RESISTANCE FLEXIBILITY AND STRENGTH TRAININGTM Offers immediate, cumulative, and permanent increases in flexibility; takes the pain out of stretching, and protects you from injuring yourself by over-stretching.
MERIDIAN FLEXIBILITY SYSTEMTM Provides stretches for 16 unique muscles groups with concomitant physiological and psychological benefits. Four aspects of stretching (position, resistance, breathing, psychological) correspond to the four aspects of ones self (physical, spiritual, emotional and mental)
The Principle of Resistance Strength Training: You need to contract (resist) while shortening a muscle to produce a strength gain. It is best to begin in a position where the muscle(s) are as long as possible and move into a position where the muscle(s) are as short as possible. Most of the strengthening occurs during the movement and not at the end position.
The Principle of Resistance Flexibility Training: You need to contract (resist) while lengthening a muscle to produce a stretch. It is best to begin all stretches in a position where the muscle(s) are as short as possible and move into a position where the muscles are as long as possible (while continuously resisting). Most of the stretch occurs during the movement and not at the end point of the stretch. You can resist passively, dynamically, isometrically or through assistance.
The Principle of Reflection: Stretching teaches you that your body and your life reflect each other. Therefore improve your body and your life will move to improve. You have discovered this explicit connection between what is happening in your life and where those things reflect within you. The ways you know to be, reflect in your body in predictable muscle groups. The healthier your behavior the more flexible those concomitant muscle groups become.
Excerpt from RFST workshop literature with Innovative Body Solutions