Week on Week Improvements

Team,

I'm interested if people are sharing the same experience as me when it comes to improvements in their front split mobility/flexibility.  At the end of each session on the final 2 minute pike I am consistently week on week seeing improvements in range of motion... its great!  

Interestingly though when I do the first 2 min standing pike near the start of the series my mobility is almost the same as when I started the programme (it's a bit better but not progressing as fast).  So I suppose I am saying I am getting "better" at the stretch series but perhaps once I have warmed down I lose a lot of that flexibility.  Is this normal?  Should I expect my "cold and sedantry" flexibility to remain poor and just see the improvements when I am limbered up?

In some senses this might make sense, you wouldn't dive straight into a 1RM heavy barbell lift without warming up - you have to build up.   But equally if you have been lifting for years you carry all that strength you have built up with you 100% of the time.

I'd be interested in other people's experiences.

Hey Stuart, I think it has been a bit similar for me. I started the stretch series a couple of months back (start of July) and have been pretty consistent. I don't know if it is 'typical' but my range of motion has increased slightly cold, but has increased a fair bit more while warm, particularly in the FSs; less so in the MSs. I can definitely warm up more quickly and can get into these ranges more rapidly than before starting. I wonder how much of it is the difference between your mobility and your passive ROM?

How long/consistently have you been doing the program? I've definitely made progress in my cold flexibility of my hamstrings but I've been doing it consistently since January. I wanna say July-ish timeframe I noticed I could always do palms to floor . 

The ability to show cold flexibility with extreme range of motion requires a lot of time and requires the ability to generate strength in certain range of movement. a typical example is the ability to perform cold hanging leg lifts. i can. this is a perfect example of cold hamstring flexibility.

For this reason I always suggest to pair foundations with stretch series.

I do foundation one and I religiously follow the stretch schedule of once a week  I've been at since June, and I'm very happy with the progress.  All sorts of physios and gurus recognised my tight hamstrings (old news to me) but all their recommendations did nothing.  This, however is putting me places I have never been!  

I'm glad to hear the experiences are normal and similar to mine.

I have been doing the Stretch series weekly for over a year now, and have also seen good improvements in flexibility, both cold and after warmup.

However, progress is for me definitely not linear, nor equal across all muscles.  For example my hamstring flexibility is improving nicely, but my glutes and adductors are loosening up at a glacial pace .  And sometimes, some new ROM becomes "suddenly" more accessible.  An example for me was pancake shoulder: for the longest time I could not get anywhere near holding my foot and had to use a strap, but at a certain point (I think when my hamstring flexibility crossed some threshold) I started making much faster progress and now I do not need a strap anymore.

As always, YMMV, but consistent practice will lead to the results!

Cheers

@Koenraad Van Leemput  This is a great reply and really summarises my experience.  I couldn't reach the floor when I started or even get into the positions required by the programme but 3 months in I am able to put fingers on the floor and can follow along the movements much better. 

I previously played basketball my quad development was way in excess of my upper body and those quad stretches are the first stretches I've done for 15 years and wow it will take a while to unpick all those fibres and get some flexibility in so I am as yet seeing little progress but as coach says I know I am doing it right because I feel the discomfort (but not agony) and it goes away as soon as I stop...

I'm playing with when to change my adaptations, e.g. with the hurdler stretches I am still sitting on a block to elevate my glutes, whereas Orench, Grace and Kira have it under their foot.  When do you know its the right time to take the block away, i.e. progress...

26 minutes ago, Stuart McFarlane said:

When do you know its the right time to take the block away, i.e. progress...

As you get more "comfortable" with the stretch, you can try a smaller support. Say you're using a 3" yoga block, see if a 2" is doable. There's even a 1" yoga foam brick you can buy, or you can use a towel, book... You can gradually decrease the height of the support until none is needed. Keep the progress coming!

I just started the stretch series and foundations; I have been doing CrossFit for 2 years (recently stopped) and play soccer twice a week during the summer.  Needless to say, I'm knotted up pretty tightly.

I have developed piriformis syndrome as well on the left side; not fun.  My leg and glute regularly provide me with a dull ache.  I contacted GB and they suggested this would definitely improve for me with this program.  So I took the plunge...

To clarify: should I only be doing the stretch series' once per week?  In an email exchange, one of the CS reps suggested once every two days alternate the MSs and FSs...I was throwing in the TBs for good measure...

The Foundation series has been really easy to start with.  I'm hoping the new interface will progress accordingly; doing 3x10 Russian twists isn't much of a challenge...

Yes once a week, you can alternate MS, then 2 day rest, then FS and then TB. If you feel yourself too tired you can put the TB in between the 2 legs series.

4 hours ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

Yes once a week, you can alternate MS, then 2 day rest, then FS and then TB. If you feel yourself too tired you can put the TB in between the 2 legs series.

Ok.  This is different than what your CS representative suggested...and therefore calls into question whether this is good for someone with overall absurdly tight muscles (everywhere) and piriformis syndrome.

It was suggested to purchase the FSs and MSs and alternate very other day with Foundations between...last night I did Core and FSs...awful, but I got through it.  Can you confirm for me, please?  There is a lack of consistency between the responses.  I understand that CS's job is to close deals, and hopefully not at the expense of someone injuring themselves further.

For optimal results follow CS's suggestion first.

4 hours ago, Andrew Hilson said:

Ok.  This is different than what your CS representative suggested...and therefore calls into question whether this is good for someone with overall absurdly tight muscles (everywhere) and piriformis syndrome.

It was suggested to purchase the FSs and MSs and alternate very other day with Foundations between...last night I did Core and FSs...awful, but I got through it.  Can you confirm for me, please?  There is a lack of consistency between the responses.  I understand that CS's job is to close deals, and hopefully not at the expense of someone injuring themselves further.

I'd be shocked and it would be a complete 180 if he suggested to do FS and MS every other day. Even on those follow along videos he says they're to be done once a week each. Where'd you see that?

I've heard of people alternating them every other week

On 9/20/2016 at 6:02 PM, Patrick Rentz said:

I'd be shocked and it would be a complete 180 if he suggested to do FS and MS every other day. Even on those follow along videos he says they're to be done once a week each. Where'd you see that?

Sorry, I think there's a misunderstanding.  CS = Customer Service, NOT Coach Sommer.  I've been reviewing this trying to sort out WTH is going on, and I think I understand.

SO...if Customer Service suggested alternating every other day...that was just basically to close a deal?  (Totally my fault; trying to be clever with acronyms...)

@Coach Sommer I'm sorry for any misunderstanding.

I am betting that they meant taking a M-W-F kind of schedule to do each of the 3 stretch courses in a week.

1 hour ago, Judith Newton said:

I am betting that they meant taking a M-W-F kind of schedule to do each of the 3 stretch courses in a week.

Nope: specifically, FSs and MSs alternating each day with Foundations between.

I think it's moot now.  Clearly NOT the right procedure.  

6 minutes ago, Andrew Hilson said:

Nope: specifically, FSs and MSs alternating each day with Foundations between.

I think it's moot now.  Clearly NOT the right procedure.  

Hey, they are changing things around here, so who knows. But you'll see what I mean when you watch the videos. I can't remember if Coach Sommer specifically says once a week in the MS, or FS series, but it's there.

9 minutes ago, Patrick Rentz said:

Hey, they are changing things around here, so who knows. But you'll see what I mean when you watch the videos. I can't remember if Coach Sommer specifically says once a week in the MS, or FS series, but it's there.

 

I did see that already...that was actually what caused some of my confusion.

Going to stick with it and see; I've tried so many things to gain flexibility. For a pancake, I can't even touch the ground with flat palms...long way to go!  Yoga never worked for me because I wanted to sleep...or kill myself, lol.  I always wanted to like yoga, but it never stuck.

Hoping this helps my soccer performance.