Jon Foh Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Hi everyone, below are my arms fully extended. My right being significantly worse than my left. I am wondering if anyone has any stretches or tricks to get my arms more straight. So far I've been doing a lot of skin the cat on the stall bars, but with my feet still on the lowest bar I can handle. I do some curls with a weight or elastic band, in between stretching sets. I had good progress for the first two weeks, but now it seems to be resisting hard and reverting backwards. Recently my right elbow / forearm closest to the elbow have been giving me some pain and tightness, a lot of painful popping every once in a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christoph Pahl Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Your right elbow is hyperextended, correct? This has something to do with your bones, and no stretch will ever change it. I believe you're still growing, and this is less frequent for adults, but I'm not sure. I'd simply stop thinking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Foh Posted October 28, 2013 Author Share Posted October 28, 2013 neither of my elbows can hyper extend, when I do hand stands, in my max position there is still a slight bend in both, but more prominent in the right elbow. I don't think I'm still growing, at 26 I think I've reached past the stage of any bone growth. A year ago when I started gymnastics my arms were way worse than this, so I am more inclined to believe my muscles in the area can still stretch more. I was just wondering if anyone had similar experiences and would like to share how they were able to extend their arms more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Foh Posted November 4, 2013 Author Share Posted November 4, 2013 These are better photos of what I mean for my arms aren't straight. This is as far as they can extend, I'm wondering if anyone has similar issues or suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Truelove Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 I had a similar problem but in both arms! Using a wall as a guide and putting my arm flat against it my hand used to float 10cm away, nowadays I can put my arm flat against a wall. I have no idea what improved things for me, I was first following BtGB and I now do F1/H1, I was doing these exercises after I had some tendinitis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hlWgH3_0NU It was over a period of 3 years that it got better. Though I can't say how, I can say that it can get better. Before BtGB I never focused on any straight arm work so maybe that was the biggest influence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sarnowski Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Here's one good way to straighten the elbows: Begin in a squat with one palm on the floor in front of you. Your shoulder is externally rotated, and your fingers are pointing back towards your body. Place one knee against your elbow and lean some of your weight on it. Also I like to lay one elbow over a chair or the arm of a couch with a weight in my hand and let gravity do the work for me. I hope I explained that clearly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yuri marmerstein Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Bar dislocates stretch the biceps and help in this regard. There are some exercises you can do with a flexband to help push your elbows into extension You can even just lay on an elbow to get it straighter. Compression band Soft tissue work of the biceps, forearms, triceps, and everything around there is also probably not a bad idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Foh Posted November 5, 2013 Author Share Posted November 5, 2013 Awesome Thank you all so much for the suggestions, I'm gona work them into my stretching routine. However I'm gona give my elbows some rest, two weeks in I'm feeling a lot of strain and painful popping. Probably a combination of the circles and flares work + the stretching, body is overworked. Also glad to know I'm not the only that didn't have completely straight arms when starting this program / gymnastics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gravy Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Were your arms always like this? What did you do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Foh Posted November 5, 2013 Author Share Posted November 5, 2013 They were even worse before supposedly. I started gymnastics about a year ago and my arms were always bent looking on parallel bars. A year later it is way better but still needs improvement. Most of the flexibility I gained was probably mostly from all the residual effects of training, ie hanging / swinging, etc. Only within the last few weeks I've been putting more attention it, because I decided I need to focus on my handstand to progress, along with other skills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
José Ignacio Varela Suárez Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Stretching the briceps brachialis trying to supinate and extend the elbow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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