Being flexible is not scary or weird, it is actually our natural state of being. Being stiff is not the standard. An excellent site about hyper-mobility can be found here. A good flexibility can also prevent injuries in sports.

At the end the training pays off. It is a great feeling to be able to do the splits, feel your feet on your head or putting your legs behind your head (Yoga sleeping pose). Stretching also releases a lot of stress. People who stretch sleep better.

People from abroad also visit us for a week or more. But Contortion Centre is also an excellent place to learn the first steps to flexibility. Mail us if you are interested.

Biological Mechanical Stimulation (BMS)

When a Russian lady-friend once pointed out to me that there was an "electric machine" that made you extremely loose-limbed, my interest was aroused immediately. She drew me a primitive sketch of the machine and of the effect the 12 day training had on her splits. After the training she was able to make splits between two chairs, with her lower body touching the ground. I was deeply impressed by this. I have to add that she was already limber due to acrobatic training that she had been doing for years. Still she said that she was startled by these results and that her muscles had never felt that good before. I immediately started faxing and calling Russia and it took me six months to trace the manufacturer. A few months later there was one of these mysterious Russian machines in my studio and I was ready to start my practice.

What is BMS ?

The BMS (Biological Mechanical Stimulation) -method is a rhythmic neuromuscular stimulation that is used for rehabilitation, regeneration, prevention, training and also for cosmetic treatment. This method is extremely effective in the treatment of motion-limitations (muscular, capsulair and the formation of scar tissue). BMS is also used for the treatment of pain, instability of joints, atrophy, heamatology, sportinjuries, cellulitis, loss of weight (!), fitness and work-outs. It works rapidly and intensively and also reaches the deeper muscle-groups. In Russia and other Eastbloc-countries the BMS-method has been regularly used as additional training by topathletes from various disciplines. As early as in 1979 all Sovjet Worldchampion- and Olympic champion-gymnasts were training with BMS-support. All major dance- and ballet-companies had BMS-equipment at their disposal as well. It would seem that the Russians have now unveiled one of the great mysteries of their trainingmethods.

In 1943 the Austrian neuropathologist Rohracher discovered that muscles vibrate continually in various frequencies, or microvibrations. This is what is referred to as the muscletone. These frequencies can also be measured in a state of rest. For example: when you stretch your arm and watch your fingertips. You'll notice a slight
tremble. This is caused by the constantly varying tension in the interrelated musclefibers. A graphic display of these vibrations would show an irregular image of the process of vibration. When the tension is heightened to achieve maximum muscle-contraction, the fluctuations in frequency become more regular to eventually obtain an almost perfect sinus-shape. You can experience this by clenching your fist when your arm is stretched out. This synchronizes the fluctuations between individual muscle-fibers, which is called activity-vibration (W.W. Kusnezow 1977). With most people these fluctuations are present and constantly active. Women have these vibrations to a lesser degree than men. In sleep the vibrations decrease by about a third and during physical exercise they increase tenfold (1-5 mm). The average frequency of a relaxed muscle fluctuates between 7 and 13 Hz. During maximum exertion this frequency increases to 30-35 Hz.

Muscles develop best when there's a constant sinus-shaped vibration. From this concept the idea for BMS-treatment developed. By adding an external sinus-shaped vibration to the muscles that are being trained, the muscles receive an optimum load and can therefore develop to a maximum extent. This regular sinus-shaped mechanical vibration is brought into the muscles by means of the BMS-apparatus. As the powersource, or "motor" comes from outside, the body will lose less energy and produce hardly any to no waste-products. In case there is an amount of waste piled up which causes muscle-sourness, a 5/10 minute-treatment can make the sourness disappear. For those who want to lose weight BMS turns out to be an ideal method as well. Contrary to in regular sportexercise, in BMS-training all fat-tissue is turned into energy. This is also of great interest to bodybuilders that want to lose their last bit of subcutaneous fat to look as 'dry' as possible. Bodybuilders will also enjoy their increased power, which allows them to
lift even heavier weights.

The effects on bloodcirculation and the lymph-system

The vascular system branches out into increasingly thinner bloodvessels, to finally reach the so-called capillaries. This is where the exchange takes place of nutrients, waste products, and so on. The capillaries are fitted with little valves that have to prevent the blood from streaming back. In the 50's and 60's anatomic 'growths' in these capillaries were discovered that serve as valves. When the vicinity of a bloodvessel (for instance a muscle) is compressed, the blood is squeezed out of the vein. When the pressure
decreases, the bloodvessel will return to its original position. Inside the capillary an area void of air will be created , a sort of vacuum. This causes the blood to stream back again. When this process is repeated several times, the capillary will take on the role of a pump, pumping the blood through the muscle. The greater the number of capillaries that are converted like this, the greater the bloodpumping-effect will be. This is exactly what external mechanical stimulation will do. As you're training with stretched or tightened muscles, with every vibration the muscle will be reformed and then relax again. This results in a maximum bloodcirculation. In various experimental research-projects focusing on isolated muscle-groups it has been shown that BMS-treatment effects a 10 to 30% increase in the bloodpumping-effect. Everyone that practices Stretching knows that optimum results are possible only when a muscle receives a maximum blood-circulation

The effects on the nervous system

Another possibility of BMS is the stimulation of receptors of the neuromuscular system. Muscles and tendons contain receptors or sensors. These are the outer parts of the nerves that register every lengthening of a muscle, no matter how small. Sometimes the change is no bigger than 1 hydrogenatom. The mechanoreceptors are also called proprioceptors because they pass on kinaestetic information (sense of feeling, pressure etc.). By changing the frequency of this mechanical vibration, the receptors can be intensively stimulated and therefore so does the central nervous system. The mechanism called "stretchreflex" is activated. The effect of the stimulation is not dependent on force, but on the speed with which the muscle vibrates. Frequencies that are suitable for stimulating the nervous system are not suitable to induce
the "bloodpomping-effect". Amazing results were achieved in the shoulderjoint-area. After a 30 minute treatment improvements of 30-40° were shown in anteversion and elevation. In training for splits it's not uncommon for young or well-trained people to be able to make forward splits within 12/14 sessions of BMS-training. As tests have shown in power- and flexibility training, BMS-training results in a higher and healthier muscle-tone. This gives one a subjective feeling of lightness in the muscles and the feeling "to do more". When you train regularly
with BMS a sort of muscle-memory is created. This is very useful in the treatment of diseases of the neuromuscular system, but also in stretching. Even after only a few training-sessions a significant increase in muscle-strenght is often noted. Muscle-strenght is also important in stretching. Weakness of the adductors is the main obstacle to doing side splits. Because of their weakness (or fatigue) they release their stretchreflex too fast. Real stretching then becomes impossible.

Never train on a "Powerplate"

One of the latest things in the world of sports is a failed copy of BMS technology is the so called "powerplate", a vibrating platform that is supposed to train the muscles. The science behind BMS has never understood correctly and the Powerplate designers honored the idea: "As long as it vibrates it is good". The result is a not working machine without the benefits of BMS that above all does serious damage to the cartilage of the knees and other joints.

Contra-indications for BMS training

It is not allowed to train with BMS in case of:

Metal implants.
Endoprotheses (e.g. hip, knee, shoulderjoint)
Unrecovered fractures
Pseudoarthrosis
Recently acquired injuries of tendons, ligaments or muscles with OP-indication
Recent operations of muscles, tendons and ligaments
Infected rheumatic conditions
Malignant tumors
Trombosis
Recently acquired infections to the motoric system.
Epilepsy
Diabetes