Increasing Flexibilty - Need Suggestions

[Jade Tigress]

Hi,

I have a problem with tight muscles. I have never been a highly flexible person to begin with but now I walk around with muscle tension from excercise all the time. I stretch before I excercise every morning and it's difficult/painful to stretch my hamstrings but other muscles feel good when I stretch.

When I'm done working out I stretch again...it's much easier as the muscles have warmed up but it doesn't last. When I wake up in the morning I'm all tight again. Not only is it uncomfortable feeling like I need to stretch all the time but I'm afraid as I progress in MA it will limit my abilities.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can increase my flexibilty or lenghten my muscles? I know they're tight from excercising but I'm not willing to give up my workouts. I'm normally kind of lanky but noticed that my physique has changed to a more compact type with the increased muscle.

How can I be strong and supple at the same time?

I appreciate any advice!

 

[Zepp]

I don't think muscles get tighter from exercise, unless you're not doing your cool down stretches for long enough afterwards.

Assuming that you already know how to to stretching, time and patience are really the only other things that you need to gain flexibility. I'm not naturally flexible myself. When I was really young, I had short achilles tendons that made walking difficult for a while. It just took time to stretch them out. Nowadays, I'm one of the more flexible people in my class. But that's because I've been stretching regularly since high school.

Oh, and if you didn't already know, exhaling while you stretch will help you to relax your muscles and stretch farther for longer.

 

[Tae Kwon Doughboy]

You may want to consider QiGong. I found I really didn't know how tense I was until I tried it. Now it is part of my morning routine. I stretch at least five minutes every morning and evening too. As a kid I couldn't touch my toes to save my life. After TaiChi and QiGong at 40 I could touch them whenever I want. At 44 I can do things I never dreamed of being able to do including TaeKwonDo!

 

[moving target]

I have had simular problems when recovering from injuries. My solution was to warm up when I woke up and than have a good stretch of the targeted muscle groups. And to do the same through out the day when I had available time (like at lunch time). Than to do it again when I got home and again right before I went to sleep. And if I wasn't at school basicly any time I fealt tence.

Streatching before your muscles are warm won't help you all that much with flexability.

Another thing that helped me was PNF streatching.

 

[Black Bear]

I'm not great at flexibility (I blame genetics) but this is what I hear from those who should know:

Beginning a workout, roll your joints gently, rather than stretch.

Stretch after working out, when your muscles are warm and your joints are lubed up.

Stretch after every hot shower.

Some folks on here swear by that Kurz "beyond splits" or whatever, and the book "scientific stretching" gets a lot of buzz. I haven't really gotten into it because i don't need to kick people in the head for the things I want out of MA.

 

[moving target]

Almost forgot. For injury recovery massage also helps out a lot.

 

[Black Bear]

Massage is a wonderful thing, and a good investment in health and quality of life.

moving target, wow I didn't know that expression was from Mao. People usually associate "absorb what is useful, reject what is useless" with Bruce Lee. Did it originate with Mao?

 

[lvwhitebir]

Some folks on here swear by that Kurz "beyond splits" or whatever, and the book "scientific stretching" gets a lot of buzz. I haven't really gotten into it because i don't need to kick people in the head for the things I want out of MA.

The nice thing about "Stretching Scientifically" is that it tells you things about stretching in general. It talks about static stretching and dynamic stretching, when to do them and why. It also goes into good detail about why the order you stretch in is important. It's a good read even if you have no desire to get to a full split.

- Stretching is an everyday thing. It's not something that you do and you're set for life. You will get more limber, but it takes time (similar to strength gain).

- Static stretching (for example sitting down and leaning forward) helps mostly with static flexibility (such as splits). Dynamic stretching (for example leg raises) mostly help with dynamic flexibility (such as kicking higher).

- Do dynamic stretching before your exercises but *after* 5-10 minutes of warm-up exercises such as jumping rope, jumping jacks, or jogging in place. Stretching cold muscles isn't as beneficial and can cause injury. Dynamic stretching is more useful for preparing for activity because it mimics the movements you're more likely to do and it helps to keep the heart rate up to keep in the "warm up" range.

- Do static stretching after your exercise. Hold for a minimum of 30 seconds and perform multiple "sets." This works as a great cool down from your exercise and with the warmer muscles you should be a lot more flexible. Multiple sets help stretch the particular muscles more.

- Do the stretches in a specific order working ancillary muscles before the main muscle. Don't stretch the hamstring until you've done the back, glutes, calves, and groin. Limited flexibility in the ancilary muscles means that the main muscle is not getting targeted nearly enough (it's hard to bend forward and work the hamstring with a bad back).

- Stretching in the morning is when you're the tightest, but will give you more benefits throughout the day. Stretching at night is when you're the most flexible and is great for a daily "cool down."

- Flexibility does wear off a bit, especially when the muscle is inactive. So you can't stretch at 8:00am and think you're ready for competition at 3:00pm. You still have to warm up again.

- Be aware of your body. When you stretch feel where the pull is. Work that body part even more until it doesn't interfere any longer. Just because you're bending forward doesn't mean that your hamstring is what's limiting you. For example, a lot of people try to do a hamstring stretch when they really need to work their backs a lot more first.

WhiteBirch

 

[Chicago Green Dragon]

Hello

One thing that i have noticed that seems to work for me. When i stretch or weight train I concentrate on those areas with my mind. So if i am stretching I look and also think about the area i am stretching. Feeling the muscle, feeling the blood, feeling the flow of energy and flexibility.
I do the same thing when im weight training. I see my muscle being so much larger and stronger. There was an experient i did in the past where i went and just stretched and weight trained no concentration on those areas with my mind.
Then i did another day where i was concentrating on what i was doing, how it was feeling and what i wanted out of it. I found out that i was a lot more productive in my training when i used my mind in it.

Another thing I do is meditate too, release the tention and stress from areas and let it flow out of my body while bringing in new energy, strength and flexibility to replace it.

I hope this helps

Chicago Green Dragon

:asian:

Hi,

I have a problem with tight muscles. I have never been a highly flexible person to begin with but now I walk around with muscle tension from excercise all the time. I stretch before I excercise every morning and it's difficult/painful to stretch my hamstrings but other muscles feel good when I stretch.

When I'm done working out I stretch again...it's much easier as the muscles have warmed up but it doesn't last. When I wake up in the morning I'm all tight again. Not only is it uncomfortable feeling like I need to stretch all the time but I'm afraid as I progress in MA it will limit my abilities.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can increase my flexibilty or lenghten my muscles? I know they're tight from excercising but I'm not willing to give up my workouts. I'm normally kind of lanky but noticed that my physique has changed to a more compact type with the increased muscle.

How can I be strong and supple at the same time?

I appreciate any advice!

 

[Jade Tigress]

WOW. There is a ton of excellent advice in these posts. There are several things I was unaware of as far as stretching. I just always feel like my muscles are tense. I will have to be more aware of many things as I stretch..such as the order I stretch in, breathing properly, and focusing on the area I'm stretching.

I definitely have to get the book "Scientific Stretching". Apparently my current methods are not very scientific at all! Just a hodge podge of stretching. I am careful and I haven't pulled anything...the benefits just don't seem to last so I always feel tense....I feel I could use a daily body massage I'm so tense all the time.

Thank you all soooo much for the advice. If anyone has more to add please do! I need all the help I can get! LOL

 

[Chicago Green Dragon]

Actually, i try to get a massage after i workout. If I am weight training, running, practicing martial arts, or anything where im very active. It helps in recouperating. I can really use it after weights training. I do my cardio cool down and then my stretches with a nice light massage after................ahh now that feels good.

Chicago Green Dragon

:asian:

 

[TonyM.]

Hatha yoga does it for me.

 

[ShaolinWolf]

Well here's the steps to stretching for me...

1) Stretch for some time before workout
2) Do some stretch kicks here and there during workout
3) Cool down with some stretching

Also, I stretch just about everyday, sometimes in the morning, and sometimes in the afternoon and even in the evenings. Some days, I have MA class 2 times a day and I stretch in the noon class and the evening class.

I've said it before, but I wasn't very flexible at all when I was like 10-12 and younger. Then, I started stretching here and there in my workouts and just for the sake of I wanted to able to do a split. I've stretched here and there over the past 5-6 years and now I'm 17. I have a nice split and I can do just about any kind of stretch and do it nearly to the limit, if that makes sense.

All I can say is it takes time. And patience. And mind over matter type thinking, because I know it hurts, especially when you go beyond your limit with stretching in a split(for guys, yeah, that hurts...), but you'll be surprised in a few years. Patience, my friend, patience...

 

[KennethKu]

Hatha yoga does it for me.

Avoid yoga stretches that screw with the ligament. Those are harmful. You don't wanna stretch your ligament. They don't stretch well. Proper stretching is about resetting the stretch reflex, not about elongating the muscle nor about screwing around with the ligament.

 

[TonyM.]

Good points. That's why I suggested Hatha Yoga. All stretches are with bent joints.

 

[Black Bear]

Ken, how do we spot which stretches are doing the tendons? I don't really know joint anatomy. Is there some general rules?

 

[KennethKu]

There is no need to stretch the ligaments to perform even the most advanced gymnastic and martial art skills.

1. Don't screw with the anatomical function of the joints, ie. don't make them bend in ways they are not built to.

2. If you feel discomfort or pain in the joint, then you are most likely stretching the ligaments.

For further info: www.dragondoor.com , Relax into Stretch, by Pavel Tsatsourine. Highly recommended.

 

[Jade Tigress]

Avoid yoga stretches that screw with the ligament. Those are harmful. You don't wanna stretch your ligament. They don't stretch well. Proper stretching is about resetting the stretch reflex, not about elongating the muscle nor about screwing around with the ligament.

I had NO idea about not stretching the ligaments or elongating the muscle. I was under the impression that my muscles had shortened (for lack of a better word) or kind of remained contracted from excercise. Now I know better. Thanks for this information.

There is so much good advice on this from everyone. I am definitely not feeling as tight as I was all the time. I'm feeling the stretchs I'm doing are more effective because of the changes I've made from the advice you've all given.

I haven't changed the stretches I'm doing just the way I'm doing them and the order I'm doing them in. It's amazing how much those small changes have impacted the effectiveness of my stretching.

You guys are awesome! Thanks!

 

[drunken mistress]

I agree on Yoga. Also watch cats and take lessons. They spend a lot of time stretching. I think it´s down to lots of warm up exercises. Sometimes using the weight of a limb to stretch slowly works well in things like touching toes or bending to the side. I started karate at 48 (now 49) but had no real problem with high kicks thanks to Yoga and my cat´s exercise tips. One exercise that also seemed to get my kicks higher was to get a partner to raise one of my legs as high as possible while I´m standing sideways to a wall. Then I had to imagine my leg was very heavy then light alternately. As you think light the muscles relax and your leg goes higher.

 

[Pilot]

Every one has their own ideas about stretching and flexibilty, I'm sure every suggestion has a great deal of merit. Here are my thoughts and ideas on the matter.

Most of the stretching exercises reach a point that it will trigger a "stretch reflex" meaning that the muscles are stretched to the point that the nerves are stretched, the natural reaction is to pull back and resist the stretching process.

The solution is to combine stretchign along with breathing exercises. When your body is stretched and the muscles tense, inhale as much as you can without letting hte boyd rise or allowing the muscles to shorten. Then exhale, relax and take up the slack to increase the amount of stretch. This results in a natural method, without harm to the muscles or the nerves.

This method will allow you to stretch beyond what you thought was possible This method will not only help with toning your muscles but minimizes potential damage to the muscle or nerves that could occur with more conventional stretching techniques.

When Combining this with exercise, it is wise to simply limber the muscles before exercising. Think of this as warming and greasing the joints and after exercise stretch out the muscles.