Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) is a form of assisted stretching. It combines passive stretching with muscle contraction. First, your partner applies force to stretch your muscle ...

“PNF stretching is more of a finesse type of stretching, not a no-pain-no-gain type of stretching. If there’s pain, that’s going to increase muscle tension, which decreases your flexibility ...

By the 1970s, its popularity had seen PNF stretching expand beyond the clinic and into the sporting arena where it was used by athletes and fitness enthusiasts during their warm-up and to improve ...

According to the International PNF Association, PNF stretching was developed by Dr. Herman Kabat in the 1940s as a means to treat neuromuscular conditions including polio and multiple sclerosis.

How PNF Stretching Works In the example above, the trainer would raise the athlete’s leg until the athlete felt a stretch (to the point of mild discomfort) in his hamstring.

The self-PNF group performed a static stretch for 15 seconds followed by a 10-second hamstring isometric contraction where they contracted their hamstrings by pushing into the chair to 90% of ...

PNF hip flexor and quad stretch Come into a low lunge position with your right foot in front, knee bent at 90 degrees and the left leg extended behind you with the foot and knee on the ground.

While there's nothing revolutionary about PNF stretching, partner stretching, or assisted cool-down routines, having someone on standby to help stretch before or post-workout has been an effective ...

Stretching isn’t just about how far your muscles can stretch; it’s also about how far your nervous system will let them stretch. Stretching techniques like PNF address the nervous-system factor.

PNF stretching stands for proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation. It was developed in the 1940s in the United States by neurologist Herman Kabat and physical therapists Margaret Knott and ...