The beginner's guide to flexibility

the problem i had with pavel was lack of detailed guidance especially compared to tom kurz. kurz's book is much wordier but gives you better structure for a workout.

 

Just started anew club . We do a little warm and that's it no stretching . Just line work ,is this normal in most clubs

 

Hello, I'm new and interested in doing splits and high kicks. After reading this whole thread, I'm still rather confused, I almost started doing dynamic stretching

Van Zandt: I found your blog and you're referring to it a few times, but blogpost tells me it's invite only and denies access. Do you think you could let me in? :love:

But definitely thanks for all the info, I will keep readin'.

 

In China they kneel instead of sit. This strengthens their legs and allows for more flexibility, higher kicks, and bigger jumps. Sorry, but MAP has a no advertising policy. Please contact site Admin if you'd like to place an advert.

 

If you want to develop your flexibility then you have to start from lower age and continue every day. You can join gymnastic for that.

 

Hey guys, i've been creeping this board and thread for some time now, and i just wanna say that you guys are all very knowledgeable and helpful, with detailed answers and legitimate concern for each other's well-being...

Real great.

There's a wealth of knowledge in this thread, useful for anyone with any regard for flexibility whatsoever.

Thanks guys!!!

 

I don't know what stretching I should be doing after my workouts to obtain flexibility, being able to do the splits after much time. What would be the recommended exercises?

 

how long is best 2 recover b4 stretching Again ?

 

This is a great thread, one of the reasons I joined MAP was to become more flexible and this is the perfect starting point. Thanks.

 

Holy crap-a-molly. I'm exhausted just reading about it. I used to push the limits, too, actually. But one thing even the pros have to do is easy days, doing short recovery workouts. Maybe two days of intense effort a week, couple of medium, couple of recovery days of 30mins recovery work. They will do 6 hours on some days, but not everyday. Maybe 2 days of 6 hours, 2 of 3 hours, and 2 of 30 mins easy recovery work. But always the cycling will work against you with the hips, this is true. I used to be a competitive cyclist, from the age of 7 was training good miles, and really became very inflexible, especially hip-wise. Hope it all worked out, brother.

 

Sounds good. But bit of a waste reading the instructions that came with this thread, then. Goodly portion of it can be thrown out the door, being a fallacy. What a ride.

 

Training methods change and improve over time. It's been, what? Nearly five years since I wrote the original post. People will still make gains following the advice I provided back then. But I've done a crapton more research and experimentation (with elite athletes and average joes alike at a human performance lab here in Manchester) and found time can be saved sticking with weights and isometrics. Dynamic stretching is okay as long as you stay in your static ROM or else it becomes ballistic. A lot of people don't realise their flexibility will disappear over time because they don't have the strength to go with it.

 

Dynamic stretching is a "no-no", like ballistic. Now its ok. Hm. Who to believe.

 

I didn't realize that was a response to me. Thought it was years ago. That was fast. Cool bro, that sounds good.

 

Yep you're right. Apologies for that.

 

Mmm, very interesting. I had a little look at Kurtz doing his dynamic after-workout stretch warm-down, and it was exactly identical to what we do in yoga. Only Kurtz (sorry if name is bit wrong) did more reps than we do. Looking at your information here, we do all of it in yoga class, except for the core of it, isometrics and the iron. But the strength-work is still done in bodyweight work, combined with static (passive and active) and dynamic work. We do very good comprehensive joint rotations, especially for the hips. We do a load of the exact static-active work that you are suggesting to the people. The core is worked a heap. Load of static-passive work. You'd be surprised at the strength requirements for the yoga. I get sore just like weights. Moderate soreness. It is common to think of yoga in docile passive terms, when there is often a lot more to it. I have read the suggestions you and Kurtz make. We do the same work, excepting the isometrics and weights. We do at least an equal amount of static-active, and dynamic, and joint rotation, in the way you describe, requiring and increasing strength. I'm not claiming it is better than isometrics plus weights. But there is bodyweight (strength) work in goodly measure. If you look at the type of asanas required of, say the intermediate or advanced level of yoga, it is obvious that it works to a very high degree of flexibility and strength. You need great strength, and core strength, for a great many of the asanas, increasing at the higher levels. The similarities between your advice and the yoga classes are virtually identical. Exact same exercises in every type of stretching besides isometric. Not all yoga methods are the same, though. There are plenty of schools around that will not work in the comprehensive way you do and I do in the classes I attend. However there are many that do it exactly your way, minus iso and the iron. I think the good thing about yoga is that, while they do not apply isometric and weights, what they do utilize with static-passive, static-active, dynamic, joint rotation, and bodyweight and strength work, they do very well. It is all rolled up together in a ball, in a very clever and effective way, for the methods they utilize. And in the classes I am pushed to work well with it all, unlike doing things alone. A lot gets done in that one hour, including strength. There is a degree of grunting and groaning that goes on in any yoga schools due to the demands of the strength work combined with stretch-work. Especially by me. Heart-rate goes right up at times as well.