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Thread: Flexibility help...

  1. #1
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    Default Flexibility help...

    what is it that I can do to increase my flexibility--other than basic stretches of course; I guess I am asking for less conventional methods, maybe little tricks any of you have?

    Thanks in advance.
    Mehdi Ben
    BBT

  2. #2
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    The most important thing I can say, based on my personal experience in Budo and as a massage therapist, is don't try to stretch cold muscles. Many martial arts teachers try to use stretching as a "warm up" when it should actually be used as a "cool down."

    Second, don't do "ballistic" stretching. Bouncing into a stretch my help reach a goal, like touching the toes, but can actually cause a loss of flexibility over time because it can cause microtearing of the muscle fibers, and those tears are replaced with scar tissue rather than new muscle.

    Learning what actions specific muscles do can help in learning proper stretching, because you'll learn to position yourself so that the muscle you're trying to stretch isn't firing. For example, stretching the hamstrings (big muscles in the back of the upper legs) shouldn't be done by toe-touching from a standing position, because they'll be contracting to prevent you from falling over. It's better to do toe-touching from a sitting position, where the muscles in the front of the legs are firing and the muscles in back are relaxed.

    Concentrating on slow, steady stretching, and on how the muscle feels, rather than on an external goal such as finger-tips to toes or palms to the floor, is also important.

    To really get into the science of stretching, do a Web or library search on "PNF Stretching" and/or "Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation."

    HTH.
    Yours in Budo,
    ---Brian---

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    Almost forgot: drink lots -- LOTS -- of clean, pure water, and minimize caffeine consumption.
    Yours in Budo,
    ---Brian---

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    Thanks Brian. Very much appreciated.
    Mehdi Ben
    BBT

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    To improve flexibility:

    1. stretch for a few minutes every day (or more often)- after warming your muscles.
    2. PNF, as suggested by Brian is good, especially as it helps make your muscles stronger at the end of range (ie - when they are stretched) - in theory this should decrease injury.
    3. Become vegeterian - eating meat apparently leads to decreased flexibility.

    Few points to remember though.

    1. More flexibility does not necessarily mean less injury. In fact very inflexible and very flexible people suffer more injuries than people of average flexibility.
    2. How flexible you are is not only dictated by how stretchable your ligaments and muscles are. The shape of your bones and joints are also important and these cannot be changed.
    3. Even the stretchability of your muscles and ligaments are partially determined by genetics and you cannot change that.
    Robert Gassin
    Melbourne ShorinjiKempo Branch
    Australia

    "Never fight an idiot. He'll bring you down to his level and then beat you with experience"

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    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Owens View Post
    Almost forgot: drink lots -- LOTS -- of clean, pure water, and minimize caffeine consumption.
    Brian, what is the effect of caffeine on flexibility? I'm new to martial arts, and I do drink a lot of coffee.

    Thanks.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Seito-K View Post
    Brian, what is the effect of caffeine on flexibility?
    Caffeine increases urination, increasing renal excretion of water and sodium, which can have a negative effect on flexibility. Caffeine can also decrease perception of pain and stress in the muscles, which could result in over-stretching injuries. It can also cause vasoconstriction, decreasing blood flow in the extremities as well as causing high blood pressure.

    Drinking lots of water can replace the water lost to caffeine-induced diuresis, but can add further to loss of electrolytes, so it's especially important to be sure one is getting adequate levels through the diet or with supplementation.

    I should stress that I am not a doctor, nor a metabolic scientist; this is just my understanding of the effects based on my lower-level education in health sciences.
    Yours in Budo,
    ---Brian---

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    Thank you.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Owens View Post
    For example, stretching the hamstrings (big muscles in the back of the upper legs) shouldn't be done by toe-touching from a standing position, because they'll be contracting to prevent you from falling over. It's better to do toe-touching from a sitting position, where the muscles in the front of the legs are firing and the muscles in back are relaxed.
    NO WONDER. That explains a lot.
    Joseph Dostie

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    Quote Originally Posted by jdostie View Post
    NO WONDER. That explains a lot.
    Yeah, it's an interesting concept called reciprocal inhibition (not to be confused with the psychological concept of the same name).

    Here's a brief article: Reciprocal Inhibition Stretching
    Yours in Budo,
    ---Brian---

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