Stretching difficulties...

[Marc_2002]

I must admit to never havng been a fan of full-on stretching or taking it stretching as seriously as I should - however, this isnt to say that I dont understand the importance of good flexibility for good technique, strength, and overall physical wellbeing.

Over the past month i have been on a stretching regime, 2 hours a day, 5 days a week. It gets boring, and its painful, but the difference in flexiblity I saw in just 5 days was enough to keep me going. However, each day, Id wake up feeling more and more stiff and painful in the mornings, but after a warm up and light stretching I have been able to get down and stretch full-on.

At the moment i can do the forward splits, and very near getting to the box splits. However, two weeks ago i injured my knee badly and havent been able to stretch at all - the end result has been that my whole body seems to have ceased up and my muscles are completely tense. I am now less flexible then when I started out!

Because of my injury, stretching is difficult, and Im currently getting physio but will have to be rested for another onth or so....is this normal that ive become so stiff and inflexible? It feels almost as if all the stretching i had been donig has come to nothing now, and I can barely move! ??

Any stretching experts, or similar experiences??

[Guest]

You have been MASSIVELY overtraining. Something was bound to give, and you should count yourself lucky that you didn't go SNAP!

Why not do effective stretching for only 15 minutes for 5 times a week. Progress may seem slower, but it will go on and on instead of you going POP!

Haven't you heard of the hare and the tortoise?

[Szczepankiewicz]

Hey, if you've got any good stretching routines please post them.

As you get older and older stretching becomes more and more important....

[Marc_2002]

Bri...maybe I have, simply the amount of pain im in right now might suggest that, but Im thinking its because ive been doing so much and suddenly stopped. However, the reason why I do 2 hours each session is because I take it very very slowly, I only spend 10 minutes alternating between the splits right at the end of the session, so that by then its safe to do them.

Szczepankiewicz...as for training routines I could tell you what I have been doing up till now, although really theyre just a combination of what I have done in my training. One thing about stretches is that its not simply making sure that you do certain stretches, its doing them in the right order.

Firstly its always important every morning to stretch for 5 minutes, particularly those muscles that feel sore. If possible, and dont ask me why, try to do full-on stretching at between 12pm to 2pm as that is when the body is at its most flexible!? lol its true apparently. Obviously this may not be possible, but other than that probably the optimal time to stretch is after a hard training session as your body temperature is higher (helping muscles loosen and relax) and also your muscles are fatigued making it easier for them to be stretched past their usual point.

I think ill have to spare you from me going through my whole stretching regime as its far too long! and Id find it hard to explain some of the stretches I do...however I do have some great links for stretching as follows:

This is an outstanding resource for stretching information, although it does take some reading:

http://www.enteract.com/~bradapp/docs/rec/stretching/stretching_toc.html

Nice pictures in this one...I guess this is what im aiming for! (And umm whats with this guys outfit??)

http://www.shouyuliang.com/newsletter/v2n3/v2n3a6.shtml

Apparently according to this guy you dont need to stretch to kick high!? read for yourlsef see what you think:

http://www.stadion.com/column_stretch6.html

One tip I can give is...before performing any splits...make sure youre fully warmed up and have stretched sufficiently - particularly and most importantly perfroming the ' forward & Side lunges'.

Assuming you dont know what these are...stretch your right le behind you and have your right leg bent fully at the knee so that you are lunging forward (almost like runners on the track) - lean backwards and bounce a bit. This should work your back waist and your hamstriangs and groin muscles if done prperly. about 5 reps alternatin on each leg is enough.

The side lunges are the same except that your back leg is placed so that the foot is flat on its side, not facing the ground - again, it works the groin muscles and really makes a difference before going into the full splits. Sorry if the explanations arent too great, but Im sure you can find something on the net that explains it better.