;)
Sunday
10Aug
Dara Torres' Secret Weapon
18 Comments
Dara Torres, whose first Olympics was in 1984, has won her tenth medal -- this time at the age of 41. How does she do it?
"Torres calls resistance stretching her “secret weapon.” Bob Cooley, who invented the discipline, describes it in less-modest terms. According to Cooley, over a two-week period in 1999, his flexibility system turned Torres “from being an alternate on the relay team to the fastest swimmer in America.” The secret to Torres’s speed, Cooley says, is that his technique not only makes her muscles more flexible but also increases their ability to shorten more completely, and when muscles shorten more completely, they produce greater power and speed."
The resistance stretching Torres is talking about is called "Meridian Stretching":
More info:
Meridian Flexibility Center (official website)
A Swimmer of a Certain Age (nytimes)
Stretchworks (bay area meridian flexibility center)
I just purchased the instructional the DVD for $20 - I'll let ya know what I think once I try it.
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Reader Comments (18)
Look at the freakin' body. Amazing and partially scary at the same time. Kudo's to Torres and the rest of the US swim team on that silver in the freestyle relay.
I would consider it if I could get 4 girls to stretch me out instead of 4 dudes. :)
Two words:
1. WOW
2. OUCH
When i was Cycling i did some strecthing + pilates with a trainier at the gym. She always made me contract the muscle before stretching it. Now that I've left that training and cycling also i feel the difference. I went back cycling last Wednesday, first i did a warm up, then i did some stretching applying the technique my former trainer told me and i got really good times and nice power in the legs. Didn't felt sore or nothing, after 8 months without doing any cardio at all. I just do weight training 3 times a week, because college + work + Online learning gets all my time. I think it's a nice thing to get out the most power out of your muscles!
Since it's an instructional DVD, I assume that you can do this with out the dangers of someone else stretching you. I've read that it's dangerous to have someone else put pressure on you to stretch. They can't feel how much tension your muscles can take, and so you run the risk of injuring your muscles due to too much pressure. I guess you'll let us know after you've tried the DVD.
I'd rather...not have a body or veins like that. I guess some people are into that though.
Sounds like chiropractic with a new new age name.
kevin that looks painful as hell
yeah seriously, it looks unnatural..
Ergh that was fuckin' disgusting!
I don't give a shit how more quicker it helps you to swim in water - I couldn't watch past the first 30 seconds. Stretching is essential for sport/any physical movement, but that's just bloody ridiculous.
Stick to the Pilates Kevin :P
Kevin, I appreciate you volunteering to be a guinea pig for us.
I'm eager to hear how this DVD treats you, if you like the results I'll likely follow.
That looks like it smarts. I understand the whole 'no pain, no gain' philosophy but that's ridiculous.
Does Kevin Rose really need this in his life? So she has a better body than you. Get over it! We have.
seriously.. everything I read about this lady shows that she'll end up just like the rest in the pool of Olympic dopers five years from now--when we have the tests to prove.
Krav Maga or Mixed Martial Arts
Hey Kevin,
Have you ever looked into Mixed Martial Arts? Its a great way to motivate yourself to get into shape, and then stay there, plus you gain a high amount of flexibility at the same time. Krav Maga originates from the Israeli Military, and is a cross between military hand to hand combat, and technique orientated street fighting. Of course there are many more choices, but if you are looking to jump right into the mix and get yourself into shape hardcore you might want to check it out. (no you dont have to be a meathead, boxer, or even a hardcore fighter, just get ready for a lot of cardio and learn how to take someone down at the same time)
Its not the greatest advice I am sure, but I have been involved for the past 6 months, and I am too in the best shape of my life. A combination of weight training and running on off days, and training in Krav 3 times a week has begun to create a well rounded physical mass without the restrictions of being muscle bound, and the flexibility that you seem to want without having to do that crazy ass stretching maybe????
Anyways, I used to do pest control strait out of high school and you motivated me to get off my ass and go to college. Now I work for a Global Finish Corporation as a System Administrator and am living a life I never thought possible. As weird as it sounds, you can definitely credit yourself in pushing my interest in networks and security far enough to make it a career. I hope what little advice I can give helps you out, least I can do to say Thanks!
Good luck, hope you stay with your regiment!
One word about her body..."damnnnnn"
Video dugg up for the totally unintelligible but funky scandinavian language snippets...
Interesting idea but nobody really knows if regular stretching really works, much less this variant of it.
If more people start using this and showing big performance gains I'll start to believe it.
That would freak me out! I get nervous having a massage, let alone with four people sitting on me in various positions...