HELP!! The Stretch Series seem to be causing more harm than good!!

hi! i've been doing both the foundation and stretch series since october of 2016 and for a while I thought it was the answer I had been looking for with my back pain and lack of flexibility, but lately, I'm not so sure.  

When I first started, I couldn't help but sing the program's praises.  I was blown away by the progress and how my chronic back pain had all but vanished.  I was so proud of my newfound mobility.  

I think it was around march or april when I started getting knee pain, my back pain returned and my hamstrings got crazy tight again.  I can't say for certain that there was any significant change in lifestyle in that time, but nothing comes to mind.  I was more flexible, but my mobility had become severely reduced.  Moving became incredibly laborious. So I thought "maybe you're pushing yourself too hard, how 'bout we take a break." 

So I recently took two weeks off from the stretch series and I felt so much better.  I decided to try again this week and did the middle split series and immediately I'm tight and sore in all of those places again.  AND I hardly pushed myself at all.  I'm sorta confused as to how to proceed, because at first I love the stretch series, but now, I'm not sure what to think.  

Again, taking two weeks off in June was the best I had felt in months, and one day back into the stretches putting in moderate effort I'm regretting ever buying them.  

I'm open to suggestions, I just don't see anything in the forum alluding to this 

Hi Downing,

I'm sorry to hear this. Have you ever consulted a medical professional about the pain? A sports physio or other medical doctor is worth visiting as they will be able to diagnose the issue(s) and keep you safe. Chronic back pain can be tricky and is always something that should be checked out by a doctor.

Since pain is involved, simply reducing intensity doesn't apply here. If a position or exercise is causing pain or discomfort, you should always stop immediately. 

Downing, if you stop doing something you ll be sore. Thats the law of nature. Always when I stop stretching for 2 weeks and I strecht again I feel very sore. You can t start doing so much as previously. You should learn your body. I ve had many low back pain episodes since I started GST, but I can t make the courses responsible for my pain. Some pains might need years to be erradicated. Just accept it. If you  can t train then don t train, whenever you can because you feel free of pain, then train. But after a painful episode always start light. Do your bussiness, but don t expect miracles. Consulting a physio is also a goog idea.

Also i not sure if you differentiate between being sore and being tight. The day after stretching can be commom to be sore, to feel your hammstrings and to have less flexibility. And then it s hard to move... if you don t want to feel like this do a bit less of stretches or don t push so much. Sometimes one simply has a hard recovery, it s just life.

It might also be worthwhile to reduce the frequency of your stretch workouts from each once a week to maybe only doing two per week and rotating. That gives you some extra recovery time between sessions because (depending on your schedule) you will only hit each workout every ten to eleven days. I have had some good success that way in the past.

On June 21, 2017 at 11:45 AM, Downing Keith said:

hi! i've been doing both the foundation and stretch series since october of 2016 and for a while I thought it was the answer I had been looking for with my back pain and lack of flexibility, but lately, I'm not so sure.  

When I first started, I couldn't help but sing the program's praises.  I was blown away by the progress and how my chronic back pain had all but vanished.  I was so proud of my newfound mobility.  

I think it was around march or april when I started getting knee pain, my back pain returned and my hamstrings got crazy tight again.  I can't say for certain that there was any significant change in lifestyle in that time, but nothing comes to mind.  I was more flexible, but my mobility had become severely reduced.  Moving became incredibly laborious. So I thought "maybe you're pushing yourself too hard, how 'bout we take a break." 

So I recently took two weeks off from the stretch series and I felt so much better.  I decided to try again this week and did the middle split series and immediately I'm tight and sore in all of those places again.  AND I hardly pushed myself at all.  I'm sorta confused as to how to proceed, because at first I love the stretch series, but now, I'm not sure what to think.  

Again, taking two weeks off in June was the best I had felt in months, and one day back into the stretches putting in moderate effort I'm regretting ever buying them.  

I'm open to suggestions, I just don't see anything in the forum alluding to this 

My pike flexibility became more restricted as well when I first began the front split stretch series (FSS), and my posterior chain became "tighter" also. It took me a long time to see gains, because in my haste to see improvements I ended up injuring a hamstring which took more than a year to fully heal. 

If you do the stretch series consistently and without pushing yourself, the issues you reference should be addressed in about twelve weeks or less (on condition that you remain injury free).