Stretching

**celticdragon03** · Posted On: 1/16/2005 5:12pm

Originally Posted by Liffguard

I just did! Way to go ignoring me, I'll just slink off into the corner and remind myself that I'm unpopular because I'm better than everyone. They're jealous! :crybaby2:

hehe I saw that one! :icon_wink any other suggestions?

**lifetime** · Posted On: 1/16/2005 8:03pm

You're a girl, yes?

No problem then you're flexible, you just don't know it yet.

(taken from that Southpark Episode Faith +1 btw)

No seriously, do a light warm up routine, which includes some dynamic stretching. A bit of running, some jumping or twisting, and if you want to do high kicks, some light leg stretches like low roundhouse kicks and back turning kicks, focusing on waking the muscles up.

You know you're ready to do your stretching routine when you're sweaty and out of breath. Do different kinds of toe touches while sitting, eg. one leg out one leg tucked in, one leg out one leg tucked behind you (so your leg and knee form an L shape), both legs apart to each side, and both legs together to the front.

If you're improving your general flexibility you want to be able to touch your forehead to your knee, no matter what position your legs are in. Side splits are relatively easy for girls to achieve anyway, so no issues there. Front splits, no idea yet. You find an easy way to do it, let me know. General warmup stretching means each position should be held for about 5-10 seconds. Improving your flexibility through stretching means staying in that position for longer, maybe 15-20 seconds.

**Can Chaser** · Posted On: 1/17/2005 1:07am

Lifetime, babe, you're still undershooting. Or, maybe I'm a nazi. Either or. 45 seconds at the absolute, positive minimum. 2 minutes is optimum.

"Stretch and strength for young riders, vaulters, and mice" by Jutta and Hanna Weimers is a superb book, with a bonus of a bunch of calisthenics that you can make scads of variations on to suit your own needs. I highly recommend it, and I got it from my vaulting coach.

**lifetime** · Posted On: 1/17/2005 1:25am

Right, I sort of didn't mention that I do stretches in quick sets or repetitions. That just seems to work for me; 2 minutes in a split sounds excruciating.

**Can Chaser** · Posted On: 1/17/2005 1:42am

That's the general idea. Think through what getting more flexible entails in the way or making muscles and tendons and the like able to go farther.

I can easily waste 45 minutes with developmental stretching.

**celticdragon03** · Posted On: 1/17/2005 7:55pm

Great imput, yeah today I made sure I held my stretches longer.

So overall consessus is it is okay to be a little sore from stretching?

**IzzyDaHedgehog** · Posted On: 1/17/2005 11:57pm

I always am.

**lifetime** · Posted On: 1/18/2005 12:31am

Uh.. Maybe in the beginning you might feel sore. Don't recall ever feeling sore RIGHT after stretching though. Stretching is supposed to prepare your muscles for whatever you're doing; usually it's the workout that makes me sore.

**Can Chaser** · Posted On: 1/18/2005 5:23am

Ack.

Warmup stretching, you shouldn't be sore.

Developmental stretching - i.e., stretching for greater flexibility, you will be sore. It comes at the end of your routine when all your muscles should be good and used up and not tight.