Decreased mobility in pancake shoulder exercise

I have been working on middle split series for more than a month and I am noticing increased tightness in my muscles (along the back of my legs). The most effected stretch is pancake shoulder. I used to be able to grab my toes and hold the stretch for 30 seconds (before I started the program). Now I am using stretch rope, because it is painful to hold on to my toes. At first I thought that my muscles were just sore, but it did not improve after a few weeks. I do not think that I am overdoing the stretches, though this seems the only explanation. So far my plan is to just keep going and hope that eventually the tightness will be resolved. Anything suggestions?

HI Alexander, can you say more about your weekly routine? I mean if you do only stretch series, or foundations, or handstand or daily limber.

I work on Foundating 1 with Middle and Front Splits. I almost follow recommended schedule, meaning: Core on Mondays, Middle Split on Tuesdays, Upper body and Front Split on Wednesdays or Thursdays, with Legs and Thoracic on Fridays. Often times I miss Fridays though. I warm up for 5 minutes by doing various light exercises aimed at mobility and often finish my warm up with 15 burpies. I am at very beginning of F1 almost everywhere except SLS in which I am on SE1, I already mastered that level.

Hi Alexander,

If you are experiencing consistent decreases in mobility, you are either stretching too intensely, too often or both.  

Try reducing both the intensity of your stretching as well as reducing your stretch sessions to twice per week.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Thanks, coach. I will ease up during stretches, until I feel better. Most of the weeks I only do Middle and Front, so it is just twice a week already, I will space them a little more to have 1 to 1.5 times a week.

This I think is a very difficult topic.

I do all the stretch series + Foundation.

I also do daily limber 10 min every morning before breakfast and I do some additional stretches for my tightest areas on my training days for example Quads, Lats, thoracic and ankles.

I am not shure if I may stretch too much but the daily limber and the additional stretches is light intensity.

My question is how hard should I do the daily limber and the additional stretches or should I skip all additional stretches?

I make very slow but steady progress and I have work on the programs for 6 months. I sometimes get sore in the shoulders and the small adductors (brevis, pectineus) and also psoas. Maybe I should try skipping additional stretches for 2 weeks to see if my body feels more ” hungry” for stretching ? 

Sorry for hijacking the thread☺️

Hey Peter,

Doing daily limbering with the hardest stretches is fine.  Just remember that this is a limbering, so move and mobilize lightly.  It's even more important since you do it every day to let your body recover well.

Slow progress is normal, let your body adapt by going with it instead of forcing it.

And listen to it, if you feel you need some rest, take it, it won't do any harm.

Hope it helps

Thanks Étienne!