Stretching

Does anyone have a stretching routine to complement the strength training? I come from a weight training background and have found my flexability to be pretty poor, especially in the hamstrings and shoulders ( actually its pretty poor everywhere). I have ditched the weights and have been following a gymnastic programme for around 6 months and i am really enjoying it. I have had good strength and skill gains, and have also become more flexible, but i feel that some dedicated stretching might benefit my programme, and reduce some of the wee niggling injuries i have been picking up.

My stretch routine is based in my kung fu class, so I think that I can't tell you upon I have the permission of mi master...

Before that, I had a very simple routine: stretching with the toes together, stretch the cuadriceps, against a wall, opening your legs... the very basics.

well one of the common misconceptions that people have is that developing flexibility is done purely through stretching. There are many components needed to develop successful flexibility. The biggest gains in passive flexibility will be made be made through isometric and resistance work, hence flexibility is not a seperate entity from strength training.

If you are beginning though, some basic stretching will do fine in improving your flexibility and you can worry about all the other components later (active, dynamic etc), once your joints are a little bit more mobile. Stretch at the end of your warmup (at least 10 min, which should include some dynamic joint work) for 5-10s holds and at the end of your workout for as long as you feel neccessary (depends on your own goals). You can also do stretching sessions whenever you want - a few times a week is more than enough if you are only looking at moderate levels (ie. not contortion ). Here's a basic full body stretch, google and youtube will help you. If you still don't know I will explain. this is basic passive flexibility, using your hands or furniture or whatever to move the joints. Skip out on the splits, bridges and standing back bends as that is beyond most people. Oh and you don't have to do everything every time.

neck flex /extend (up down)

neck rotation (side to side)

neck lateral (side) bend

nick lateral bend and rotate out

wrist flex / extend

wrist circles

bicep stretch in doorway

tricep stretch

chest stretch in doorway

overhead shoulder stretch

arm across body

shoulder opening

lying shoulder extension (like skin the cat on the ground)

foot flex/extend

ankle flex/ extend

ankle circles

achilles stretch

calf stretch

lunge

butterfly

frog

glute stretch

hamstring

lunge again (can never do enough hip flexor stretching)

pike sequence

straddle sequence

pigeon

front split

side split

cat

seal / cobra

camel

bridge

standing forward curl (neck down, round chest forward)

standing backward curl (neck back, push chest out)

standing lateral bend

standing frontbend (similar as above but bend at hips)

standing back bend (similar as above but push hips and lower back forward as well)

For shoulder flexibility try Coach's wall extensions: http://gymnasticbodies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6653

For hams, quads and the general pelvic area including the IT band I like the following:

• 
  [*:3p23p55u]low lunge
  [*:3p23p55u]hurdle split stretch
  [*:3p23p55u]lizard pose
  [*:3p23p55u]half split

See more details here: http://gymnasticbodies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2895#p19783

See http://stadion.com for Thomas Kurz's tapes and books on proper flexibility training. I personally advise you to get "Stretching Scientifically" because it lists stretches for the entire body, rather then concentrating purely on the splits. 8)

You may care to visit my site http://KitLaughlin.com and have a look at the way we stretch there, too. I am very familiar with Thomas Kurz's work, but feel that our work extends his in important ways, and we have been doing it for even longer than him, too.

I differ from many in the stretching (and Yoga) world by suggesting that finding one's tightest parts and concentrating on these tends to have a whole-body unlocking effect, and is thereby the most efficient approach (in terms of results gained for time spent). And there are muscles (often small) that can limit hamstring flexibility by restricting nerve movement though tissues. Let me illustrate:

For the majority of athletes (including dancers and gymnasts), the hip flexors ("HFs", or rectus femoris, psoas, iliacus) are the main limiters of extension at the hip. This has a number of consequences: the first is an anterior pelvis tilt; the second is that additional extension tension is required in the thoracic and other spinal muscles simply to keep any desired alignment, which means unnecessary trunk tension. The third is that, if the HFs are tight, gluteus maximus will be inhibited in the crucial hip extension phase of the leg's range of movement (as in running, or jumping). One consequence of this is pulled hamstrings: rectus femoris in particular can be used to extend the hip in the absence of gluteus maximus' contribution (this is reciprocally inhibited by tight HFs, in that part of the ROM when they start to experience stretch).

Commonly, gymnasts and dancers can sit in front splits because of very loose hamstrings—but if you look closely, you will see a massive anterior tilt in the pelvis, and a strong hyperextension in the lumbar spine (not to mention that the hips will be well out of square). Loosening the HFs can benefit all of the above—but they are hard to isolate, just because the body has so many ways to escape the demand. I will be posting a YouTube clip in the next week showing how we do it; hth.

[later]: I got on to this today; here is a medium-level hip flexor stretch:

Re. muscles that limit nerve excursion: piriformis is the most common culprit. As well (talking about forward bending now) many people don't know how much the calf muscles (gastrocnemius, though, usually, rather than soleus) limit flexion at the hip joint. If, when you try a max. forward bend, you feel the restriction in the hip, or outside/top of the back of the leg, suspect piriformis. If, OTOH, you feel the restriction behind the knee (or back of the lower leg), suspect gastroc. Do a specific stretch for either of both of these and retry your forward bend—and prepare to be amazed at the improvement. When I give public seminars at fitness/health expos, I always ask for the guy with the tightest hamstrings to come forward, and we have always been able to help them touch their toes within 10 minutes or so, and often without stretching their hamstrings. Straight-leg hamstring stretches are the least effective methods for increasing hammie flexibility, too, BTW; I will expand on this in another post if there is interest.

Anyway, that's probably too many words for a single post. I am going to attend Coach's September three day workshop, and I hope I can meet some of you there.

One last critical point: in our work we distinguish between "stretching" (an activity that takes the limb into new range of movement, or ROM) and "limbering" (getting yesterday's flexibility back).

Stretching one's problem area (like front or side splits) is best done intensively, but once a week. You will be sore if you can take these large muscles into a new ROM, and you can't stretch sore muscles effectively. I recommend doing one's big stretches after a strength workout, and after adding layers to keep the heat in. Limbering, on the other hand, can be done any time. Can expand if there's interest. cheers to all, kl

Thanks lads. A lot of good info there, i will get reading