The pain might be connected to your hip, if you are not rotating your pelvis enough. Pain spreading out to other areas is a rare symptom however. You may just lack strength in your obliques, particularly because they are a major agonist (prime mover) in the side kick. Being able to kick properly requires proper conditioning of the core (abs, oblique and back) as much as being able to do splits. Your posture might be off, leading to aches as your body tries to compensate by overstressing certain areas.
If you want high kicks, you need the splits. Stretch every day and go to martial arts 2-4 times a week. Also, you need to do 3 types of stretching: 1) Dynamic stretching 2) Relaxed stretching 3) Isometric stretching
Sometimes, but it's for the one guy who follows through that we do it anyway, right? Even if it was one out of ten we'd probably still help out and reply. That's the nice thing about a public forum, I suppose. When someone's question gets asked, regardless of whether they actually put the answer to use, everyone can learn.
Critics please..i think this is what suits the best for me. But is it proper?: Morning workout After waking up: 1) Joint rotations 2) Dynamic stretches 3) Relaxed stretches Later: 1) Joint rotations 2) Cardio 3) Relaxed strecthes ''After waking up'' means i do it every morning, independent of doing the ''Later''. Later means i decided to train in the morning, but not after waking up, rather few hours after waking up. ***************************************** Evening workout 1) Joint rotations 2) General warm-up (e.g. jogging on the spot) 3) Dynamic stretches 5) Isometrics 6) Relaxed stretches 7) Cardio 8) Relaxed stretches OR 1) Joint rotations 2) General warm-up (e.g. jogging on the spot) 3) Strength 4) Isometrics 5) Relaxed stretches First is cardio, second is strength. Ideally it would like doing after waking up workout every morning. Every second day cardio and every second day strength. Strength i would always do in the evening (i hate it in the morning), and i can choose will i do cardio in the morning or in the evening. Ther are some different, in morning cardio i don't do isometrics and dynamics.
Have you read the entire thread, Mr. Black? Dynamic stretches morning and evening are NOT necessary. They ARE good and important before a workout, but not necessary every morning and evening. I'll post back soon with more comments but right now I can't.
Hey, i read the thread, and they are not necessary but they wan't hurt to. right? I edited a litlle bit my first post!
Mr. Black, it would help me to see what your weekly routine is. Do you do this morning/evening routine every day? Regarding the dynamic stretches, they may not be very harmful, but doing 5 sets of 10-12 repetitions per side per leg twice a day is not a good idea. It's a totally unnecessary addition to your training and just makes it more likely that you'll burn out, physically and mentally. Believe me, I did 5x12 to the front, side, back, both legs, twice a day, for more than 6 months straight without ever missing a day. I didn't burn out, but I was really motivated and I was really glad to not have to do them. They really aren't beneficial to you outside of movement prep/warm up for workouts. Think of all the people who have the splits who don't, and never have, done dynamic stretches morning and evening.
Ideally, it should look like this. I put the whole program it may be useful you never know. There are two types of a day. Cardio day and a strength day. CARDIO DAY 1 After waking workout: 1) Joint rotations 2) Dynamic stretches 3) Relaxed stretches Evening 1) Joint rotations 2) General warm-up (e.g. jogging on the spot) 3) Dynamic stretches 5) Isometrics 6) Relaxed stretches 7) Cardio 8) Relaxed stretches ** CARDIO DAY 2 After waking up: 1) Joint rotations 2) Dynamic stretches 3) Relaxed stretches Later (about two to three or four hours after waking up): 1) Joint rotations 2) Cardio 3) Relaxed strecthes ** STRENGTH DAY After waking workout: 1) Joint rotations 2) Dynamic stretches 3) Relaxed stretches Evening workout 1) Joint rotations 2) General warm-up (e.g. jogging on the spot) 3) Strength 4) Isometrics 5) Relaxed stretches ** I practice every day except sunday, which is day of doing totally nothing Two days of the same type can't go two times in a row. So week is like: strength - cardio - strength - cardio - strength - cardio - rest. Let's put some definition on what i do: Dynamic stretches: 10 times front 10 times rear 10 times side. And that two times. Cardio: Type 1: About 30 minutes on jogging on about 60 - 75% of my heart rate. Type 2 Interval, 20 secs of sprint 10 secs of walking. When i can't do it anymore than i jog easy. Strength: It vary. But i tend to do exercices which activates a lot of muscles, and core exercices. Squats, push ups, chin ups, bench press, crunches and so on. I rare isolate some muscle but usually it is biceps. I tend to keep balance in strength, etc. between quadriceps and harmstrings, back and abs, triceps and biceps and so on. Sometimes i do isometric training with weigths, and so on. I do it differently always, so one time it's interval type of training, once circular and so on. However really various type of doing the mainly same exercices. Isometrics: Strecth, tend, release. Repeat three times. Side and front split on both sides. Nine exercices at all. I have not some time box, when it releases i tend more, when i feel it's my limit i relax. ** But this is ideally which means it wan't be like that always. We all have colleges, jobs, etc, some higher priorities. But this is it and i will stick as much as i can.
You pretty much have the gist of the programme. What is the angle between your thighs at your maximal stretch in front and side splits? With this figure it will be straightforward to determine the optimal number of sets and repetitions of dynamic stretches for you.
Thanks for a great post. It was chalk full of information and options, and I find this incredibly useful, especially since I was having difficult with flexibility, too much stretching, and the wrong types of stretches done at the wrong times. Again, thanks a ton!
Skizler, one thing that has helped me a lot recently and that may help you out as well is not neglecting the strength aspect of flexibility. In particular, I've returned to Thomas Kurz's strong recommendations to concentrate on strength in high repetitions for the adductor muscles. I now do 2-3 sets of 40-100 of adductor flies making sure it "burns" in the last 5-10 reps. I have already noticed an increase in relaxed flexibility. This high rep training is probably the primary characteristic of Kurz's program that gives such unique success ratings. Kurz's method (i.e. Dan Zandts method), when followed and given sufficient strength, will work really quickly.
