ROM loss during session

Hey there, guys,

While working thtough the series, I noticed that my legs fell very sore. It seemed like ROM decreased with the stress. So I put a test:

Marked initial leg opening for pancake (the angle of the V I can make while sitting). Then I started the session. When I got to PE14, I could barely pass 90 degrees, while before I could go like 120. I expected something like that to happen after the session, due to DOMS. But in the middle of the session was plain weird.

My guess: I'm working too close to my limits on the previous exercises and Fusal fibers are trying to protect from further damage. Therefore, reducing amplitude a bit may help to get more out of the rest of the session.

What do you guys think it's happening and how can I address it?

Provided soreness is not acute,

I think you should suck it up and stretch harder

What do you mean by acute? Is it time until feeling better or great intensity? I'm not as sore in the following days as I'm during the session (for this series, that is).

If you are stretching so hard at the beginning I would be following along with the class video. Coach repeteadely says to not push these to the limit but make the stretch moderately uncomfortable. That way you should have more ROM by the end.

Thanks, guys. Did it yesterday, but went on reducing intensity (as Mark said). Result was being WAY less sore, but slightly INCREASING ROM instead of reducing. So my guess is I was indeed overstretching.

Not to discard Jon Douglas' advice, it may be that even harder stretching would, some time, become a standard for my body and allow greater flow. But I prefer to err on the cautious side, even it this means spinning wheels for a few months, to avoid injury.

As a last point, since I've seen on a Truelove's post, I also didn't feel like it was too much WHILE doing the stretch. I went to max and then backed off a bit, so it felt moderately uncomfortable. However, along the session, as Coach said, my "body disagrees". If you're stuck, but sore, try changing intensity (I'd recommend reducing before increasing) for a few weeks and see what happens.

Iguanus said:

Not to discard Jon Douglas' advice, it may be that even harder stretching would, some time, become a standard for my body and allow greater flow. But I prefer to err on the cautious side, even it this means spinning wheels for a few months, to avoid injury.

For me this is usually the correct response for stretching, because I am long used to stretching and the subtleties of how it feels to stretch hard, and tension/relaxation habits thereto connected.

But if the advice is incorrect for you, absolutely discard that advice