Stretch it to the limit: A review of Stretch Zone - Green Events (2024)

By Kathryn House

Introduction

For months, my 30^th birthday has been looming over my head like a giant, black lead balloon. The big three-oh, over the hill, in fact, on February 14^th (my birthday) I may as well gift myself a burial plot and be done with it. Though, I was growing older and wrinkly-er by the day, I dealt with my impending birthday the same way I deal with everything –by running. I decided one night in October, as I was staring into the bathroom mirror wondering if my pores had always been this big, that 2022 was the year I was going to run my first marathon. I am certainly not getting any younger and a marathon has been on my bucket list since junior high school (long before I even got into running) so why not run one now? I told myself as I put my credit card information into the Revel Rockies Marathon registration page, that if I could get my lip hairs waxed, I could do anything.

A Bit About Me

Growing up, I was fat child. Like 214 pounds at 13 years old (and probably younger but my family did not have a scale before I turned 13). I did not participate in sports, and I hated P.E. class with every fatty fiber of my being, not because I did not like sports but because at that weight, my body physically could not compete. Starting at age 14, I had enough of being the fat kid in school, of not being able to wear the trendy gaucho pants or the low-rise jeans because none of that came in a junior’s size nineteen, and I started to diet.

It took two years of trying before I finally started losing weight. At 16, I joined a gym and fell in love with the elliptical. By the time I was 18 I was down 60lbs and I started running with my mom (she has been running marathons since before I can remember) at the local trails.

Since 2010, I have run 1-3 half marathons a year. Presently, I try to hit the trails 5-6 days a week, running anywhere from 5-12 miles a day. Fortunately, I will not be starting my marathon journey from scratch. Unfortunately, I have never been kind to my body, so it is extremely important to me to run my marathon while building up my joints, muscles, and bones, rather than tearing it all down.

My Journey to the Start Line: Stretch Zone

It was this health-first mindset that pushed me to seek out businesses in Northern Colorado that cater to athletes and protecting their bodies. I was introduced to Stretch Zone through my work with Green Events and that same day, I was walking into their building ready to try it out.

Stretch Zone is an assisted stretching facility. Have you ever seen a football game and noticed on the sidelines the players laying on the ground with someone else contorting their leg to the side? That is assisted stretching.

My first impression of Stretch Zone was cleanliness and open space. Walking in, the reception desk is on the left and a small lobby is on the right. Looking back from there is a row of upscale massage chairs and even further back is where the stretching happens. Six stretch tables, three on each side of the room, are spaced out with plenty of room between each table.

The first person I met was Carli, the Stretch Zone manager. She was to be my stretch practitioner and it was clear from the get-go that she knew her stuff. In addition to her background in anatomy and physiology and her personal training certification, she attended Stretch Zone’s mandatory 4-week training conference in Florida.

The first thing Carli had me do was settle into one of the massage chairs while she completed my client information sheet. She asked me the typical medical questions: my date of birth, any surgeries, any areas of concern, how long had I been running, etc. Then she moved on to my stretch goals (preventing injuries while training for my first marathon).

When the massage chair powered down, Carli explained that before she could begin stretching me, she would perform a range of motion test on me, or in plain language, a test of my flexibility. We moved over to the padded table at the back of the room where I laid down on my back, arms folded over my chest. After slowly fanning each of my legs toward my side, she determined that my range of motion was 45-degrees, or half of the ideal range. Carli said that her goal in today’s stretch session would be to release tightness and stiffness in my joints and muscles while my long-term care plan is to increase flexibility. Carli bent, pulled, pushed, and twisted my limbs in angles and contortions I did not know were possible. She stretched muscles that I did not know I had, and it felt amazing.

Here is what sets Stretch Zone apart from other assisted stretch facilities. Stretch Zone uses patented straps to assist their stretch practitioners and to ensure their clients receive the safest experience possible. What this means is that your stretch practitioner will strap either your whole body or part of your body to their table. Despite my first impression, the straps are comfortable and the main strap that runs across the hips has over an inch of padding.

My favorite stretch Carli did was the lower back stretch. She strapped my torso to the table, braced herself to pull, and draped me over the side of the table so that my head and upper body twisted off the stretch table. She did this on each side. My spine must have popped at least ten times and the release of pressure was immediate.

A Professional’s Take on Stretch Zone

I met Dr. AJ Cohen, physical therapist, running coach, and owner of Up & Running Physical Therapy in November of 2022, two weeks after I signed up for my marathon. I hired him as my running coach, and he quickly became Yoda in my Jedi training.

After my second session at Stretch Zone, I reached out to AJ as I wanted to get a professional’s opinion on assisted stretching and its effect on running, recovery, and injury prevention. He cited “Impact of Stretching on the Performance and Injury Risk of Long-Distance Runners” by Baxter, 2017, in his answer, but to put it bluntly, assisted, static (long hold), stretching would NOT prevent injuries. There is no solid, scientific evidence to defend the long-held belief that muscles get tight or that stretching is the holy grail of injury prevention.

While some sports do require a lot of flexibility like dance or rock climbing, running does not. My bubble was burst.

Would I Recommend Stretch Zone

Before I recommend or do not recommend Stretch Zone, I would like to iterate that I am not a medical professional, nor have I ever received any medical training. My review is about me, my body, and my experience.

I would recommend Stretch Zone as training resource if assisted stretching is something you enjoy and you do not have the expectation of leaving their facility cured of all aches and pains. Both J and Carli were able to gently move and stretch my body in a way that I would never be able to achieve on my own. In my book, I consider that a win and going to Stretch Zone is something I greatly enjoy. I come off the stretch table with my mood improved and ready to face life’s challenges.

Would I recommend Stretch Zone as a marathon training tool? I can only speak for myself, and I will absolutely be back to Stretch Zone. Does it help with injury prevention and recovery time? I have not done studies nor read multiple peer-reviewed articles but for me, it is better than not stretching. We all have many other activities outside of running and Stretch Zone is a form of self-care and I find it a relaxing way to spend time. The increased flexibility that assisted stretching provides could help with other sports, cross-training or improve your general ability to move through life. Take beer for example. Beer has not been shown to increase performance or decrease recovery time, but it is a post-run activity many runners still enjoy.

Three weeks and two stretch sessions later, I still feel like I could use good stretching, but I feel progress and that is what I am really searching for in my marathon training: not perfection but progress.

Click here to find a Stretch Zone near you!