Ki-Hara Resistance Stretching
Target Entire Lengths Of Muscle To Improve Strength AND Range Of Motion
Ki-Hara (“Ki” or “Chi” = energy, “Hara” = pelvic area or core) resistance stretching is an exercise system designed by Steven Sierra and Anne Tierney of Innovative Body Solutions that stretches and strengthens the body dynamically while energizing the core and training the whole body eccentrically & concentrically. Olympic athletes such as Dara Torres attribute her stunning performance in the Beijing Olympics in 2008 to her stringent program and Ki-Hara training with Sierra and Tierney.
Ki-Hara Resistance Stretching is a technique that combines stretching and strengthening of muscle and fascial tissue during eccentric contraction or lengthening of the muscle.
The basis of Ki-Hara lies within the basic functions of main contracting muscle, its opposing and stabilizing muscles and how they influence each other’s motion. Here's an example:
For a runner to have an effective and strong stride, his muscles have to work in synchrony with each other. Let’s take the quadriceps and hamstrings. If the quadriceps “kick” the lower leg forward before the foot lands, the hamstrings have to lengthen itself with as much force to ease that leg gently to the ground, decreasing the stress on the knees, hips and ankles. Because of this rhythmic partnership, the quadriceps can only contract as much as the hamstrings can relax and lengthen. If there is an imbalance in pull between these opposite muscles, injuries may occur such as a Runner’s knee or a hamstring strain.
The same principle is used for a person with a degenerative joint condition to prevent further stress to the joint and decrease joint pain.
You DO NOT have to be an athlete to benefit from Ki-Hara.
THE KI-HARA METHOD OF RESISTANCE STRETCHING IS EFFECTIVE ATHLETIC AND NON-ATHLETIC PEOPLE ALIKE.
Benefits of Ki-Hara Training:
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Increases your range of motion and strength at the SAME TIME, giving you that extra push that you need to improve your overall functional mobility and improve your performance in your chosen sport
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It squeezes out the toxins in your muscle fibers generated after your daily grind or after exercising which helps you recover faster and prevent muscle soreness.
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It improves your posture and overall sense of being as it balances the pull of your muscles if done on a regular basis.
Pain and injury can wreak havoc on the body and constrict many of the everyday things people need and love to do. Physical therapist Karen Gonzalez is here for you. Karen’s life work is to drastically improve quality of life as she strives to push the body to work beyond expectations. She is able to examine and identify areas of concern in the body, then skillfully utilize techniques to increase mobility and function as pain and impairments decrease. Through hard work and determination from the patient and the therapist alike, Karen believes in achieving freedom of the body and that there is a win in every inch of mobility gained.
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