Improving flexability

walnuts

Hi All,

I don’t post much on this board but am regular reader and have found it to be an excellent place to get advice and information. I’m hoping to get some advice on to improve my flexibility.

At the moment I stretch before and after exercise and also would stretch 2 evenings a week on rest days. But I still have problems with my hamstrings, lower back and hips. For instance I cannot perform the snatch properly because I can’t get down into the overhead squat position. I play some soccer twice a week and would go to the gym on average 4 times a week.

Any advice on how to improve flexibility? What stretches/routines would you recommend?
Anyone ever done a routine to improve their flexibility?

estebancambias

Always stetch, I know you said you do, but try in your spare time to just stretch doing everything. I had very poor flexability prior to the summer of 06, then I decided I wanted to be able to do the splits. After a month and a bit(the day after Italy won the WC) I got it.

So just stretch, sometimes just force your leg into uncomfortable positions just for about 10 seconds.

A good exercise is to go up against a wall and try get your butt as close to the wall as possible with your legs straight up the wall.

When I say just stretch, I just mean that its not complicated to improve. Like to be honest when I was doing it, I looked at a few articles but nothing to big. I just generally would stetch my legs, perhaps I could improve my flexibility even more if I looked into more specific exercises.

xebec

I agree with esteban, much of the gains from stretching are from doing it regularly and correctly. A few things that might help:

1. Ask a trainer at the gym to make sure you are stretching properly and that you are stretching all the right areas.

2. Do a short warm-up before your initial stretching.

3. To increase your flexibility you'll need to hold the stretches for a decent amount of time - I hold mine for 15 secs - and go slightly out of your comfort zone each time, but not so far as to injure yourself.

I find stretching one of the most enjoyable parts of my exercise routine, and it can yield fantastic results - in the space of 6 weeks or less I went from not being able to touch my toes at all to being able to put my palms flat on the floor.

ali.c

walnuts wrote: »

At the moment I stretch before and after exercise and also would stretch 2 evenings a week on rest days. But I still have problems with my hamstrings, lower back and hips. For instance I cannot perform the snatch properly because I can’t get down into the overhead squat position. I play some soccer twice a week and would go to the gym on average 4 times a week.

My squat depth increased dramatically once i added in mobility work and foam rolling into my rountine.

What type of stretches are you doing?

estebancambias

xebec wrote: »

I agree with esteban, much of the gains from stretching are from doing it regularly and correctly. A few things that might help:

1. Ask a trainer at the gym to make sure you are stretching properly and that you are stretching all the right areas.

2. Do a short warm-up before your initial stretching.

3. To increase your flexibility you'll need to hold the stretches for a decent amount of time - I hold mine for 15 secs - and go slightly out of your comfort zone each time, but not so far as to injure yourself.

I find stretching one of the most enjoyable parts of my exercise routine, and it can yield fantastic results - in the space of 6 weeks or less I went from not being able to touch my toes at all to being able to put my palms flat on the floor.

Spot on with point two, and yeah you have top get out of the comfort zone.


Have you tried the splits yet? I noticed when I was able to get my palms on the floor I was able to do them. I always feared that my physique(I'm a bit stocky) would restrict me from being able to do the splits as I heard some people just can't, which I believe to be crap.

Just to add when I say hold it even if it hurts, I mean within reason. I understand it can be dangerous if you overstretch.

xebec

estebancambias wrote: »

Have you tried the splits yet? I noticed when I was able to get my palms on the floor I was able to do them. I always feared that my physique(I'm a bit stocky) would restrict me from being able to do the splits as I heard some people just can't, which I believe to be crap.

Haven't tried, and had no real intention of trying until you asked that! How do you do them? One leg forward, one back - stretching quad & hamstring? Or legs our to side stretching groin?

amazingemmet

Stretching for actual improvements in your flexibilty has too hurt, no way around it. Best advice is get to the postion where it hurts and hold that postion til it stops hurting, this can take anywhere between 10secs to 3mins depending, when you feel the muscle relax increase the stretch and repeat. Your focus should always be on relaxing as much as possible. Stretch every day for results its not enough to stretch once or twice a week thats barely enough to maintain your current level.

walnuts

Thanks for all the replies.

At the moment on rest days I would stretch legs and lower back. Do each stretch 3 times and hold for 30 secs. Before and after exercise I would do each stretch once and hold for 10-20secs.

From the replies I can see one obvious mistake is that I dont hold each stretch until the muscle relaxes.

When would you recommend stretching? In the morning or evenings? Does it make any difference? Anyone have a stretching rountine I could use?

Hanley

AFAIK morning's not a good idea. You're probably better off waiting til you've loosened up a bit naturally and then going at it.

Reyman

amazingemmet wrote: »

Stretching for actual improvements in your flexibilty has too hurt, no way around it. Best advice is get to the postion where it hurts and hold that postion til it stops hurting, this can take anywhere between 10secs to 3mins depending, when you feel the muscle relax increase the stretch and repeat.

I'm not too happy with this advice! I agree with the general approach of holding the stretch for 20 seconds and then when the muscle relaxes increasing it for the remaining 10 seconds. But It's quite easy to injure yourself stretching if you move into the pain zone. And certainly any attempt to stretch severely at this point with cold muscles is very risky. I think a better approach is to stretch easily but very frequently during the day i.e. four times x 30 seconds each up to six diferent times in the day.


I know this is time consuming but it will produce dramatic results

monkey tennis

http://stadion.com/column.html

estebancambias wrote: »

I always feared that my physique(I'm a bit stocky) would restrict me from being able to do the splits as I heard some people just can't, which I believe to be crap.

Only people with deformed hips.

amazingemmet wrote: »

Stretching for actual improvements in your flexibilty has too hurt, no way around it.

Bad advice. It should feel uncomfortable, but there shouldn't be actual pain.

t-ha

Best time is after a workout or some cardio when the muscles won't offer up much resistance to being stretched. Relax & focus on your breathing to help get further into the stretch.

@monkey tennis - wouldn't you say one person's pain is another person's discomfort? Personally I find stretching for improved flexibility to be a horrible affair.

Roper

monkey tennis wrote: »

Bad advice. It should feel uncomfortable, but there shouldn't be actual pain.

I think we all know what he meant.

Anyway, it surprisingly difficult to injure yourself stretching when you do it properly. Your body says no long before anything tears.

OP look up PNF stretching. I made most of my gains when using that. All that being said my flex has gone to pot lately. Must do more!

springs

I'm glad there was a thread on this. I have always wanted to have great flexibility but have never stuck at it because I foolishly believed I wasn't getting results. Even though I was doing the right things.

And Monkey tennis has posted a great link there. Its got a hell of a lot of information on it.

My coach used to make me do CRAC stretching which is contract, relax, antagonist, contract. In a nutshell you stretch a muscle to slight discomfort then attempt to contract it in its stretched state for 6 seconds providing resistance with either your arms or another object. You then relax deeper into the stretch(finding that you can go further due to shutting off your stretch reflex). Following this you stretch the antagonist muscle. For example if you are stretching your quad, your hamstring is your antagnoist. Finally you contract again.

amazingemmet

monkey tennis wrote: »

Bad advice. It should feel uncomfortable, but there shouldn't be actual pain.

I'm coming from years of experience in gymnastics here and all the most flexible people I know have gone through the same amount of pain to get there its unavoidable if you want to get any amount of decent flexibilty

estebancambias

I think if you hope to gain flexibilty for another practice(OP for example) then being hurt while stretching is not worth it, but if you are like me and amazingemmet(who has done gymnastics) who want greater flexibility for flexibility sake then there is a certain pain you must be willing to take. It will hurt but after you have done it, it will not any more. Should someone stop while running just because they have a stitch, which can be very painful.

Have you ever seen a Gymnastics class? A lot of early flexibility involves being forced into uncomfortable positions.