In Pilates, we use springs as resistance rather than weights. That’s not really news to anyone, but let’s take this metaphor of spring a lot further, especially in this Spring season!  Let’s apply the spring to muscles: pulling the spring open (lengthening) followed by closing it (contraction). Just like the two phases of muscle actions: the lengthening or load phase, and the contraction or shortening phase. I see more emphasis on the contraction phrase, but not enough on the lengthening, resulting in short and contracted muscles, leading to pain and tightness. 

Rubber band

We could use a spring, but do you have one laying around?  No? I thought not!  So grab a rubber band right now so you can physically see this metaphor in action. Go on, I’ll wait here!  Now with one thumb plus index finger, hold one end of the rubber band. Then, do the same with the other end.  Hold both ends just enough just to take the slack out of it to add some tension.  Your hands are now connected to two opposing points on the rubber band. Notice how close together those two points are, which is like a muscle at its maximum contraction. 

To act like a muscle, keep the right hand fixed in one place, and pull the left hand away from it. See it lengthen. Then hold the left hand fixed, pull the right hand away.  It lengthens again, but from a different point.  This is how muscles move your bones to move you. The rubber band stretching away from two points is the lengthening phase of the muscles, stretching in an active way (load) to functionally build complete strength and mobility. 

Now, watch the rubber band in action!  Loop it around one finger and pull back the other end back, away from your face - the stretch phase.  When you let go of it, it will fly into the air, contracting for flight and distance. The lengthening phase, pulling one point back against a stable point, prepped it to fly through the air!

Let’s apply this to a muscle you are familiar with! 

The Juicy

Let’s pick the big peachy muscle, the gluteus maximus. Its two points are the back of the pelvis/sacrum area, the other point, the back of the long leg bone (the femur bone). See picture:

It comes into length when we pull these points apart, like the rubber band.  Let’s now pull different points apart from a fixed, stable point.  A squat or lunge will lengthen the leg from the back of the fixed pelvis.  A dead lift will lengthen the back of the pelvis away from the fixed leg.  As we pull two points away from each other, as we lower into a squat, dead lift, or lunge, imagine that you don’t release the muscles of the glut, but feel it lengthen and “load” just like the state of the rubber band when you pull it apart. Then feel it contract as you bring those points together.  Once you get the hang of that, your muscles can be like springs: a constant oscillation of lengthening and shortening.  Like breathing! Therefore you can be spring-like and move freely and powerfully.