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Increase flexibility - Page 2

post #16 of 17
1/1/10 at 9:53pm
Yoga for flexibility and some strength building.
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post #17 of 17
1/1/10 at 9:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheNinja View Post
After 15 years of martial arts, I can tell you that while flexibility is definitely easier for some (genetics), it can be obtained by almost anyone who's willing to put in the work. A few tips:
1) Only stretch when warmed up. You should be sweating before you start stretching. I prefer to do most of my stretches after a run as part of my cool-down.
2) Stretch muscles individually before stretching them as a system. As an example, do a calf stretch, a hamstring stretch, and a quad stretch before you start doing dynamic front-splits stretches.
3) Do a combination of dynamic and static stretches. an example of a static stretch is reaching down, touching your toes, and holding it. An example of a dynamic stretch is swinging your leg up.
4) Do your static stretches for a 30 count. Don't rush yourself, you might even want to do your routine twice. A good stretch session can take 20 minutes or more - don't rush it.
5) Don't forget to stretch your back/neck muscles.

Ultimately, stretching is like many other things in life - you do the work diligently, and you'll get your results. Also, if you stop stretching for a long enough time, you can lose your flexibility (I'm a perfect example... bah).

Hope this helped - if you have any specific questions or goals I'd be happy to give some more insight.

Interesting. There's another school of thought on this: AI (Active Isolated) Stretching. They advocate no stretch more than 2 seconds (so basically no static stretches), and using hands or a rope to extend the range of the stretch. I'd be interested in your thoughts.
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