j0407aar Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Can anybody give me any info about how to loosen my tight hamstrings the right way like is there a flexibility routine i should be doing ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Legrow Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 There are a couple of people who have said stuff about this type of thing. The long and short of it is you want to do hard stretching for 30 minutes one time a week. After 4 to 6 weeks make it two times a week. Its not fun sometimes. I couldn't tell a dffierence in mine for a while, but somebody (i can't remeber who) suggested that you do a couple sets of passive felxability before you do anything hard. Coach Sommer said once that when you do the 30 min stretching, it should be strenuous. After reading this, often after i am done stretching i am pretty sweaty. but yesterday i did a pike stretch sitting down and found i was able to extend my fingers a lot closer to my toes then before. All you can really do is be patient and listen to your body. If you stretch, the hamstring tightness will loosen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Chubb Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I have to say, I am not a huge fan of normal passive stretching. For me, stretching the muscles in the stretched position has made the best gains. Look up Coach's article on the weighted pike stretch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cole Dano Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 It seems that not everyone responds to any one type of stretching, and that a well rounded combination of methods is a good place to start from there you will start to see what works best for you.I'm now going far back in time and recalling what i did to open my hamstrings, and oddly enough it was similar to Coach Sommer's method of standing on a bench and holding it. However i would sit in pike position with a board and pull on it, having something for the legs to push against adds an active component.Now this is the yoga teacher in me talking, i firmly believe that this type of work should not be started until one can already flex the hips to at least 90 degrees. The reason for this being that it will go into the lower back. It is important in the long run to keep an active core as well. Many yoga teachers, including myself, began having problems with sacral instability due to being too passive in the core, which put a strain on the scrum and after years of doing that, it became unstable. Thankfully this is correctable, and by doing the stretch in an integrated way, my sacrum is now quite healthy, but its best to avoid the problem all together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quick Start Test Smith Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Slizzardman's single leg bent pike stretch really helps me. I've gained 6-10 inches of depth in a single session from doing tons of it. I haven't really been concentrating on flexibility, but it maintains and improves mine with barely any effort. I just stretch between upper body work sets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Chubb Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 It seems that not everyone responds to any one type of stretching, and that a well rounded combination of methods is a good place to start from there you will start to see what works best for you.Very true and I would definitely listen to Mr Brady on this as he has much more experience than me on it.I do actually use a combination of methods. I personally like to mix ones like the one I mentioned earlier with active stretching. I am experimenting with a sort of pre exhaustion kind of thing for flexibility. Similar to what bodybuilders to. So far it has worked well. It has been about 3 months and I have gotten a middle split, and I can put my foot behind my head now. I am also very close on my pancake, pike, and front splits. My point was more that I am not a fan of regular passive stretching. I would much rather strengthen with the stretch. Passive stretching almost makes me feel weaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cole Dano Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Passive stretching will temporarily weaken the muscle, but on the flip side for many the effects of the stretch are more long lasting, in other words you stay more limber, and there is considerably less DOMS.Another aspect of the passive stretching question is quite neglected. Passive stretching is a tonic for the nervous system, it's restorative, and though we forget it, it is worthwhile to incorporate restorative types of practice into the overall routine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Chubb Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Which is the exact reason that I ironically don't use it for flexibility and instead use it at night before bed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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