Difference between types of flexibility

I'm a noob in flexibility, and I've heard a lot of different types of flexibility. I am as flexible as a rock, and I wanted to start working on that problem. I just read a lot of words that don't make any sense to me, such as passive, active, static, dynamic, isometric flexibility. What are the most beneficial kinds of flexibility for my age and gymnastics? (18).

Thanks a lot!

3runMX said:

I'm a noob in flexibility, and I've heard a lot of different types of flexibility. I am as flexible as a rock, and I wanted to start working on that problem. I just read a lot of words that don't make any sense to me, such as passive, active, static, dynamic, isometric flexibility. What are the most beneficial kinds of flexibility for my age and gymnastics? (18).

Thanks a lot!

Hi, 3runMX.

This thread should explain a lot to you: http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums ... hp?t=85373

And a more kicking specific thread and article: http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums ... hp?t=89245

Hope that helps!

Patrick

Edit:

Another GREAT resource for you: http://www.trickstutorials.com/index.ph ... lexibility :!:

Wow thanks a lot man! I just finished reading the trickstutorials website and it's amazing. I understood everything but one thing. Maybe you could explain it to me. Jujimufu talks about Relaxed Stretching as a way of Static Passive Stretching right? But he says:

"For the splits, I would work each split ten minutes per day after a warmup, or as long as it takes to reach your maximal painless limit of motion without tension. Once reached, you'll benefit most from a 30 second hold. It takes more time, but it still works."

He also says: "It can take several minutes, but when you reach your maximal stretch - hold this position for thirty seconds."

I didn't get how to do this kind of stretch, could you give me an example? (I'm developing splits right now). What would be my "maximal painless limit of motion without tension" and why does it take several minutes to get there?

What I understood is simply stretch my splits until the maximum point where it does not hurts and maintain that position for 30 seconds, but what confused me was the "it can take several minutes" part.

Could anyone help please?

It is because usually you can immediately go to a point where some pain/tension will start but if you hold this for up to several minutes you will be able to go deeper. It is this deeper position that you then hold for 30s.

There isn't much to explain really. When you stretch, you will notice that as you are in the stretch it starts to feel like you can go further.

There are a few ways to accomplish this that are effective. Its helpful to realize that your muscles are composed of fibers that are stacked together and in stretching those fibers slide against each other. Think of a big pile of chopsticks bundled together. To contract a muscle the - pack all the chopsticks down / to stretch begin to pull them out, but so they remain in partial contact.

So its this sliding that is what is actually happening to your muscle fibers when they stretch. However the fibers don't want to slide as far as they can at first.

If you think if just one bundle of fibers its kind of like pulling a drawer out of a cabinet.

Now if the drawer were stuck you could just yank really hard on it, but common sense says that you might just break it. So instead you could give it a little pull, and then push it back in a bit, pull it further push it back in and so on until you've got the drawer out. With a drawer this would be very natural and you wouldn't think twice about how to do it.

Treat your muscles in a similar way. First a little stretch, back out a bit go further, listen for the release, back out a bit and so on. You will notice that as you hold the stretch just before the limit and repeat it will start to go deeper. Now this can easily take a few minutes.

To add a few more details, you can just stay just before your limit (let's call it your edge) and wait for the stretch a little more signal to come, or you can go to the brink for a second and come out. In fact as you go through this you will notice that you are in a sense doing it already, with micro movements.

To add to this protocol you could if you are conservative with your edge, for a moment or two, tense the muscle being stretched and release it, this is kind of like lining the drawer up and giving it a firm pull and the pushing it back in. After that you might find you can go further.

So we have done a static passive and static active form of relaxing into the stretch. And them by adding the tensing we move into a PNF, as that gets good, just hold the tensing pushing the legs into the floor and its an active static stretch, which is sort of the gold standard for gymnastic work, but usually we have to pass through the other stages with intelligence to get there.

3runMX said:

Wow thanks a lot man! I just finished reading the trickstutorials website and it's amazing. I understood everything but one thing. Maybe you could explain it to me. Jujimufu talks about Relaxed Stretching as a way of Static Passive Stretching right? But he says:

"For the splits, I would work each split ten minutes per day after a warmup, or as long as it takes to reach your maximal painless limit of motion without tension. Once reached, you'll benefit most from a 30 second hold. It takes more time, but it still works."

He also says: "It can take several minutes, but when you reach your maximal stretch - hold this position for thirty seconds."

I didn't get how to do this kind of stretch, could you give me an example? (I'm developing splits right now). What would be my "maximal painless limit of motion without tension" and why does it take several minutes to get there?

What I understood is simply stretch my splits until the maximum point where it does not hurts and maintain that position for 30 seconds, but what confused me was the "it can take several minutes" part.

Could anyone help please?

What he means is that in a given stretching session you will reach a point where you can not increase the stretch. Once your flexibility has not increased since the last stretch (or repetition), you know that you have reached your day's maximum stretch, and your flexibility will not increase any more for that day. Go down one last time and hold for 30 seconds to finish up for that session/particular stretch.

Ohhh I see, got it! haha. Thanks a lot Patrick. Thanks a lot to all of you guys!