Although it’s only been 15 days since I attended the workshop, I’m pleased with the progress I’ve made so far and wanted to share with you. I’ve been using the DVD & flashcards to learn each movement and have spent ample time on the internet reading & watching anything related to resistance stretching. My plan is to do the entire routine aerobically 2x per week and stretch, especially legs, another 1-2x per week in addition to my other activities which include weight lifting, yoga, biking & running.

The most measurable change that I have encountered is in my forward fold, the before was barely touching fingertips to the ground and the after is palms on the ground, amazing! I’m also seeing & feeling other positive changes in my body (maybe my imagination is just running wild) but it totally motivates me to make the right choices both nutritionally & physically and I literally can’t wait for my next workout.

If two people think alike one is not necessary. As powerful and innovative as Ann and Steve are, taking resistance stretching up a number of levels from the founder,  our experience with Carrie and Lisa at the Grove Park Inn Retreat was inspirational. Carrie's passion for finding the problem and solving it was wonderful to watch and really made a great connect to the whole process. The setting was great and four days of stretching = wow settle down!!!!!!. Lisa's night time meditative flowing self stretch was the most exhilarating empowering fitness training we have ever done.  It needs to be canned and distributed (Jane Fonda move over and settle down, you have been upstaged!!!!!!). My thanks to Carrie for letting me take my shirt off and let the class see her find the problem in my shoulder, letting the class feel the scar tissue and then fixing me in front of everybody.  Suzanne also benefited from Carrie walking me through the process of isolating shoulder muscles which she said made her feel 10 feet tall and 10 years younger.  All in all it was a wonderful experience.

In my 20+ years as a professional strength and conditioning coach I've endured/implemented/recommended various forms of flexibility programs.  I've tried static, dynamic, ballistic, pnf, active isolation, and yoga to name a few.  Each system left me with a little more range of motion, some pain, and muscle weakness.  I was almost convinced stretching was not worth the effort.  When I first heard about resistance stretching I was skeptical and assumed it was similar to many other styles of flexibility/stretching programs.  It wasn't until I actually took part in a resistance self stretching class (and later when I was stretched by a resistance stretch trainer)  that I understood that resistance stretching can not only increase ones range of motion around a given joint but increase muscular strength through the entire range as well. Most trainers/coaches know that a longer muscle is a stronger muscle.  Lengthening muscle under resistance strengthens the muscle and enables the muscle to contract fully and efficiently. Another key benefit in my mind with respect to athletes is the ability to stretch and strengthen muscles in multiple planes of motion.  Free weights and machines cannot duplicate what the resistance stretching program can do when properly applied.

Resistance stretching has relieved my sciatica symptoms, increased range of motion around my hips, strengthened my core, unlocked a perpetually tight hamstring, reduced the incidence of muscle cramps and broken down scar tissue - all of which allows me to perform at a higher level