What is UltraFLX?
The UltraFLX* (formerly PushPullFLX) is an entire rethink of the flexibility systems that have been used for generations. The last time there were any real developments in flexibility training methods was 80 years ago with the creation of PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation).
There are many blogs and articles on stretching this way and that way but most people are incredibly confused about what types of training there are, how they work, how one style fits into another style etc. What strikes me most about 90% of the training methods suggested are they have just copied what someone has told them and repeated it. They haven’t researched or explored other options. And therein lies the problem.
To understand how all fourteen recognisable styles fit together I’ve broken all forms of stretching and flexibility into four categories.
- Non-Movement: Static Stretching both Passive and Active
- Movement: Dynamic, Active Isolated Stretching (AIS), Flow State, Eccentric and Ballistic
- Pressure: Foam Rollers, Massage, Active Release Technique (ART) and Cupping
- Contractile: Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF), Contract Relax Antagonist Contract (CRAC), and Contract Reciprocal Contract (CRC) i.e. (UltraFLX)
I’ll discuss these more in detail in the online courses being developed, at seminars or in future blogs but for now, let’s concentrate on what’s important.
PNF is part of the contractile category of flexibility training as is CRAC meaning (Contract-Relax-Antagonist-Contract) It means to contract the target muscle on one side of a joint and then contract the muscle on the other side of the joint. However, the problem with CRAC is that there are no standardised protocols. All the research papers have used a variety of methods giving diversified results. Also, it has a Relax phase but I couldn’t find any justification for this. Also as most people are time-poor I’ve deleted it from my training. You’ll read further down why this works so amazingly but through all my efforts to find a standardised protocol for it there just wasn’t any. So that’s exactly what the UltraFLX is; a set of protocols and techniques that have been tested over 30 years to give you not only the best but fastest, safest and most comprehensive method to improve your flexibility, strength and more. And it definitely leads to improved performance!
Currently, there are no training systems in the world that properly train you at the end of ROM but it is this key component that will revolutionise training in the future. Not only does it massively reduce the risk of injury but your abilities whilst in off-balance positions will be greatly enhanced. Thus, your ability to recover from awkward positions is quicker and more controlled making your reactions faster. Ultimately what all athletes are after is to have a high level of agility. And agility is, is simply the ability to change direction at high speed. And remember, that’s not just in a straight line like trying to dodge your opponent when you are running, agility is vital for every muscle in your body so it can perform when it is under extreme stress. Think a boxer bobbing and weaving, a cricketer diving for a catch, a footballer squeezing through a group tackle. It’s those subtle changes in your muscles at the last second that make the difference between the highest-paid athletes and the rest.
Why Create UltraFLX?
It seems remarkable that research into flexibility, a major component of fitness, has nowhere near the research compared to the other major components. There have been tremendous advances in strength, endurance, power and speed training techniques. And what research there is, is mainly comparing essentially the three main types of stretching methods, Static, Dynamic and Traditional PNF.
Flexibility should be considered as having two components in itself because just being flexible is not necessarily good. Flexibility without strength makes joints unstable and vulnerable to dislocation and potentially is an injury waiting to happen. So essentially, combining strength with flexibility becomes ‘Functional Flexibility’ or Performance Flexibility.
The other missing quality in traditional flexibility training is the lack of progression within that system. There are no protocols for any other flexibility system, PNF included, that can not only increase your flexibility in a straight line but include increasing diverse angles, movement and most importantly strength, power and ultimately, Performance.
The UltraFLX massively increases your flexibility faster than any known system established and greatly enhances your strength at the end of your Range of Motion (ROM). ie the outer limits of your performance.
Training your muscles at your increasing flexibility ranges will give you so much more control over those muscles when under extreme pressure. In all dynamic sports, the goal is to maintain your balance whilst causing your opponent to be off-balance.
Reciprocal Inhibition
This little-known rule means when you flex your muscles on one side of a joint, the opposite muscles of the joint have to relax, it has no choice. We couldn’t walk if this rule didn’t occur automatically. The neural link is disconnected and this allows us to lengthen the muscle so much more with the stress of stretching it. This is just the beginning of the physical mechanisms that will transform your abilities.
Try This Yourself
Flex your bicep. It will be hard but the triceps (back of the arm) will be soft. As I said, it has no choice. So, wouldn’t it be a good idea to stretch a muscle when it’s like that? I hope you think so too.
When you begin UltraFLX training you’ll also notice a wonderful feeling of being free from what many people have said that it feels like a tight wetsuit surrounding your body. You can notice this when you use UltraFLX on one hamstring before doing the other.
UltraFLX rips off the wetsuit, giving your body a whole new lease on life.
The Seven Levels of the UltraFLX
UltraFLX has a graduated system of 7 levels. Each must be completed properly before progressing to the next level. Some who are already as flexible as they want to be or their sport requires can advance quickly. But they will be challenged the further up the training system they go. What is fantastic about UltraFLX is that it doesn’t take that long either. Generally, a minimum of 3/4 weeks per level is all that is needed for those who are highly motivated.
UltraFLX Level One
Level One just concentrates on improving the direct force line a muscle uses in its most basic sense. Each level then increases the complexity of each movement you could be asking your muscle to perform. It prepares the muscle to act in increasingly wider arcs of motion, giving you a reduced reaction time from even the most awkward position an athlete in a dynamic sport can find themselves in.
However, even if you did level one for the rest of your life, you will be leagues ahead of any other flexibility system. This system is the fastest you could ever progress your flexibility, safely and thoroughly.
The first level is the most complex as we also include methods that will SuperCharge your training. These techniques allow you to increase all your connections to your muscles even faster and more completely. It involves teaching the other aspects of flexibility training that are so sadly overlooked. You will learn basic anatomy (including understanding muscles and Fascia), relaxation techniques isolating individual muscle groups, controlled breathing methods, visualisation methods, and mindful focus techniques.
For those keen to learn the next 6 levels you will have to pass through and complete level one. There’s no point in teaching you techniques that your body is not ready for. But if level one impresses you then you’ll love the improved results you’ll get from level 2 and so on.
There’s No Other System That Can Get These Results Every Time!
UltraFLX is the most comprehensive Flexibility Training System developed to date. We incorporate techniques that have been proven over time and put them all together in a package that will see you performing out of your skin.
Your opposition won’t know what hit ‘em!
If you want the fastest system of flexibility improvement then UltralFLX has been designed for you.
*UltraFLX is the commercial name for the CRC (Contract-Reciprocal-Contract) Flexibility technique created by Rod.
UltraFLX iT!