Read this first — it frames every technique that follows. The distinction is who is doing the work. In a passive stretch, you move the client, and they stay completely relaxed. In an active stretch, the client contracts their own muscles to create the stretch. Passive is the default inside a session; active is mostly what you teach a client to do on their own at home.
Passive: nothing to do but relax and let you work.
Active: the client's own muscles engage to produce the stretch.
The same universal stop signals apply to both — numbness, burning, radiating sensation, joint pinching, or dizziness. Passive is the foundation of the Dynamic Stretch experience — the client relaxes fully, and you deliver the stretch, which is exactly the 'we do the work for you' value of the service. Active stretching is your teaching tool: demonstrate one at the end of a session so the client can maintain their range between visits.
In session: default to passive so the client can fully relax and let you find and work their range.
For home: teach an active version of a key stretch, so the client can keep the range you built.
The methods below all start from a passive stretch, then add the client's own contraction in different ways.
Use when a client can't feel a passive stretch because the joint is so restricted that your passive end range doesn't reach the tissue — or to reduce cramping in the opposing muscle. The client actively moves themselves to their end range, and you add gentle overpressure from there This method has the client reach their own end range first, then you extend it slightly with overpressure.
COMMUNICATE - BEFORE DEEPENING
The client is working into their own end range, then a bit more stretch as you add overpressure at the end.
Stop if they report: Sharp pain as overpressure is added, or the opposing muscle cramping.
PRECAUTIONS
Overpressure is small and controlled, never a shove. Because the client is contracting the opposing muscle to reach the position, watch for cramping and reposition if it happens.
The workhorse PNF method and the first one to teach. Use once a client is comfortable with passive stretching and you want more range than a passive hold produces on its own. A method that produces added range on whatever muscle you're stretching, through a contraction that moves through range (isotonic).
COMMUNICATE - BEFORE DEEPENING
They should feel: The target muscle working as it moves against your resistance, then a deeper stretch than the passive version once it relaxes.
Stop if they report: Sharp pain during the contraction, or the client straining and holding their breath.
PRECAUTIONS
Start a client new to it at lighter effort and build up. It works reliably; the precise mechanism is still debated, so teach the what and the timing, not an overstated why. Cue breathing — clients strain and hold it. If the opposing muscle cramps, reposition the joint angle first.
The gentler cousin of contract-relax and the safer entry into PNF. Use when a joint is too restricted to safely move against resistance, or when you want the softest possible version of a PNF contraction. A method that produces added range through an isometric contraction — tension with no movement — rather than a moving one.
COMMUNICATE - BEFORE DEEPENING
They should feel: A held tension with no movement during the contraction, then a deeper stretch on release.
Stop if they report: Sharp pain during the isometric hold, or breath-holding and strain.
PRECAUTIONS
Same care as contract-relax. The no-movement contraction makes this the safer choice when a joint won't tolerate moving against resistance, and the better first PNF technique for a cautious client.
The most active of the PNF methods. Reach for it with a client already comfortable with contract-relax who wants to work harder for range, or an athlete taking an active approach to mobility. It adds one step to contract-relax: after the target muscle relaxes, the client uses the opposing muscle to actively pull deeper, rather than you doing all the work. A method that layers two actions onto the muscle you're stretching — the target contracts and releases, then the opposing muscle contracts to draw the limb further into range.
COMMUNICATE - BEFORE DEEPENING
They should feel: The target muscle working as they push against you, then a deeper stretch as they use the opposite muscle to pull in further.
Stop if they report: Sharp pain during either contraction, or the client straining and holding their breath.
Example — Hamstrings: the client pushes the leg down into your resistance (hamstring contracting), relaxes, then actively lifts the leg using the quad (opposing muscle) to deepen the hamstring stretch while you support.
PRECAUTIONS
The most demanding PNF variant — reserve it for clients already comfortable with simpler techniques, not for first exposure. It works reliably; the mechanism is still debated, so teach the what and the timing. Cue breathing on both contractions. Stop on sharp pain in either the target or opposing muscle.
The isometric version of CRAC and the most advanced of the four PNF techniques. Same active-deepening idea, but both contractions are isometric — no movement — which makes it the choice when you want the aggressive range gains of an agonist-contract method without moving against resistance. A method using two isometric contractions — first the target muscle holds against you, then the opposing muscle holds to draw deeper.
COMMUNICATE - BEFORE DEEPENING
They should feel: A still, held tension in the target muscle, then a deeper stretch as the opposing muscle engages to pull in.
Stop if they report: Sharp pain during either isometric hold, or straining and breath-holding.
PRECAUTIONS
The most advanced technique here — only for clients well-established with the simpler PNF methods. Both contractions stay isometric. Cue breathing throughout and stop on sharp pain in either muscle.
Use when a client identifies one specific tight spot rather than a general restriction across a whole muscle. Good for a localized knot a broad stretch doesn't reach. A method that isolates the stretch to one point along a muscle rather than spreading it across the whole length.
COMMUNICATE - BEFORE DEEPENING
They should feel: A concentrated, local stretch at the pinned point as the limb moves away from it.
Stop if they report: Sharp pain at the contact point, or numbness — check you're not pinning over a nerve.
PRECAUTIONS
Broad pressure, not a dig. Numbness at the contact point means you're likely over a nerve — reposition. Not for use over acutely injured or inflamed tissue.