Therapist advocates stretching in DVD

Johnny Zecopoulos is perhaps the biggest advocate for stretching in the Charleston area.

For more than a decade, he's been touting the benefits of a relatively unfamiliar form of it called "active, isolated stretching," specifically a method developed by kinesiologist and fitness consultant Aaron Mattes of Sarasota, Fla.

The method, known more in professional and elite circles, involves focusing on one muscle at a time by actively contracting the muscle that is opposite the targeted muscle, which will relax in preparation for its stretch. The targeted muscle is stretched gently, two seconds at a time, for eight to 12 repetitions. That allows for an optimal stretch without triggering a protective reflex, which can result in trauma. Many stretches involve the assistance of a rope or hand to ease movements and assure proper form.

As you can tell, it's a bit more complicated than the "stretch-and-hold" static stretching that so many of us learn from our high school gym teachers and coaches.

I can attest to the fact that active, isolated stretching almost requires an expert to get the hang of it.

Zecopoulos, who is a massage therapist and owner of the Charleston Massage and Flexibility Center, has done what he can to spread the word about active, isolated stretching: from holding one-on-one and weekly group sessions to free clinics.

Extending the range

For years, he dreamed of creating a DVD as another way to teach people the method in a more efficient, economical way.

This year, the dream became reality, and "Stretch 2 Move," produced with local talent and on location in Mount Pleasant, is available online and at the center.

"For me, there are three reasons I did this," says Zecopoulos. "First, I don't think people stretch enough and use 'I don't have time' as an excuse. Second, they don't know what to do other than what they learned in gym class. And finally, they don't notice the benefit (flexibility and injury prevention) because it's not physically noticeable, like losing weight."

He adds that everyone wants "to cheat on the stretching" and eventually will pay the price by getting injured.

Zecopoulos, an avid soccer player and triathlete, can attest to how the stretching method has kept him from having a soft-tissue injury since he's been doing it. His only injury came as the result of a bike accident.

But I do yoga ...

Zecopoulos appreciates all kinds of stretching, but just thinks that active stretching is better.

With the rise in the popularity of yoga, he also hears that many people think yoga is an active form of stretching. Zecopoulos agrees to a degree.

"There's a lot of strength involved in yoga, and when you strength-train, you shorten a muscle," says Zecopoulos. "This (active, isolated stretching) is strictly about lengthening the muscle."

Keeping it local

Zecopoulos comes from a family that has been in Charleston since the '50s. His parents emigrated from Greece, and his father opened grocery stores in Charleston and Folly Beach, the latter one was Chris and Jerry's Grocery and is now Bert's Market. Johnny played soccer for Fort Johnson High School and Baptist College, which is now Charleston Southern.

He started as an adult with a good-paying job as an engineer at the Charleston Naval Shipyard, which was closed by the federal government six years after he started. With the closure, he decided to change course and pursue massage therapy. In 2000, he co-founded a massage therapy business.

Much like his life, Zecopoulos has kept his DVD project local. He hired Media Visions of Mount Pleasant and enlisted local triathletes Greg Brown and Jenny Leiser and fellow massage therapist and former student Wendy Deese to help demonstrate the stretches. It was shot on location at a building overlooking Charleston Harbor.

He's pleased how the final product turned out.

"I knew it would be good, but it turned out even better than I expected."

Reach David Quick at 937-5516 or dquick@postandcourier.com.

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