Fregm stretches Burn30 co-owner Nate Kresge
A trend has been emerging in the fitness world.
This is not a get-slim-quick method or five-step process to build muscle, but a slow, intentional form of healing and proactive health.
But slower doesn’t always mean easier or necessarily comfortable.
Stretching—it’s the practice everyone knows they should do, but never does enough. At least, I know I don’t.
At the end of a half-hour session with trainer Elijah Fregm at Burn30, I was close to laying my hands flat on the floor in a forward bend. That was an improvement from just being able to touch my fingertips to the ground 30 minutes earlier.
But the big difference was that my hamstrings, hips, calves and almost every other muscle had just been stretched. Not all pulls and bends were necessarily comfortable, but, by the end, I definitely felt more limber and less stiff for the long city council meeting I’d have to sit through that night.
Burn30, a small gym located in Lemoyne, picked up on the stretching trend and recently created Stretch30, which offers assisted stretching sessions, a program I tried for myself.
Fregm works with each client to identify their goals, areas of concern and limitations, then caters the stretching session to their needs.
Personally, my hamstrings tend to be the tightest from exercising and also from sitting for long periods of time at the office.
Fregm helped me through a series of hamstring stretches, using the Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) technique, which involves stretching and contracting the muscle. So, Fregm stretched my hamstring then had me contract and push back against him, so that, as he stretched the muscle again, my brain allowed me to relax the area and stretch deeper.
After both lower and upper body work, I hopped off the treatment table feeling good.
Stretch30 offers one of the only programs dedicated strictly to assisted stretching in the area. However, around the country, this wellness trend has picked up speed as gym chains like Stretch Lab and Stretch Zone have opened locations nationally. A Stretch Lab is even slated to open in the Harrisburg area.
Nate Kresge, who owns Burn30 with wife Alicia Mills, saw the benefit of adding a robust stretching routine to his already active lifestyle, when Fregm introduced and demonstrated the idea to the team.
“Even just getting out of bed in the mornings, I feel so much better than before,” Kresge said.
Anyone can benefit from stretching, Fregm explained. From younger athletes looking to improve sports performance to seniors hoping to increase mobility.
However, getting the community to understand what the program is and how it can benefit them has been a challenge. Since there aren’t many other offerings like this in the area, there’s a lot of education to be done, Kresge explained.
“It’s definitely an uphill battle of trying to educate about stretching because there’s a lack of knowledge about it. It’s not emphasized as much as it should be,” he said. “The people who have tried it have had their eyes opened.”
Kelly Leighton, an avid runner, was struggling with some hip flexor discomfort and hoping to work on proactively preventing injuries. She gave Stretch30 a shot and saw results right away—her hip flexor pain was gone.
“He [Fregm] is really good about getting a deep stretch without pain,” she said. “I just feel better in general.”
More Aware
Out in Lancaster, another program is focused on a similar idea—helping people improve flexibility and mobility.
Inside Opex Fitness’ Lancaster gym, Excelsior Bodywork founder CJ Potter leads weekly dynamic stretching and strengthening classes.
At a Tuesday morning Kinstretch class, I rolled out a mat and joined in with a group of about five other participants, ranging in age.
Unlike Stretch30, I wouldn’t get to lie down and let someone else stretch me out. I’d have to push myself. One of my classmates, Susan Wood, 75, warned me beforehand that I was in for an arduous hour. Admittedly, I wasn’t too phased.
Potter led the class through a series of movements meant to be done slowly, encouraging us to squeeze our muscles tight. We practiced hip CARs (controlled articular rotations), by lying on one side and rotating the top leg, sweeping it back, up and forward within the hip joint. Other movements targeted the spine, shoulders and hamstrings. Like Fregm had me do at Stretch30, we practiced contracting the muscles to build strength while lengthening, Potter explained.
After class, I met back up with Wood and let her know, she was right—the class was definitely no piece of cake.
“It’s rigorous, but it’s doable,” said Wood, who has suffered from back and hip pain. “My flexibility has definitely improved. Bending over is easier, and I’m more aware of how I move.”
That’s music to Potter’s ears, as his whole goal is to help people feel better, be healthier and understand their bodies better.
Kinstretch is a national program, which Potter discovered and started teaching a few years ago. The practice targets the joints and focuses on end-range strength training—stretching as far as you can and then exerting force and contracting the muscle. The goal is to improve mobility and muscle control.
“It’s super beneficial for your body,” Potter said. “You’re training the deepest part of your joints. I don’t know of anything else like this.”
Both Kinstretch and Stretch30 were challenging in very different ways, but also helped me feel a little more flexible and in-tune with my body afterwards. Like some of those who have given the practice a shot, I’ve become more aware of the importance of making stretching a regular part of my fitness routine, not just tacking a few quick stretches onto the end of a workout.
While the sessions may look very different from the Lemoyne to Lancaster gym, both providers hope to normalize getting serious about flexibility and mobility.
“The things we do now set ourselves up for a better way of life down the road, and, I think, stretching is a huge part of that,” Kresge said.
Stretch30 is offered at Burn30, 836 Market St., Lemoyne. For more information, visit www.burn30.net.
Kinstretch is offered at Excelsior Bodywork, 1809 Olde Homestead Lane, Lancaster. For more information, visit www.excelsiorbodywork.com.
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