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Women who are over 30 who have avoided the slightest physical activity throughout life and want to start exercising always ask me (Jean-Pierre) the same question: “Is it too late for me to develop my muscles? Skin, which can expand, takes on the shape of the muscle, and of course, the weaker the muscle is, the more the skin tends to collapse. Her muscles are stronger, and her bones are too because, like muscles, bones grow stronger with physical activity.
Static stretching consists of holding a stretch for 10 seconds to 1 minute. This type of stretching resembles plyometrics because it plays on the stretch–relax cycle (or elasticity) and causes a reflex contraction. Read more about Delavier’s Stretching Anatomy by Frederic Delavier, Jean-Pierre Clemenceau, Michael Gundill.
In concert with the lumbar muscles, the abdominal muscles support the spine. The position of your head has a profound impact on muscle contraction; when you lean your head back, the lumbar muscles that support the spine contract reflexively, while the abdominal muscles have a tendency to relax. On the contrary, when you lean your head forward, the abdominal muscles contract while the lumbar muscles relax; the body tends to round forward.
