straddle ups -- posterior chain tightness

this is my second time reaching this point. I kind of rushed through MNPE1 the first time through and struggled with the straddle ups. 

I finally decided to regress and spent about six months working my way through PE1 again. 

Now i"m back where i was -- I think i have very tight hamstrings, hips and calves. I can't get my knees locked out on this exercise.

I don't think regressing back to PE1 is the answer to this problem. But aside from just stretching and stretching, what can I do? What do I do in the meantime while I work on my posterior chain mobility? continue doing poor versions of the straddle up? 

Also, before you tell me to do the stretch series.. . i have them. I'm sorry I can't work another 2 hours into my weekly work out schedule! I run about 4 hours per week, practice Aikido 9 hours per week, and spend about 4.5 hours per week in the gym doing GST (and some other mobility based exercises). 

1 hour ago, PAUL DALY said:

this is my second time reaching this point. I kind of rushed through MNPE1 the first time through and struggled with the straddle ups. 

I finally decided to regress and spent about six months working my way through PE1 again. 

Now i"m back where i was -- I think i have very tight hamstrings, hips and calves. I can't get my knees locked out on this exercise.

I don't think regressing back to PE1 is the answer to this problem. But aside from just stretching and stretching, what can I do? What do I do in the meantime while I work on my posterior chain mobility? continue doing poor versions of the straddle up? 

Also, before you tell me to do the stretch series.. . i have them. I'm sorry I can't work another 2 hours into my weekly work out schedule! I run about 4 hours per week, practice Aikido 9 hours per week, and spend about 4.5 hours per week in the gym doing GST (and some other mobility based exercises). 

 

Hey Paul,

It sounds like you have a jam packed workout schedule, filled with a wide variety of activities. Roughly 16 hours of accumulative training time each week.

 The combination of running, aikido, and gst can often lead to joint and muscle tightness. It seems to me that why you are experiencing is too much strength and endurance work without the necessary flexibility training to balance it out.

I know you are already foretelling that we are going to recommend the stretch series. The truth is that the issue is due to a lack of active hip mobility.

The only way to correct these deficiencies is to combine both passive and active stretches for you hip rotators, adductors, and hamstrings.

I would not recommend adding more stretching to an already full training routine. Rather I would recommend possibly replacing one running session with a dedicated stretch session. As a result, your performance in all other areas will increase.

I understand this may seem like a hinderance at first, but if you want to progress your physical abilities stretching is a must. Not an option.

Hi @PAUL DALY,

Before everything else, why did it take you 6 months just to work through PE1?

You know you have tight hamstrings , hips and calves and posterior chain tightness then you need to stretch more. Yes you need to put more hours. Yes you should continue doing your best on doing those straddle ups. (the best form that you can for the moment)

Saying you have 4 hours to run per week and martial arts 9 hours per week means you definitely need to stretch more because this will probably be the cause of added tightness in the body.

 

Leo, I definitely could have gotten through PE1 quicker. I did the first time through. But I felt like I rushed. 

So i did the OPPOSITE. I went right back to the very beginning, and progressed one rep per work out. e.g. 3x3, 1x4 and 2x3, 2x4 and 1x3, 3x4, etc.

So I'm very confident I have PE1 down. I just don't think it helps with my particular issue with PE2. 

I like the suggestion to struggle through the straddle ups while working on the mobility. 

I don't know that I've ever had good mobility in my posterior chain, tbh. even as a kid!

Mikey, i appreciate it. I guess I could skip a run per week. 

if you had to pick -- front split or middle, which would you do? I assume middle because it is the motion in straddle ups. 

How should I work on this as I address my mobility?

In other words, should I go as far as I can with straight legs? Or get as much as I can even if my legs bend at the knees?

Also how many sets and Reps should I do while my form is off? Just stick with the lowest level and keep clicking fine until I can do it correctly?

Thanks

On 10/24/2017 at 9:14 AM, PAUL DALY said:

Mikey, i appreciate it. I guess I could skip a run per week. 

if you had to pick -- front split or middle, which would you do? I assume middle because it is the motion in straddle ups. 

 

 

 

I would recommend alternating between front and middle split each week. This will help improve your recovery from all that you do.

You will be surprised at how the stretch series can make all your other activities easier.

On 10/24/2017 at 9:14 AM, PAUL DALY said:

if you had to pick -- front split or middle, which would you do? I assume middle because it is the motion in straddle ups. 

Actually, if I would be you, at this state of fitness/tightness, I would do both Front and Middle… each one is 45 minutes… so it's 1.5 hours total. You are already willing to "eliminate" one hour of running to stretch (that's great!) so I would find those extra  30 minutes… If you chose to take it from running, maybe you could do sprints for 30 minutes instead of one hour of running and boom, you get the intensity and save some time… I believe that you will be truly impressed how much the stretch series will help you, and eventually even your running (through better running mechanics thanks to better hip mobility) will improve.