Hi. I was wondering if anyone had tips for gaining flexibility. I’ve been stretching consistenly using static stretches of at least 20 seconds twice daily for over 6 months, but I haven’t really noticed much increase in flexibility. It limits me on some motions I think, especially my hamstring tightness.
Any advice?
I don’t know if you’ve checked this out:
http://www.T-Nation.com/findArticle.do?article=05-085-training
And do a search for stretching. There’s quite a few articles on T-Nation on the subject.
[quote]mj1 wrote:
Hi. I was wondering if anyone had tips for gaining flexibility. I’ve been stretching consistently using static stretches of at least 20 seconds twice daily for over 6 months, but I haven’t really noticed much increase in flexibility. It limits me on some motions I think, especially my hamstring tightness.
Any advice?[/quote]
There are a number of variables here. How long is your warm up prior to stretching? How intense is your warm up? Is your stretching form correct? Are you choosing appropriate stretches for your target areas? Does your job / lifestyle counteract the results you are obtaining from stretching? Do you have injuries / structural issues which inhibit your stretching potential? Have you thought about increasing the time for each stretch? Are you giving the muscle time to overcome the myotatic stretch reflex? Have you tried other forms of stretching such as dynamic or PNF?
Ask your self some of these questions and if unsure of your answers do a little research to see how you can help yourself.
So with all that said I haven’t given some specific advice but hopefully it helps.
Guarddog.
Try Cressey and Robertson’s DVD Magnificent Mobility, it is good. If you want to learn more about flexibility then read “Stretching Scientifically” by Kurz