Alexis Solis Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Hey guys, I found this article, and I found it to be great!! Let me know what you guys think!Happy training, -Alexhttp://www.unique-bodyweight-exercises.com/splits.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quick Start Test Smith Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Very good article. Thank you for linking to it, Alex.The routines/instructions in the article can also be applied to the side split! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailor Venus Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 handy and very useful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikko Saks Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Haha this is just ridiculous! The last 15cm i have missed from my sidesplit just came out of somewhere after reading that article! I just waited for the relaxation and imegined that its easy to just sit my butt down on the floor, and after 2-3minutes it was there. Weird. Just weird, just sitting there, in a sidesplit..Thank you, thank you so much. I will get my frontsplits in NO TIME i can tell you that BTW: i was listening to Sigur Ros while stretching after my workout, i think that is actually what did it The soothing, relaxing sounds from Iceland.. just give it a try!rtemrZ7-pj0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwan Thomas Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cole Dano Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Mikko that's exactly why passive stretching is not bad. Nice that you got there.Sigur Ros is fantastic BTW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis Solis Posted April 2, 2012 Author Share Posted April 2, 2012 Haha this is just ridiculous! The last 15cm i have missed from my sidesplit just came out of somewhere after reading that article!Haha it's just awesome that the article could help you! I am so happy for you! I really envy you! I am like 30 or more cm away from the floor on either split! :shock: But as soon as this school term finishes... summer flexibility progam... here we go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marlon Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Maybe this sort of approach to flexibility training really does work for some people, but I really wish that articles like this always had some sort of disclaimer to go along with them. Anyone who is able to go from ground zero, never having stretched before, to being on the floor in their splits in just 6 weeks is a freak of nature. Some people really are genetically gifted, and possess high degrees of flexibility naturally, but those people are a very small minority. Take it from someone who tore their hamstring going too deep into a front split too quickly, the average person CANNOT train flexibility the way you train strength. Doing so is a recipe for getting yourself injured. That said, the techniques presented in that article are all good advice... When used in moderation... and slowly and carefully progressed into... Over the course of 6 months... Or a year... Or two. -It takes time and patience to develop flexibility. -You have a stretch reflex for a reason. -Pain is not a meaningless sensation that you can simply choose to ignore without consequence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cole Dano Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Great post Marlon, I totally agree with you on this.Particularly with any assisted or force stretching, sometimes the injury will occur before pain is felt in the first place. Another reason I remain a fan of passive stretching first, then active. It's much less likely you will hurt yourself that way.Now, the only thing I'm not sure I agree with is that building strength is faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward Smith Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 I would actually say in a sense stretching should be pursued more like strength work, in terms of being more progressive and allowing adaptation to occur, gradual increase in volume/intensity/frequency.Cole,I believe active stretching should start from day one, as I believe in a sense the opposite to what you have stated (this is not to disregard your opinion, I respect your input and experience alot), passive before active.Let me explain my view of what accounts for active stretching. I do NOT believe it is just stretching that uses the antagonist muscle to pull the agonist muscle into a stretch (think a standing leg lift, your using your hip flexors to move your hamstrings into a stretched position), I I believe it also involves any stretches where the muscle is under significant load AND trying to resist that load (like Coach Sommer's power splits on the rings or korean dips both cases it is the muscles being placed in a stretched position that are doing the work).I feel the problem with just about every stretching program is the don't build any structural integrity before they begin (or even when) they start doing intense stretching. The most easily seen example of this is with side splits, because the leverage, significant load of the torso on top and quite novel position (the abbductors aren't usually used in such a way in everyday life). This is why it is such a common stretche for people to injure themselves on (especially when done in a PNF fashion). Exercises like the power splits on rings should be done from the start (of course starting lightly and progressively increasing ROM and volume) to build some integrity within the joints and muscles so when it comes time the muscles can be stretched intensely but safely. Of course the less novel the movements, the less specific preparation we have to do before beginning intense stretching. My main point I would like to get through here is that, just because you're quite flexible and/or having stretching for a while does NOT necessarily mean your ready for intense/intenser stretching.Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cole Dano Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Sure EdX, the examples you give are very very good, for one reason they are self limiting (at least for a reasonably intelligent person). A trainees strength will naturally limit how far they will go into those movements. Absolutely one needs to build integrity along with flexibility. These movements almost certainly will have a smaller ROM than the trainees passive ability in a similar position. And the distinction between them being flexibility work and strength work is vague to say the least.I would still want to have some passive experience with those movements before I tried to take them deeper with the active. Some idea of where my limits were. But that's coming from a yoga background and seeing lots of needless injuries over the years. So what I mean by passive first, is that the passive work should be ahead of the active, so the active has some mindfulness in it. In either case, muscular integrity needs to be built in as part of the overall system. That's all taken care of by insuring trainees use full ROM and tempo in their strength work. Which links it to the flexibility work. In the same way, with this muscular intelligence, quality passive work, will not mean laying there like overcooked spaghetti, the body will hold structure and use muscular control to get their. The main thought being it's not forced, there is an interplay between effort and release.Of course that's one problem with all these terms in flexibility, they aren't all or nothing, it's usually a blend of the various modes that's going on.The main point being in response to the OPs post, splits in six weeks? Really? Things need to be done progressively and methodically be they strength or flexibility or knitting. Who knows how long it will take? One thing for sure, over forcing in any case will lead to injury (or an ill fitting sweater). Constantly seeing passive work being put down is IMHO a mistake, there is a ton of value in it, but it's part of an overall method, not the whole thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikko Saks Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Take it from someone who tore their hamstring going too deep into a front split too quickly, the average person CANNOT train flexibility the way you train strength. Doing so is a recipe for getting yourself injured. That said, the techniques presented in that article are all good advice... When used in moderation... and slowly and carefully progressed into... Over the course of 6 months... Or a year... Or two.I think that happened to me also some time ago in a pancake stretch with my left hamstring. After it happened, it was very hard to stretch the left leg at all for a few weeks and getting back the flexibility was quite frustrating and limited my training for over a month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felipe Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 I'm very slowly getting the side split (quite uncostant in my training), I'm at the point I can feel both the shin touching the ground.What I know is, having that position without control is totally worthless, so isometrics are the way to develop both flexibility and strength.I just do 3-5 sets of 20-40 secs of strong contractions. 2-3 mins of pause.I tried longer contraction but I dont feel them very helpful.Shoes are necessary or you will put too much pressure on the ankles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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