• Keep up to date with Ausbb via Twitter and Facebook. Please add us!
  • Join the Ausbb - Australian BodyBuilding forum

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.

    The Ausbb - Australian BodyBuilding forum is dedicated to no nonsense muscle and strength building. If you need advice that works, you have come to the right place. This forum focuses on building strength and muscle using the basics. You will also find that the Ausbb- Australian Bodybuilding Forum stresses encouragement and respect. Trolls and name calling are not allowed here. No matter what your personal goals are, you will be given effective advice that produces results.

    Please consider registering. It takes 30 seconds, and will allow you to get the most out of the forum.

Improving Flexibility

DKD

DKD

Private Dancer
I've been told by a coach that my flexibility is basically shiiithouse, and that I need to improve on it. I've known this for years. After 15-20 years of being sedentary it's no great shock to me that this is the case.

Interestingly, my wife, who hates exercise and has been even more inactive than me, is extremely flexible. She can sit on the floor, legs outstretched and touch her toes so easily it's laughable. She can put her hands several inches in front of her toes, straight away, without any struggle. It does nil for my self-esteem to watch her. :(

So, time for me to turn things around now. What sort of things do you guys reckon are really effective at improving flexibility? Any particular exercises? Any particular frequency, daily, 3 x week?
 
Last edited:
The first thing you need to do is not compare yourself to your wife.

If you can bend over to tie your shoe lace, play some sport any activity without pain, you're ok.

Aren't you exercising?

Your wife might need to do some resistance work, as over flexibility doesn't necessarily mean stable, strong joints.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
PNF stretching if you have a partner (your wife) who has a little bit of knowledge on what they are doing should do wonders. Have a quick read on google but it is basically stretching the muscle then applying light resistance as it shortens.

You can see instant results if you have a sit'n'reach box - simply measure your first reading, complete 2 or 3 pnf stretches, then remeasure your sit'n'reach and you should instantly see some difference. Over a period of 3 weeks to a month the results should speak for themselves.
 
Silverback times two.

I will add that you should work on tightness in some areas such as your hip flexors and hammies, calves etc but that does not mean you need a full on stretching program for it if you have no issues. After exercise do some stretching for 10 mins and you are done. You could always go to yoga for a perv once a week ;)
Posted via Mobile Device
 
First you could try and stretch after your workouts in the gym.
Hamstrings are painfull to stretch but they stretch out fast if yr sitting on the floor grab yr shins if you can slowly pull yrself down try and get yr gut to touch yr legs
first keeping good posture.
 
Silverback said:
If you can bend over to tie your shoe lace, play some sport any activity without pain, you're ok.

Aren't you exercising?

Your wife might need to do some resistance work, as over flexibility doesn't necessarily mean stable, strong joints.
Posted via Mobile Device
Click to expand...


I've been doing almost no cardio for the last 5 mths (that's zip, nil, nada, zilch cardio), I did heaps in the preceding 6 mths. About to start getting back into it, and add some cardio to the weights I've been doing the whole time.

I think even when I was doing the cardio earlier in the year my flexibility was still crap.

There is far too much resistance work involved in trying to get my wife to do resistance work. Whenever I start talking about deadlifts her eyes start to glaze over and she zones out quick smart.


paxton999 said:
PNF stretching if you have a partner (your wife) who has a little bit of knowledge on what they are doing should do wonders. Have a quick read on google but it is basically stretching the muscle then applying light resistance as it shortens.

You can see instant results if you have a sit'n'reach box - simply measure your first reading, complete 2 or 3 pnf stretches, then remeasure your sit'n'reach and you should instantly see some difference. Over a period of 3 weeks to a month the results should speak for themselves.
Click to expand...


Thanks Paxton, appreciate that mate. It would be preferable for me to be able to do this stuff on my own though.
 
Don't bother with PNF, static stretching will do a good enough job and is easy to do on your own.
 
Dynamic stretching is IMO one of the most profitable forms of flexibility and mobility training. Where's the stiffnes? In your flutes and a
Hamstrings like the majority of people ??
Posted via Mobile Device
 
PowerBuilder said:
Dynamic stretching is IMO one of the most profitable forms of flexibility and mobility training. Where's the stiffnes? In your flutes and a
Hamstrings like the majority of people ??
Posted via Mobile Device
Click to expand...

Yeah glutes, hammies and inner thigh (adductors?), and hips.
 
Last edited:
Very common mate. Google 'Defranco stretching routine', it's what I do religiously. You'll feel like a million bucks after a good 10 min stretch session.

I highly recommend dynamic stretching pre workout and static stretching post workout. My club encourages stretching longer pwo than pre workout. I read once that for every hour you spend under the bar, you should stretch
Posted via Mobile Device
 
For most people, plain old resistance training over nice long ranges of motion gives them plenty of flexibility for day-to-day life. You might need more for some sport, I don't know, you tell us.

Stretching after a workout helps recovery so should be done by everyone anyway, but it will help your flexibility. Just ensure that instead of the usual bullshit bouncing for a few seconds, you hold the stretches for 5-10 slow deep breaths, extending the stretch on each exhale.
 
You want optimal flexibility doing to much promotes hyperflexibility and leads to less stable joints as Andy stated. Too much flexibility has also proven to not help injury prevention. So unless you need that much flexibility, training for it is a waste of your time. Since you sit on your ass a lot due to work etc you need to stretch your hammies, glutes and probably your ITB and adductors as well. PB missed probably the most important group you need to stretch which is your hip flexors. Also add in some calf stretches as tight calves lead to a lot of issues.

Do some dynamic stretching warmups and mobility work for 10 mins before a workout and 10-15 of static post workout and you will be fine. Unless you are looking at getting into MMA or gymnastics you do not need to spend an hour stretching. Work on those plus some anterior shoulder stretches and anything else that is overly tight and you will be fine.
 
Kyle Aaron said:
For most people, plain old resistance training over nice long ranges of motion gives them plenty of flexibility for day-to-day life. You might need more for some sport, I don't know, you tell us.
Click to expand...

I don't need to improve flexibility for sport, as I'm not playing any. My coach wants me more flexible to improve my lifting. He reckons my deadlift and squat are affected by poor flexibility and back strength. He has got me doing inverted rows for my back.
 
DKD said:
I don't need to improve flexibility for sport, as I'm not playing any. My coach wants me more flexible to improve my lifting. He reckons my deadlift and squat are affected by poor flexibility and back strength. He has got me doing inverted rows for my back.
Click to expand...

Then your calves and hammies will be tight and limiting ROM.
 
dave said:
How does it help recovery?
Click to expand...
You're the exercise physiologist, you tell us.

I'm just speaking from experience, I don't pretend to know the science of it. If I stretch myself or clients, we have little or no muscle soreness following a workout. If I don't, we do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top