Mobility Routine Critique

Hey guys, I was hoping somebody could give me some feedback on the mobility/prehab routine I'm using to supplement Foundation/H1.

 

So I do four strength workouts a week, meaning I hit every F/H1 element twice a week. I recently purchased Thomas Kurz's Stretching Scientifically and I'm following his basic template, but adapted it a bit to fit my specific needs and current busy schedule.

 

Pre-workout:

-2-3 min joint rotations (neck, shoulders, wrist, etc. all the way down to the ankles)

-5 min light cardio warmup (jogging, rowing, burpees, etc.)

-About 15-20 min. active stretching cycling through all of the H1 IM's I've mastered (not many) and a few active pike/pancake flexibility drills.

-Specific Foundation warmup, anywhere from 2-3 sets of 5-15 reps of previously mastered PE's of whatever elements I'm training that day.

 

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Main Workout

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Post workout:

-Strength days 1 and 3 isometric stretching focusing on developing the front split.

-Strength days 2 and 4 isometric stretching for side split.

(Used to do upper body isometric stretching, but it seemed too intense and became painful, so I stopped).

 

Non-strength days:

-2 days consisting of light ring support work (elbow prehab), fingertip hangs, rice bucket, and thick handled deadlifts (the latter three are because I'm currently rehabbing forearm splints). Finish with a 20-30 min. jog.

-1 day of complete rest.

 

Obviously add Foundation/H1 mobility work.

 

So my main concerns are:

1) Does extensive active stretching pre-workout hurt subsequent strength performance?

2) Do I suffer at all from not including any dynamic flexibility?

3) Is it okay to exclude relaxed stretching from my routine if I have a heavy focus on isometric stretches and active flexibility?

4) Any other concerns or room for improvement?

 

I know it's a lengthy post, but I've begun to put a lot of time into supplementary mobility, and since I'm currently very busy I'd like that time to be well spent. Thanks for the help!!!

 

 

Hi Hardy!
1) Active Stretching Is a kind of Strength In the shortening range of motion. This kind of "Stretch" won't hurt your subsequent strength performance. You are limited by two factors: The strength in that ROM and the resistance of the antagonist muscle. Sometimes the mix of passive, pnf and active stretches is better than active stretches alone.
2) Dynamic flexibility can be ballistic or controlled. If you are doing Xiaopeng Mobility, this is a kind of dynamic flexibility. This is flexibility trough active motor control.
3) I think that relaxed stretching has its place during training. It may not be the best way to improve flexibility in adults but You can use it for relax certain muscles, warm up for harder stretches, etc. In my opinion it's not the evil, it has its place.
4) PNF, Loaded Stretching, Mobility, Passive Stretching... All these are useful methods so don't be afraid of using all of them. Like in strength training, the harder the stretch sesion is, the more rest is needed. I have readed Coach Saying that 1 or 2 times a week of serious stretching is enough for beginners, and this make sense. If you stretch hard you will be sored. You can mix all the methods but you have to be sure that you are not doing too much too soon!

 

PD: Be patient, because flexibility is a long term thing. Enjoy the training and don't rush. Like always, if you are consistent, you will improve. No doubt about that.

Greetings!

Thank you for the advice! I wasn't aware that coach advises beginners not to stretch hard more than 1-2x a week. I usually try to taper my volume around my level of soreness: I won't stretch again until the soreness from the previous session has gone away. At least that's what Kurz advises in his book. That leads me to about 3-4 PNF sessions a week.