Hey all,
In another life (read: 5 to 6 years ago) I was active enough in sports to be able to stand with my feet together, bend over, and touch the ground up to th 3rd knuckle on my hands. I could also kick above my head on both legs, so I was pretty satisfied with my level of functional flexibility. Since I got out of college, into the military, and now moved on, I have gone through cycles of physical fitness. Most recently I’ve gone heavily into weightlifting (my first love) with some conditioning work added in (a la 5/3/1). But, I have noticed that my flexibility is completely shot. I can’t touch my toes from a standing or seated-pike position without really forcing the issue. There is a real tightness in the inside of my knees when I stretch my legs laterally, too. I think that my lack of use (compared to what it used to be) have contributed to my decreasing flexibility, but I’m wondering if there are other, simple factors that can contribute? Example - I sit cross-legged (indian style) a lot, for extended periods of time. I figured this could reduce elasticity of my muscles, but that’s a totally unqualified assumption.
I want to get back to a comfortable level of flexibility in my training, so I am going to be stretching statically once per day, and dynamically once per day as well (except on days when I don’t lift, that will be static 2x). Has anyone attempted to increase flexibility this way? Thanks!