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After about a 4 year break, I recently got back on the PE bandwagon. This time, my primary weapon of choice is an X4 extender. In the time I've been involved in PE I've read heaps about the benefits of heat (which makes sense). Anyone involved in athletics, physical therapy, yoga, etc. knows well the role heat plays in healing, tissue elasticity, etc.
Okay, so this is a bit stream-of-consciousness, so bear with me. I have no expertise in the area, so if anyone does, feel free to correct me. The gist of what I've been wondering about has to do with cooling in an extended state. More specifically, transitioning from heat to cold while in an extended state. Whatever our preferred methods of PE, what we're ultimately after is deforming tissue (i.e. causing microscopic damage that is "filled in" by new tissue, resulting in more total tissue). I'm wondering if heat (or heat alone, to be more precise) is the best way to accomplish this. Heat certainly increases flexibility, allowing tissue to stretch, but I would imagine in most cases it does this by allowing the tissue to stretch further without damage. However, from a certain perspective, damage is what we're after. When I use heat I sometimes feel as if it makes my unit more flexible in the sense that it can handle more stretch without deformation. In other words, getting longer temporarily by making it more stretchy without doing anything towards permanent deformation.
Now I'm not suggesting we all replace our heating pads with ice packs. That would be insane. Injuries would be almost guaranteed. What I'm wondering is if there might be some benefit to transitioning from heat to cold somewhere in the course of a set. For example, if I use my extender for 1 hour, I could apply heat for the first 45 minutes and then a cold pack for the last 15. I doubt this scenario would be terribly likely to cause injury, but I'm wondering if there's something to rendering the tissue less flexible while already in a fully extended state (aided by heat)?
Thoughts? Am I completely out of my gourd?
Okay, so this is a bit stream-of-consciousness, so bear with me. I have no expertise in the area, so if anyone does, feel free to correct me. The gist of what I've been wondering about has to do with cooling in an extended state. More specifically, transitioning from heat to cold while in an extended state. Whatever our preferred methods of PE, what we're ultimately after is deforming tissue (i.e. causing microscopic damage that is "filled in" by new tissue, resulting in more total tissue). I'm wondering if heat (or heat alone, to be more precise) is the best way to accomplish this. Heat certainly increases flexibility, allowing tissue to stretch, but I would imagine in most cases it does this by allowing the tissue to stretch further without damage. However, from a certain perspective, damage is what we're after. When I use heat I sometimes feel as if it makes my unit more flexible in the sense that it can handle more stretch without deformation. In other words, getting longer temporarily by making it more stretchy without doing anything towards permanent deformation.
Now I'm not suggesting we all replace our heating pads with ice packs. That would be insane. Injuries would be almost guaranteed. What I'm wondering is if there might be some benefit to transitioning from heat to cold somewhere in the course of a set. For example, if I use my extender for 1 hour, I could apply heat for the first 45 minutes and then a cold pack for the last 15. I doubt this scenario would be terribly likely to cause injury, but I'm wondering if there's something to rendering the tissue less flexible while already in a fully extended state (aided by heat)?
Thoughts? Am I completely out of my gourd?