLAYING. If the video doesn’t start playing after 5 seconds, go to this link: alternative link
1-Step forward with one leg and move it to the side. Flex to that side from the lower spine as much as possible. 2-Move over to the side (hip abduction) holding the spine lateral exion. 3-As you come back from the abduction increase hip extension (always keep spine lateral exion).
PECTORALIS MINOR 1
2
3
NOTE: CLICK ON THE VIDEO TO START PLAYING. If the video doesn’t start playing after 5 seconds, go to this link: alternative link
1-Turn away till elbow comes off the oor. 2-Use the prop to push arm. Elevate the shoulder to ear. 3-As you depress, press the elbow more toward the oor.
POSTERIOR DELTOID 1
2
3
NOTE: CLICK ON THE VIDEO TO START PLAYING. If the video doesn’t start playing after 5 seconds, go to this link: alternative link
1-Turn away till elbow comes off the oor. 2-Use the prop to push arm. Elevate the shoulder to ear. 3-As you depress, press the elbow more toward the oor.
Check Out ZST Full Follow Along Routines to Master Any Skill! Get 15% off on your entire order by using coupon code EBOOKSPECIAL15OFF
Hip Combo 1
Upper Body Combo
Hamstrings Double Stretch.
Hip Flexors Strength and Flexibility
