How has everyone's progress been so far?

I just started the stretch series a week ago and was wondering how everyone's progress and thoughts have been so far? I've noticed that my left knee doesn't feel as off as it used to before stretching.

Also, as a super inflexible guy that can't even touch his toes I just want to say that I hate you Coach . The stretch series are fairly taxing for me. But thank you so much for this series, gotta keep at it!

It's too early for me to say anything (and probably most people) as stretch series is aiming at the long term. But I see some improvement in MN/PE2 form due to MSS. 

I notice any hip movement to be much easier. The Bridge series is going slow.... but then I don't have shoulders I have welded metal hinges there instead.

My pike has improved enormously.  When I do single-leg versions, like the hurdlers, I rarely feel anything, but with two legs, my calves really complained, greatly reducing my ROM.  With all the calf and achilles work, I've loosened up my weak link.

Here's a poor quality pic of me reaching past my feet, and not only that, but with relative easy.  I can't believe the progress, and especially from only doing it once a week.  Less really can be more.

Sensei JP said:

My pike has improved enormously. When I do single-leg versions, like the hurdlers, I rarely feel anything, but with two legs, my calves really complained, greatly reducing my ROM. With all the calf and achilles work, I've loosened up my weak link.

Here's a poor quality pic of me reaching past my feet, and not only that, but with relative easy. I can't believe the progress, and especially from only doing it once a week. Less really can be more.

Out of curiosity, we're you already able to touch your toes prior to this program?

With the pike, I could just get my toes; on good days, I could grab my heels, and on bad days I could get maybe one finger on a toe.

I likely started with more flexibility than most people, as I've done martial arts and all its associated stretching and mobility for 16 years.  That said, stretching was never easy; I could touch my toes or the floor or whatnot, but I had to work to do it.  That has been the big change.  I am sliding into positions with less effort and feeling less resistance.

That's an impressive improvement. It's amazing what Coach has put together here.

Did a week, skipped a week, did a week. As expected my flexibility is better but not as much it could have been had I been more diligent

Coach has helped to slowly reverse my zombie-ism. Second time round and I was surprised the increase in compression to my pike and can lay my hands almost flat on the floor. Really surprised as I never really was a routine stretcher. I still have issues tho, like the close and wide hurdler give me knee discomfort for some reason, but day to day I just feel better moving around after. I remember Coach saying that some days he would do mobilizations for warm ups and thats all he did cause his body soaked it up. Feel the same way with this stuff lately, body just seems to love it. I'm in for the long haul....

Seems I'm really a slow responder to stretching in general. I did 3 years of karate (as much as 3 time a week) and my flexibility didn't improve at all over that time.

Since starting F1 I've been able to reach my toes and Jefferson curls have got my a few cm beyond that.

Hard to say if I've noticed any change as a result of S but I'm looking to measure my progress in months not weeks.

I'll answer with a photo.

Same thing for middle split and thoracic series. A lot of improvement. And the cool thing is it has correlation with all the things on Foundation/HS training, obviously, but for example my HS is better, iM's from FL, manna work... just amazing!

DBeckerman said:

I notice any hip movement to be much easier. The Bridge series is going slow.... but then I don't have shoulders I have welded metal hinges there instead.

You and me both DBeckerman, you and me both. Unrelatedly, my hamstring flexibility from the Front Split series is profoundly better.

I basically started as soon as the stretch series came out and I'm doing them each once a week in the evening.

For me the most noticable progress did happen in the elevated bridge and the pancake roll-throughs. I have not been able to push into the elevated bridge at all and now I can hold the bridge for the full length of the exercise and last session I also managed to do three of those bridge pushups for the first time afterwards. Same with the pancake roll-throughs; I have not been able to do a single one in the beginning and can now do about 7 in the time they to 10.

Flexibility has improved I guess but I think that will take some time to really become noticable (which is totally fine for me). Also my handstand has improved due to a little bit more flexibility in the shoulders I think.

I really love the stretch series! And I hate them at the same time

Adriano? can you touch your toes with elbow?  i chasing you

Everyone's results are pretty encouraging and funny with the pics. I'm just not there yet to do the same pose as strme and Adriano 

For some strange reason, after I started the Front split series, my hamstrings and/or my calves have been in DOMS 24/7

You did too many calf raises my friend. Do the achilles stretch from the same series and foam roll. They say to scale the number of reps you initially would start with. You should take heed with that advice.

Daniel Taylor-Shaut said:

You did too many calf raises my friend. Do the achilles stretch from the same series and foam roll. They say to scale the number of reps you initially would start with. You should take heed with that advice.

I was saying it half-heartedly. 

My experience with the stretch courses has been strange!

I now live in a world of constant day-to-day DOMS and stiffness in my legs resulting in reduced range of motion when I am cold. However once I am warmed up, there is no doubt that I am becoming increasing more flexible and I am consistently achieving new rang of motion with each stretch session.

I suspect that after a year or two of following the courses, the DOMS will become less and less of an issue and I'll be significantly more flexible.

Cheers,

N

one more pic. this is for me very important step in my stretching. i feel that everything is possible. thanks to show me rigtht door. (F progress included )

I've been doing the stretch courses since their release and the other day, after 8 months of work, I've finally mastered MN/PE2. As a disclaimer I didn't need to gain a lot of flexibility to reach mastery ROM, but the middle split series definitely made a difference!

neil gillies said:

My experience with the stretch courses has been strange!

 

I now live in a world of constant day-to-day DOMS and stiffness in my legs resulting in reduced range of motion when I am cold. However once I am warmed up, there is no doubt that I am becoming increasing more flexible and I am consistently achieving new rang of motion with each stretch session.

 

I suspect that after a year or two of following the courses, the DOMS will become less and less of an issue and I'll be significantly more flexible.

 

Cheers,

N

This is my experience as well. I can't even touch my toes cold, but when I'm warm and during a stretch session I can comfortably put my hands flat on the floor about a foot behind my feet. Which is a giant improvement. I'm just hoping for a much smaller disparity as time goes on...

Good to know someone else is going through the same thing!

One thing I have noticed is that the DOMS from the stretch courses is interfering with my flexibility during my Foundation workouts, especially manna and press handstand elements. I usually require quite a bit of time to limber up for these now compared to before.

In addition, if I do the press handstand stall bar mobility prior to attempting the pike stretch course, my range of motion during the stretch course is vastly improved (although I wouldn't quite call it Kira-esque yet!), i.e. forehead to shins in a moderately uncomfortable stretch, but touching my toes the next day is completely out of the question!

Cheers,

NG

I always do my Front Split and Middle split stretches on my

MN/SLS days After workout. Maybe that's part of it.