Improving Flexibility

brianon

Guys,

My flexibilty is crap. While I am getting stronger all the time my flexibilty is no better now then a few years ago and thats bad as for example...standing up, legs straight, bending over I cannot touch my toes. I can barely reach mid shin !

Same applies all over...
shoulders : cannot hold bar correctly in back squat. wrists are bent instead of straight up vertical because my shoulders won't allow my arms back far enough.
etc...

Whatever sport I play I am now fitter/stronger due to weightlifting(powerlifting technichally I guees (squat,deadlift,press,bench)) and CrossFit. But I have ignored my flexibility. A few token dynamic/static stretches post workout is all I do. But it now just makes my in-flexibilty more frustrating.

Have to now get a serious plan to improve flexibilty. For CrossFit I have the official warm up but I need something I can work on 4/5 days a week to help improve my general mobility/flexibility.

Anyone got a routine they want to share ? Any help appreciated.

Cheers,
Brian.

BrowneusMaximus

After warm up focus on dynamic flexibility leg raises to front back and side focus on correct forum do 12 reps, mabey 2 sets, start low and go little higher each time, also arm rotations for shoulder.

post work-out after cool down do static stretches (make sure stretch all major muscle's ) for improved flexibility you should hold each stretch for 30 seconds (first 15 gentile stretch last 15 go deeper into stretch) you mite even want to do 2 sets of 30 sec for each muscle group you stretch, and most impotently don't give up you wont turn into "rubber-band man" over night but if you keep at in you will notice a difference in a few weeks.

Hope this helps.

Sonderval

Yoga is a possible solution.

I do alot of running and weights and over the years my flexibility has become an issue, particularly around the hip area. I can barely swing my leg above 90 degrees and can't sit cross legged at all really.

Have started doing yoga for the past 9 months and have found it is making a big difference. Still alot further to go (and I've been jazzed to keep it up after having seen some of the strength feats yogi's can do) but it was worth it.

Apart from being the only guy in the class sometimes.

aye

Sonderval wrote: »

Still alot further to go (and I've been jazzed to keep it up after having seen some of the strength feats yogi's can do) but it was worth it.

Apart from being the only guy in the class sometimes.

would that not make it more worth it?

Sonderval

Yeah, but then I get paranoid and start thinking that the women think I am there for the view or somesuch and nothing else! So I make an effort to remain as detached post-class as I can...

But yeah, yoga. Thats the ticket.

BrowneusMaximus

never tried yoga myself, its on my to do list, hot yoga also meant to be very good, allthough mabey not suitable for everyone

aoife161

Would daily stretching not help with it?
I've only started recently (3 wks into a new gym regime) and I've made sure to do my stretching at the end of each workout (11 so far). I'll hold the stretch for 10 seconds at a comfortable stretch then for the last 5 seconds I'll extend the stretch again until its slightly uncomfortable (not painful)...
already i've noticed my flexibility improving. I think i'm about another couple of weeks off finally reaching my toes!!

Sonderval

Any well executed stretching would help

I just found that sometimes I'd be engaging the wrong muscles doing it on my own, without guidance. Things like not bending from the hips, not executing quad stretches correctly, etc. Some of the more complex stretches are a bit involved, so it helps to be shown how to correctly do them before going solo. At least thats the case for the muscles around the hip area.

Malteaser!

BrowneusMaximus wrote: »

never tried yoga myself, its on my to do list, hot yoga also meant to be very good, allthough mabey not suitable for everyone

What's hot yoga??

I heard something about pilates or yoga a while ago where you're in a really, really hot room and it's so warm that you basically end up in a pool of your own sweat at the end of it. I can't remember all the details but it went something along those lines.

amazingemmet

Its called bikram yoga iirc