#flexibility tips

[matboard]

Mastering Flexibility and Mobility: Your Ultimate Guide to a More Agile You

More than ever, flexibility and mobility are essential in the fast-paced world of today. They are necessary for everyone who want to move…

[youknowyoureadancerwhen]

Hello friends! How is everyone today? Welcome to Day 6! We are almost at the end of Week 1, how does it feel? Have you been consistent?

Today we’ll be talking about isometric stretching and PNF stretching aka the most effective way to increase flexibility.

What is Isometric Stretching? It is a type of static stretching (so not leg swings) which involves tensing stretched muscles. Isometric stretching is the fastest way to increase static-passive flexibility (i.e. it’s not aimed at getting your kicks higher, but your splits deeper).

The proper way to perform an isometric stretch:

Get into your stretch position - your front split, middle splits, tilt hold etc

Now I want you to figure out what muscle is being stretched and tense it for 7-15 seconds. So for me when I am performing my middle splits, the muscle being stretched are my inner thighs (I’m extremely tight there) - So I am going to contract/squeeze those muscles for 7-15 seconds.

Relax the muscle for at least 20 seconds.

Now I am going to explain to you about PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) stretching. This is said to be the quickest way to get flexible. Here is the proper way to perform the safest PNF stretch:

Get into your stretch and hold for a few seconds.

Perform your isometric stretch i.e. contract the stretched muscle for 7-15 seconds. 

After you cannot contract any longer, push further into the stretch. 

Example for middle splits:

1. I get into my middle splits using the wall.

2. I contract my inner thigh muscles, flex my hamstrings and calve muscles for 7-15 seconds.

3. After I cannot hold the contraction any longer, I will release and push myself further against the wall.

You can perform PNF stretching 3-5 times with a 20 second rest in between. Also note, PNF stretching is very taxing on the muscles and should not be performed more than once a day, preferably once every two days.

Your daily task:

Just one today; try out isometric and PNF stretching with your regular stretching routine. Ease into it, you don’t want to injure yourself.

I want you to go easy (not too easy) today and tomorrow. Day 8 is where we get serious. See you soon! xoxo

[youknowyoureadancerwhen]

Hey there dancers! How was Day 2?

I hope you held you stretches for a total of 90 seconds - you’ll be see improvements soon. I made my way to a gym yesterday, and got some nice before shots for my middle splits. 

My topic for today is technique.

If you need to sickle, mis-align your hips and shoulders (aka not be square), lose your posture and turnout to get further down in your splits, get your leg higher etc - that’s basically useless. I know not all dances or sports have the same technique requirements as ballet, so follow the technique in your art. 

In ballet, remember in middle splits your legs must be turned out (top of feet should face towards ceiling or behind you), however in many martial arts the top of the feet face the wall in front of you - keep your technique. 

Your daily tasks:

Make sure you warm up again. The general warm-up followed by specific warm-up. Look at this post if you don’t know what I’m talking about.

Keep your technique. In middle splits I like to make sure my hips and shoulders are square, my legs are turned out, and I’m sitting up straight. 

Remember to stretch for a total 90 seconds for each pose. 

Try secondary stretches too. Front splits require flexibility in the hamstrings, quads, back, glutes, and hips. Middle splits require flexibility in inner thighs, hams, glutes etc. - figure out what muscles need to be flexible for you - and stretch those separately as well as stretching for your final pose. 

Let me know what stretches you are working towards and I’ll customise a plan for you in a later post! See you guys tomorrow!

[youknowyoureadancerwhen]

Welcome to Day 1 of YKYADW’s April Stretch Challenge. Did you know that there is so much research on the best ways to achieve flexibility quickly? I’ve been doing lots of readings and compiled a few tips and tricks so you can get the most out of this month!

Firstly, to achieve our goals - I am going to talk to you a little bit about how to stretch. There is a general method that goes: warm-up, stretches, cool down. Throughout the next few days I am going to break these down for you.

For Day 1, we’re going to be looking at “warming-up”. There’s actually two steps to warming up..

1. General Warm Up: This is the first thing you should be thinking about. Get the heart pumping (lightly) and blood flowing. Warm up for at least five minutes if not more. My favourite exercises are jogging in place, jumping jacks, high knees and small joint rotations (circle the arms, knees, neck).

2. Specific Warm Up: After your general warm up, ask yourself what part of your body you are going to work on. This is where we introduce the first type of stretching: dynamic stretching. For example, since I’m working on my middle/straddle splits (this requires legs, hips and glutes), I’ll be warming up with grande battements (mainly in second), hip openers, and some dynamic glute stretches. If you don’t know what dynamic stretches you should be doing, ask me here and I’ll try to help you out.

So your tasks for today:

Take your first progress pic. You don’t have to upload this, but take one because it will be cool to look back on!

Try the warm up routine I’ve suggested above; a general warm up, followed by specific warm up.

Stretch for 90 seconds. Do this in 2 sets of 45 seconds each - but if you can’t hold it for that long, work your way up to it - just make sure you are stretching for a total 90 seconds (I’ll explain the reasoning behind this in a later post!)

I’m by no means a flexibility professional/doctor - just a fellow dancer that reads books and articles. These are just some tips, and by no means do you have to follow them.

If you have any questions, drop them here. See you guys tomorrow!

[gemgirl96things]

My Stretching Motto

Never waste a warm up!

[blackandwhiteflexibility]

Like this post if you want me to start posting flexibility/stretching tips, tricks, routines, etc.

I've been getting a bunch of inboxes asking for tips on getting things like middle splits or scorpions and just questions about my everyday routine and helpful stretches.

If you guys are interested, I can start posting stuff like this too :)

[nightingalemary]

Don't go into the pain cave

Scientific studies show that people who were instructed not to show their feelings of anger or disgust felt less so, and people who were told to smile felt better than those who kept a neutral expressions. The way we express feelings are closely linked to how we feel internally and it goes both ways.

I was attending a stretching class by Annie, an amazing and knowledgeable instructor in Playa Del Carmel, Mexico. After thorough warm up the first split we attempted was the middle split. Of all my flexibility shortcomings, hip openness is by far the biggest. When I descended down to my middle split, Annie came over to push me further but I exclaimed in pain and gave up immediately. I could tell that her trust in my mental ability to take any kind of pushing sank faster than a stone. But I wanted her to push me, that’s what I came for, however from that point on I had to reassure her to do it each time anew.

I’m a huge fan of Chuck Palahniuk’s work, but it was Kelly Starrett who introduced me to this quote from Fight Club in his video of the Couch Stretch. Don’t go into the pain cave, he said there, your totem animal won’t be there. Meaning expressing your pain is counterproductive. You want to stretch despite the pain, expressing it only feeds these feelings that you should stop instead of letting you push yourself further down. I took his advice to heart, and it probably let me to benefit more from this stretch.

Next came the side splits. Annie came over to align my hips correctly, push them down and bend my back leg. By the time she was done I was crying out in agony and it hurt like a bitch. You can’t tense up when stretching, she told me, you need to relax and breath. Deepen the stretch on every out-breath. I decided to make a mental exercise and show no pain no matter how much I feel it, on the last split I got. Annie did the same, realigning, deepening and bending my leg. I remained as calm and held as much of a poker face as I could. Before I knew it she was done bend my back leg all the way. It didn't hurt as badly.

When you stretch you are going to feel pain no matter what, she told me, but the pain doesn't really get worse when you do push yourself through it, it’s just your body freaking out and sending you distress signals. You have to relax, breath and ignore them. If you are able to push through you will find the true limit of your body, where you can’t push anymore without risking injury. You’ll feel it, you’ll know the difference. But that initial pain? all in the head. So instead of letting it take over you, you need to put it in a box and stash it away.

I needed her so much at this point in my life.

Thank you.