13/03/2020
Those ‘weird’ exercises at the start of your class....
From Rachel France of Biomechanics Education
What is an MET?
This is an acronym for ‘Muscle Energy Technique’.
An MET is a contraction of the muscle with origin & insertion getting closer together thus creating energy within the muscle. So opposite to stretching BUT more often than not a better AND kinder way to improve muscle function as shown by some research
Range of motion isn’t necessarily the most important achievement, particularly for those super mobile body types BUT optimising muscle function is a priority for everyone in terms of risk reduction & improving performance
This is where an MET trumps methods like stretching, which by comparison is relatively aggressive
There are various methods to applying an MET & one of the most commonly taught is PNF or Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation. While this model of ‘contract then stretch’ can be helpful it is also harder to do on yourself & requires the stretch component which again maybe a little too much for some in terms of longevity of results
Ribot-Ciscar et al (& subsequently Jiri Dvorak) did some work on what they called Post Contraction Sensory Discharge.
They found that a sub maximal endurance isometric muscle contraction proved to be a superb method to improve the function of a muscle that “..cannot relax..”
Sub maximal - means less than the maximum & we found that cueing around 20% effort was most effective.
Endurance hold - is to sustain the isometric contraction for a period of time & we found around 20 seconds was most effective
So when do you use it?
In my opinion prior to anything else since it’s easy, anyone can do it, it’s probably the safest technique in the planet AND for almost 2 decades I personally have consistently had phenomenal results with myself & my clients & even complete strangers who’ve watched my videos online & tried it have emailed me suddenly pain free for the first time in years....oh & of course the research also suggests it’s pretty darn great!
But dont take my word for it, try it, research it, give it to clients & ask me anything you like about it!
https://www.biomechanicseducation.com/1333-2/
https://www.physio-pedia.com/Muscle_Energy_Technique
..Love Movement ❤️
Muscle Energy Technique (MET) is a form af a manual therapy which uses a muscle’s own energy in the form of gentle isometric contractions to relax the muscles via autogenic or reciprocal inhibition, and lengthen the muscle. As compared to static stretching which is a passive technique in which the...
