isometrics instead of stretching?

I have taken yoga and it was good for me and my mood.  But, I learned that I was not very flexible.  I think I have heard that girls and women have more natural flexibility than most men.  Some people who know me joked that of course a stern, serious, focused guy like me would be unable to sit on the floor with legs extended in a V and lay his whole upper body down along a leg.  Quite a few of the women in the class do that sort of thing with apparent ease.

When I saw the book "Natural Flexibility" by Charles Kenny, MD, I was immediately interested.  It is not available for Kindle but I didn't care.  Besides, any book that contains charts or photos, especially multiple ones on a single page has been better for me so far in paper.

This book only came yesterday but it has caught me attention.  I have heard that the evidence suggests that aerobic exercise is probably the most important.  I suspect that some weights or resistance work helps me compensate for sitting around reading or computing much of the time.  I tend to put flexibility last.  I have read that I don't want to get my joints too flexible, just adequately.  My chiropractor told me once that in his mind, yoga is a form of torture. I have never been one to stretch very much, not even for the 15 to 20 seconds I have seen recommended.

This "Natural Flexibility" book is about using isometrics in place of stretching.  I guess the idea is stretching can lead to injury, although I don't think it ever has for me.  A critic of the book said he wasn't worried about injury but wants to focus on improving his range of motion.  He doubted the isometrics would do much for range of motion.

Sometimes people want to work on the flexibility of their shoulder.  One way to do that is to reach a hand down their back behind their head while reaching up the back with the other hand.  If possible, they interlock fingers of the hands.  If not, they may use a towel or a rod to bridge the space between the hands.  With stretching, the shoulder is relaxed while the other hand pulls it down some.  With isometrics, both arms pull and resist each other perfectly, with the result of no movement but with tension.

Since I have heard and read so much about the basics of stretching for muscle health, it is something of a shock to think that isometrics might be better.  The author has been practicing orthopedics for 30 years and supplies a long list of titles for further reading.

The initial steps in Brill's program in her book "The Core Program" are very similar to many of the recommended exercises in Kenny.  For instance, she recommends lying on your back at the start and pressing parts of your back into the floor.  Kenny recommends lifting your head a couple of inches and your legs a couple of inches and holding them for a count of 30.

(coyedited by L.S.Kirby)