While reading an article on BB.com, (By our own Jeremy Likness), i saw a picture of Ronnie Coleman At The 2003 Mr. Olympia contest. Now i dont want to look like this guy, he was massive, but he was doing almost full spilts !!!!! Full leg splits !!! Now thats truely amazing, for a guy that big to do full splits takes some doing! Id always thought of body builders as muscle bound. Obviously not !!!

This lead me to read up on strecthing and improving muscle flexability, and it turns out that increasing muscle flexability has major benifits !!!

Now i strech before and after weight lifting, but not properly. Im sure many of you dont stretch properly either. A few arms behind the head and foot behind your arse and your done. But if we stretch properly, we could.

1) Improve and increase our ROM, leading to better form and thus better strength gains :claphigh:

2) Improve the strength of our tendons and joints, leading to less injurys. :claplow:

3) Better definition and shape :claplow:

4) Being at a party and being able to perform full splits as your "Party piece" :jumping:

Just to name a few!!!

So this is to become my new goal. Improved flexibilty, which in turn will improve all my other areas, and eventually lead to full leg splits ! ;) I have searched the forums and found nothing on this topic, which leads me to believe that most people dont consider streching as a part of weight training. Ok, you may strech as part of your warm up, but im talking an actual streching session !!!

So, my question is, who knows a good streching routine that will greatly improve my flexability levels? Something yoga based maybe? What about streching tecnique? Static? Bouncing? Hold strech for 10, then increase strech and repeat? Whats your ideas?

Come on guys, i cant see this issue has ever been discussed. Do any of you have a streching session that u aint mentioned? Jeremy, as you posted the pic of Ronnie Coleman At The 2003 Mr. Olympia, maybe you know how he trains in this area? John, do you regularily stretch?

All feedback will be appreciated.

:tucool:

I love streching I think it makes my muscles feel really good afterwards. We need a MAX-Strech workout! I'd love to be able to do the splits (don't know why, but I know not many can) :spaz:

Jeremy posted this link in another thread
Lazy Man's Guide to Stretching (http://www.t-mag.com/html/body_89lazy.html)

I will definitely try it out.

Cheers for the link. However, im not after the lazy mans guide. Im after a proper program that starts small like those in the link, and works up to advanced stretchs !

Maybe we should invent the JOHN STONE FORUM STRETCH PROGRAM !

We could research methods used in Martial Arts, Yoga and Gymnastics and combine the three to create our own.

I know that martial arts people have special stretchs to help with high kicks etc. I know Yoga involves stretchs and i know for damn sure that Gymnasts are flexable ! ;) Is there no one who does any of these that can help create the JSF STRETCH PROGRAM????? Dont make me PM you all !!!! ;)

This might be a good starting place -- an extremely comprehensive overview of stretching ideas and techniques.

http://www.cmcrossroads.com/bradapp/docs/rec/stretching/

I recently looked around the web for some real guides to stretching and didn't really come up with much. I went over to amazon.com and ordered a couple of books. One is called "Stretch and Strengthen" and the other is "Total Stretch". They both cover basic information about the different types of stretches and have several different stretching routines in them. I haven't received the books yet, but I can keep you posted once I get them.

Gymraub: Have only had a very quick glance as im in work, but that looks like the stuff im after !!!

I like the fact that there is a chapter on "Working towards the splits !" ;)

As well as the fact its written by someone with dancing and martial arts training ! Ill get back 2 u on it.

THANKS !!!!! :tu:

Teriliel: Definately let me know about the books mate.

Still after anyone with Yoga / Gymnastics experiance???

Still after anyone with Yoga / Gymnastics experiance???

Do I count?

I was in gymnastics as a kid. Stretching was probably my strong part of the sport, because I'm a bit of a chicken, and not competitive at all. I could do the splits, and with my legs straddled in front of me, I could put my chest to the floor. But that was 22 years ago, sigh!

I LOVE stretching. It makes me feel so good. If I can't sleep at night, I just get up and stretch.

My favorite bedtime stretch is to lie on my side and bring my leg up high in the air, and hold it there for a minute or a few minutes, then point and flex for a while, then turn over and do the other side. When my aerobics instructor does this with the class, we do it on our back, not on our side. To get a deeper stretch, pull the leg toward you with your hand, while resisting with the leg for about 10 seconds, then release the resistance.

I like the straddle stretch too. Put your legs in front in a v shape. Reach arms up as high as you can go, then bend at the waist until you can't go any farther. Drop the head and neck, then hold for a minute or so. Repeat over each leg.

I have definitely become more flexible in the last two months. I have not increased my stretching, but have increased cardio, and started lifting weights, and I'm eating better food.

So I'm more flexible either because I'm thinner, I've got more muscle, or I've got healthier circulation

I think u definately count !!!!

So is there a routine you can let me know about, maybe something they used to do during your gymnastics classes? Or a particular general tequnique?

Sounds to me like you know about this kinda thing. And is it wrong that all this talk of bedtime flexability is making you sound hot ! ;) hehe

Sounds to me like you know about this kinda thing. And is it wrong that all this talk of bedtime flexability is making you sound hot ! ;) hehe

Ah, it must be spring! All these drooling men around....

Number one benefit to increased flexibility - better sleep.

Number two benefit to increased flexibility - better sex.

Ah, it must be spring! All these drooling men around....

Number one benefit to increased flexibility - better sleep.

Number two benefit to increased flexibility - better sex.
In the eyes of men on women, number two would be number one and number two would be number two.

I like the link that M3kamikaze provided in the other thread

Working Towards Splits (http://www.ifafitness.com/stretch/stretch7.htm)

In the eyes of men on women, number two would be number one and number two would be number two.

Haha, damn right. :nod:

Watched the Matrix Revolutions last night and they were talking about increasing flexability in the 'extras' on the DVD. They would push sandbags into the actors lower backs until they cracked to allow them to kick higher ! Sounds like a mean tequnique to me. :eek:

I'm a martial artist and I can almost do front splits. I've made a lot of progress in the past two months because of this book: Stretching Scientifically by Thomas Kurz.

Here is a website that has a lot of his articles: http://www.stadion.com/column.html

Front splits require flexible quads and hamstrings. Think about it, when you're in the split position, the quad of one leg is fully stretched while the hamstring of the other is fully stretched.

Some stretching info: Hold each stretch for at least a minute. 10 or 15 seconds will warm a muscle up but it will do nothing to lengthen it. While stretching, flex the muscle you're stretching for 30 secs. relax, lower the stretch and flex again. You should be able to increase your flexibility almost on a daily basis.

Hope this helps.

Excellent. I got info from Gymnastics, Martial Arts and Dance !

Cheers guys. :tucool:

Just gonna do some research on Yoga streches and gather some reading, then im gonna read like hell, take the best principles from each and create an all round stretch and flexibility program.

Ill keep u posted.

Cheers for the link AMR. In actual fact, there is a link further up this thread to a stetching program which is based partly on that very author and even parts of that book. :tu:

Our college cross country coach handed us some stats on flexibility....

It said if you increase your stride by 1 inch, every step, for a 5K...you'll improve your time by roughly 1 minute.

When I was younger I was in karate class and we had 20 minutes of stretching before class. Each stretch was held about 2 minutes.

After a few months I could do the V stretch (sit on the floor and spread your legs apart and lean forward) and put my entire arms on the floor, and touch my chin on the floor.

Would be nice to be that flexible again, but after a minor back surgery my back is a little tight, so it's gonna take a while.

-niko

I used to be pretty flexible, I could do a center split between chairs...
I'm still good at dynamic stretching, I can get my leg vertical if I swing it straight up (AFTER warming up!!!!!!!)

I remember when I was 12, I was at a taekwondo picnic with my instructor. He went to one of his friends (another instructor) - I jumped up and landed in a front split. He said to his friend, "What can YOUR yellow belts do?" :)

I have been doing Yoga for a couple of years now and this does increase my flexibility. Initially, I could not do a lot of those postures as those requires flexibility. But I am hardworking enough to practice it at home and gradually, i was able to improve my flexibility ! I think its Practice makes Perfect !

You can do some search on www.yogajournal.com and there are a lot of postures for beginners. You can try them our and incorporate those simple ones into your stretching session before u weight lift.
But personally, I feel the best effect is to do 1 full hour of Yoga and you can really feel the stretch the next day !


Hope this helps ! ;)

Cheers mate.

Actually, when i have a bit more time on my hands, im going to take up yoga at a local class.

Thanks for the link, mate, some of those are tough !!! :nod: