Tennis Player Doubles Hip Flexibility in One Hour with Microfiber Reduction at Somax Performance Institute

Amazed at increase in flexibility as stretching did not improve hip flexibility at all

Tiburon, CA (PRWEB) August 31, 2012

Minimum Internal Hip Rotation for Sports

"If athletes don't have a minimum of 60 degrees of internal rotation on each hip, then they are expending most of their energy overcoming their own stiffness."

Somax Performance Institute (web: http://www.somaxsports.com), the world leader in improving flexibility, has just posted a new video that shows a 60 year-old tennis player increasing his hip flexibility 100% in one hour with Microfiber Reduction (http://www.somaxsports.com/microfiber.php).

"The reason that Microfiber Reduction can improve flexibility so far beyond what stretching alone can do," says Bob Prichard, Director of Somax Performance Institute "is that microfibers, or mild scar tissue, form in the connective tissue between the muscles as a result of overuse, such as lifting weights, running marathons or stopping and starting on court."

Microfibers and Connective Tissue

Each muscle in the body is covered with a thin membrane of connective tissue, just like the skin around a sausage. These membranes serve the same function as cartilage does in a joint—they facilitate sliding, which the muscles have to do in order to stretch.

When a muscle is injured from an impact (such as falling on the court or playing contact sports) or over-use (such as lifting weights or running), microfibers form between adjacent layers of connective tissue to immobilize the area so that it can heal. Unfortunately, once the area has healed, the microfibers not only do not go away, they tend to accumulate over time, making athletes stiffer with age.

Because they are scar tissue, microfibers cannot be released by stretching. The best indication that someone might have microfibers in their connective tissue is that they stretch but do not improve their flexibility.

Microfiber Reduction

Microfiber Reduction is a proprietary form of connective tissue massage developed by Somax Performance Institute to reverse stiffness in their athletes. Combined with motion analysis, it helps athletes improve their performance by improving their efficiency, rather than strength and endurance, which most other training programs rely on to improve performance.

"The gradual accumulation of microfibers over time" says Prichard, "is the main reason athletes see their performance decline with age. By releasing these microfibers, we can reverse this age-related stiffness and improve performance and flexibility far beyond what stretching alone can do."

Measuring Flexibility

"All athletes should photograph and measure their flexibility," says Prichard, "to see how much flexibility they have lost over time. The most important range for sports is internal hip rotation. By lying on your stomach and bending both knees and keeping them together as you move your feet apart, you can get an accurate measurement of your internal hip rotation by having someone photograph your lower legs in this position and then measuring from the photo. The minimum range you need for tennis, golf, baseball, basketball, swimming and soccer is 60 degrees of internal rotation on each hip."

by Bob Prichard