Improved flexibility and fluidness with weight loss?

[Equilibrum32]

I have lost 11 pounds and noticed when I did some kicking again that everything is better and more fluid.

Is there a restriction on a persons range of motion with weight or why do I feel this way? I was not overweight before.

 

[_Simon_]

That's really awesome to hear . I'm sure certain restrictions would limit things, but it's possible your fitness and technique has improved alot to the point where things are just much smoother and more fluid.

But it is possible that has something to do with it. I would think much larger amounts of weight loss would impact it moreso.

 

[Equilibrum32]

That's really awesome to hear . I'm sure certain restrictions would limit things, but it's possible your fitness and technique has improved alot to the point where things are just much smoother and more fluid.

But it is possible that has something to do with it. I would think much larger amounts of weight loss would impact it moreso.

I don't get it. Why would weight lose improve flexibility and just overall limberness?

 

[MadMartigan]

I don't get it. Why would weight lose improve flexibility and just overall limberness?

I assume from your context that the weight loss was not related to increased exercise or general activity. In that case, I have an anecdotal theory (which I am in no way qualified to state as fact haha).

I remember my own journey back from the weight I gained from a back injury (still in progress). My own kicks and stretching felt very restricted in my 'saddle bag' area... (you know, the pouches on each side where I kept all my extra doughnuts). As this area began to slim down; the movement (especially to the sides) felt much easier. In my case, this was accompanied by increased stretching and activity; so it's hard to know what affected what the most.

My only theory in your case is that perhaps the body has only finite resources. With 11 lbs gone, it's now free to distribute more energy in the correct directions.

 

[Equilibrum32]

I assume from your context that the weight loss was not related to increased exercise or general activity. In that case, I have an anecdotal theory (which I am in no way qualified to state as fact haha).

I remember my own journey back from the weight I gained from a back injury (still in progress). My own kicks and stretching felt very restricted in my 'saddle bag' area... (you know, the pouches on each side where I kept all my extra doughnuts). As this area began to slim down; the movement (especially to the sides) felt much easier. In my case, this was accompanied by increased stretching and activity; so it's hard to know what affected what the most.

My only theory in your case is that perhaps the body has only finite resources. With 11 lbs gone, it's now free to distribute more energy in the correct directions.

I'm guessing that dynamic flexibility simply is easier with less weight. But it surprised me that there would such a big difference.

 

[Equilibrum32]

Anybody else experienced the same?

 

[RagingBull]

I have lost 11 pounds and noticed when I did some kicking again that everything is better and more fluid.

Is there a restriction on a persons range of motion with weight or why do I feel this way? I was not overweight before.

Depends if the weight is fat or muscle. I know people who have a fair bit of muscle & lift heavy who are very flexible & can do full splits ..etc.
Fat on the other hand i think is different. Having said that look at some Sumo guys who can do splits too but they will never move like a 70 kg Tae Kwon Do guy. so Lean muscle mass to a degree is ok but fat not really good. simple as that.

 

[jobo]

I have lost 11 pounds and noticed when I did some kicking again that everything is better and more fluid.

Is there a restriction on a persons range of motion with weight or why do I feel this way? I was not overweight before.

yes, the weight of your leg, for instance makes a difference to how high/fast you can move the leg, that's why fat athletes only really exist in niche sports, where fatness its self is an advantage sufficient to over come all the disadvantages it gives

 

[RagingBull]

yes, the weight of your leg, for instance makes a difference

Jean-claude van damme ? Ex Bodybuilder Flex Wheeler? (Tae Kwon Do )
If it´s lean muscle mass not talking huge legs here it will help you. Strong Quads & Hammies, Calf muscles for fast movements. The Leg muscles are more complicated than you think. Look at sprinters who move fast, most train with heavy squats. Why is this? you have red & white muscle fibres for endurance & fast power. both need to be trained. also the muscles around the knees & Ligaments, tendons need to be trained. Deep muscles too in the posterior chain.
Fat is another situation to simple weight. a pound of muscle is active but fat is fat doing nothing.

 

[RagingBull]

I am in no way saying that people should get as big as Flex in his prime but he still trained & stretched.

JKVD had it all. found the right sweet spot

 

[jobo]

Jean-claude van damme ? Ex Bodybuilder Flex Wheeler? (Tae Kwon Do )
If it´s lean muscle mass not talking huge legs here it will help you. Strong Quads & Hammies, Calf muscles for fast movements. The Leg muscles are more complicated than you think. Look at sprinters who move fast, most train with heavy squats. Why is this? you have red & white muscle fibres for endurance & fast power. both need to be trained. also the muscles around the knees & Ligaments, tendons need to be trained. Deep muscles too in the posterior chain.
Fat is another situation to simple weight. a pound of muscle is active but fat is fat doing nothing.

its about power to weight ratio, generally, i suspect most people on here including me could do with more muscle. But that's not to say you cant have to much of it, because it will reach a point of demising returns where it slows you down more than it speeds you up.

if you look at the physique of top athletes, each discipline looks much the same in body composition, that's almost certainly as that's the sweet spot, rather than they need to do more squats, some sports men deliberately supress muscle growth that comes naturally from their sport as it slows them down

100 meter sprinters are generally quite well muscled, football wingers who are almost as fast tend to be really skinny by comparison. because a) they also need to change direction, not easy when your 220lb of bone and muscle and need to do it for 90 minute's not ten seconds

 

[MadMartigan]

I had a young student once (approximately 9-10 years old) who taught me a lot about active flexibility.
He could drop into splits without trying...but he couldn't kick above his own waist. Turns out, he had 'gumby' flexibility, but no muscle strength.
He could stretch... he just didn't have enough muscle to actually lift his leg on it's own.
You need that balance of strength with the range of motion to make use of your flexibility.

 

[RagingBull]

slows you down more than it speeds you up.

old wifes tale. like i wrote not talking Mr Olympia muscle here.
even so how fast was this guy?(video below)sure maybe early on in his career he trained like the old school boxers but later he knew the value of power too. why not milk both? technique & power.
trust me if you have strong Quads & Hammies like doing squats; lunges you will spring faster. It´s a fact. you need to understand anatomy .

 

[jobo]

old wifes tale. like i wrote not talking Mr Olympia muscle here.
even so how fast was this guy?(video below)sure maybe early on in his career he trained like the old school boxers but later he knew the value of power too. why not milk both? technique & power.
trust me if you have strong Quads & Hammies like doing squats; lunges you will spring faster. It´s a fact. you need to understand anatomy .

he was fast compared with other heavy weights who were also slow and as they were also lifting heavy you may need to look else where, possibly into the medicine cabinet, for the reason why that might be so

i remember him dismantling a lot more muscled frank Bruno, to show that muscle size wasn't the defining factor

 

[RagingBull]

 

[RagingBull]

Look at the Side Lunge, front lunges then tell why this would be counter productive for any martial artist? look at the stretch in the stiff legged deadlift/Romanian deadlift & muscles worked. nonsence to say it will make you slower.

 

[jobo]

Look at the Side Lunge, front lunges then tell why this would be counter productive for any martial artist? look at the stretch in the stiff legged deadlift/Romanian deadlift & muscles worked. nonsence to say it will make you slower.
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being heavier makes you slower, coz physics, increasing strength with out unduly increasing muscle mass tends to make you faster as long as the strength gained off sets the weight penalty of the increased mass and that's very sports specific of where the sweet spot is very few sports men look like body builders

 

[RagingBull]

being heavier makes you slower, coz physics, increasing strength with out unduly increasing muscle mass tends to make you faster as long as the strength gained off sets the weight penalty of the increased mass and that's very sports specific of where the sweet spot is very few sports men look like body builders

I am not getting into it with you as it´s clear you do not get it.