Starting to get serious about flexibility and mobility work, due to persistent nagging injuries that have slowed or even negated strength gains, and just the desire to be flexible. I’ve read most of the bigger stretching articles on here, have Pavel’s book (Relax Into Stretch), and have been using a foam roller (once or twice a week) and doing Magnificent Mobility drills (maybe five minutes worth, before every lifting workout) for maybe 6 months. How often do you all do this stuff, duration, etc.? How about static stretching?
Do something in relation with your sport.
m2, inside out, foam rolling preworkout (5-6 times per week). sometimes i do static stretching post workout, but not as often as I should.
1-2 foam rolling sessions weekly other than pre-workout.
I use magnificent mobility drills and the joe defranco mobility drill circuit before my leg training days. I also do those everyday even if I do not train.
Now I’m trying to ‘foam’ roll with a lacrosse ball every single day since I don’t have a foam roller. I just finally realized the importance of doing this.
I hardly static stretch at all.
Just wondering if any of you have looked at Z Health for mobility including the OP…I’m somewhat curious about it but not curious enough to drop that kind of cash on something I don’t know about…
I just started yoga, its great. I highly recommend plus lots of hot chicks.
Mobility(walking everyday, dynamic stretches everyday) with flexiblity work on most days(static pwo or before bed after hot shower/dynamic stretches) should do the trick.
Remember, the key to stretching especially static stretches is to feel the stretch And breathe to relax. Give it a few weeks and your flexibility will improve as well as your recovery.
You can add the foam roller whenever possible. I would especially roll the entire leg region as well as your thoracic area to improve mobility in that region.
Good luck!!!
I know they knock static stretching on this site; it may reduce your strength temporarily, but it is the best way to increase your maximal flexibility. 5 minutes of lower-body stretching every day, and you’ll be doing the splits within 4 months if you are already in decent shape. It’s so easy I don’t know why everyone doesn’t do it.
It’s very much a mental excersize. Press into the pain until it gives up. Stretch in the morning for better ‘cold’ flexibility; stretch at night for maximal flexibility. Stretch right after a workout to speed healing and reduce lactic acid. Stretch the day after a workout to realign the muscle fibers and speed recovery. Stretch when you’re bored to entertain yourself.
Get the book “Stretch to Win” it covers everything that MM and others don’t. At a fraction of the price on top of it. The book teaches you how to diagnose your mobility deficiencies and how to design a program to correct them. Acitve, PNF, relaxtion stretches, periodizations everything.
Yoga- Twice a month
Static stretching- every evening
Foam roller/Tennis ball- every morning
ART specialist- Every 1-2 months, i get a GREAT deal (45 bucks for hr) so I could go more often but I dont have too many issues.
Dynamic stretching before EVERY workout, stuff i learned from running track, gymnastics, and reading… but id imagine is somewhat similar to cressey’s stuff. Though I’m sure he’s way more knowledgable than me.
activation work, especially for the glutes, hamstrings, and other muscle groups i feel necessary.
overlooked part imo is just balance in your training program…
Exercises that improve mobility (overhead squats, lunges), exercises that balance muscle groups (face pulls), and avoiding exercises that may overwork your joints (overhead presses & dips most often)
[quote]hatfiejt wrote:
I know they knock static stretching on this site; it may reduce your strength temporarily, but it is the best way to increase your maximal flexibility. 5 minutes of lower-body stretching every day, and you’ll be doing the splits within 4 months if you are already in decent shape. It’s so easy I don’t know why everyone doesn’t do it.
It’s very much a mental excersize. Press into the pain until it gives up. Stretch in the morning for better ‘cold’ flexibility; stretch at night for maximal flexibility. Stretch right after a workout to speed healing and reduce lactic acid. Stretch the day after a workout to realign the muscle fibers and speed recovery. Stretch when you’re bored to entertain yourself.[/quote]
I wrote an assignment on Stretching in the use of PT treatment options or something to that effect last year and my main findings were take if you want to change the muscle spindle lengths permanently then you need to be stretching for like 6 hours a day or something like that i think it was (cant remember the exact number of hours) but my main evidence that i found in writing this assignmnent that was stretching seems to increase your tolerance to stretch rather than permanently affect the muscle spindle length so it seems that again its neuromuscular gains rather than actual flexebility that seems to be effected. Its another hot topic at present and plenty of research on.
[quote]hatfiejt wrote:
I know they knock static stretching on this site; [/quote]
They actually don’t. They knock static stretching before lifting because it decreases your ability to lift while simultaneously decreasing the safety of said lifting.
I do some exercises from Cressey’s Magnificent Mobility before lifting, and I static stretch my legs for a few minutes afterwards. Works well.