Group Fitness Instructor

Answer: C - Reciprocal inhibition is defined as the principle that activation of a muscle on one side of a joint (i.e., the flexor muscle) will cause inhibition of the muscle on the opposite side of the joint (i.e., the extensor muscle). Typically, when performing a contract-relax stretch, the instructor will cue the participant to maximally contract a muscle for a period of time by pushing against an external force provided by the instructor. After relaxation of that muscle group, the instructor then passively stretches the muscle further than would have been possible prior to the technique (thus the saying, “after a maximal contraction comes maximal relaxation”).