A Tying Yourself Into A Pretzel Level Of Flexibility...Maybe!
Getting yourself flexible enough to go into pretzel position is possible, but just continuing to progress your range of motion is a big big plus in your training. Chances are if you keep at it you may even get a position with Cirque Du Soleil. Well maybe not, but it would be cool if you did. Nonetheless, I am going to go over some cool ways to help you increase your range of motion (ROM).
Flexibility Is...
Flexibility is simply a measure of your range of motion (ROM). There are a number of factors that play into to increasing that range of motion and I'm going to address a few right here today. I admit that the act of stretching does seem time consuming and about as exciting as eating grass, but it is the mind numbing act of doing it that will lead to a lot of excitement with your training later on! So just bear with me my friend.
First of all, stretching exercises are great to do both before and after training. You basically have many different methods to stretch and to increase the ROM of a muscle. For instance, you can engage in a static stretch which involves you holding the end position for at least 30 seconds. A static stretch such as with stretching your hamstrings can be either passive or active. If you are engaging in an active stretch of your hamstrings then you are creating the force to hold your body at the end position for the duration of the exercise. So if you are sitting and touching your toes you are creating the constant effort to hold this position.
On the other hand the static stretch can also be passive. A passive stretch is where you utilize an outside source as a means to create the necessary force in order to hold the stretch. This would be done with either a partner holding your leg for a hamstring stretch or by some type of stretching machine that would provide you with this mechanical force. Both the static and passive styles are wonderful ways to increase your ROM so that you can throw some heavy ass iron around in the gym.
Using A Tennis Ball As Another Means To Help ROM...
Another means to help with your ROM is by engaging in myofascial release. This is where you simply apply a gentle sustainable pressure to the fascial tissue in order to restore mobility and function and to alleviate pain. Fascia is simply the connective tissue that envelopes muscle and connects other soft tissues of the body. Whenever you hammer out a killer set ofkettlebell swings or endure a difficult strength training session then fascia can become knotted and inflamed. You may recognize this as being a trigger point on a certain area of your body. These trigger points are painful, sore, and inhibit motion. This is where you can utilize something as simple as a tennis ball by placing it on and around the area of trouble to roll out and lengthen the tissue! It may get a scream or two out of you from the release, but scream away. Who said John McEnroe had to do all the screaming with the tennis ball?
Foam Rolling...
Foam rolling is another great means to iron out the kinks in those grooves of your muscles and joints. All you need to do is grab a foam roller and sit on it. From there just roll back and forth until you find those trigger points. The more pain the better! One way that I do this and the way I teach my students is by starting with more of your weight distributed on one leg. For instance, let's say I'm looking to roll out my left leg. I want to start at the hip and roll out the glute down the hamstring to the back of the knee. From here imagine hitting all sides of the cylinder (your upper leg) as you roll. Gradually start turning your body rolling out from the hip to the knee around the cylinder until you are rolling out your thigh! Observe this killer video of me demonstrating this below. It has a whopping 5 views on youtube already!
Please feel free to hit the Like button and share this on Facebook and Twitter with your friends and family. It is obviously an action packed demonstration. Anyway, you may have noticed what I was talking about in terms of working around the cylinder. I like stressing more on one side because of the added pressure of the roller to the area I'm trying to manipulate. You may have also observed me using a stacking technique by placing both legs on top of each other for added pressure when I was hitting the IT-band. Just remember that when you foam roll or utilize the awesome power of the tennis ball to stretch the area first and then to apply pressure. This was also noticeable in the video by me keeping my leg straight when rolling the hamstring to working on flexing my knee in order to hit my quadricep (thigh).
All in all I thought this was a super exciting action packed post on flexibility and ROM. I hope you are as excited as I am about it. Nonetheless, the benefits will absolutely make for some exciting results in your training. If you want more cool tips like this and some killer FREE stuff to go with it then sign up for my emailing list right here for FREE! Remember that most anyone can train hard, but only the best train smart my friend.
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Now your youtube video has 6 views!
Man bro, you are trying to kill me. I have been avoiding that dang foam thing ever since I started training with you. I guess now since you put the subject out there I have to use it now. Or maybe I will just go find a tennis ball… a soft tennis ball… yeah, I like that idea better 