Flexible back versus flexible hams

[Ashtar]

They are not one and the same. Flexible back muscles let you flex your back (as opposed to extending/hyperextending it, which you do in a deadlift or backbend) whereas flexible hams let you flex your hips more.

For example, having flexible hams won't really do a think for helping you selfsuck, and a flexible back won't help you kick higher.

One thing I always wonder is, people stretch by using external objects or gravity or whatever a lot. I think active stretches are cooler, but how come you never hear about as many results from them? The way I figure, you get strong using an external weight, remove the weight, and then use that strength to go further than you have before. Kind of like, you do leg raises with 20lbs strapped to each leg, remove it, and use the extra hip flexor muscle/strength you developed to overpower your hamstrings.

Maybe it's because the muscles being stretched are so much stronger. Are back/hip extensors so much stronger than abs and hip flexors? Why do people call them 'abs' when you might just call them back flexors? It's so strange.

It's also strange how the word 'flexibility' is used. For example, flexible back should only refer to the ability to forward bend, flexing the spine. For people good at back bends, they should say they have 'extensible backs'. For people who are both flexible and extensible they should get some kind of other word that describes both states.

[Phil D]

woah thers so much wrong about this post! hamstring flexibility = good,
Upperback flexibility from stretching hamstrings incorrectly = bad posture and future back problems

UNLESS u are doing it for a specific reason i suppose

[zetafox]

selfsucking is fun.

[Ashtar]

It looks that way. I think it would help get you girls.

Flexible back muscles wouldn't cause posture problems as long as your abs were just as flexible, and both muscle groups were strong. Sometimes contortionists can have weak muscles or are naturally flexible from having conditions of weakened ligaments. I think that's why having a large RoM is associated with weakness or bad posture, but that doesn't mean stretching can do it. I guess anecdotal evidence is the only way to find out.

[zetafox]

I think it would help get you girls.



No...

[Phil D]

It looks that way. I think it would help get you girls.

Flexible back muscles wouldn't cause posture problems as long as your abs were just as flexible, and both muscle groups were strong. Sometimes contortionists can have weak muscles or are naturally flexible from having conditions of weakened ligaments. I think that's why having a large RoM is associated with weakness or bad posture, but that doesn't mean stretching can do it. I guess anecdotal evidence is the only way to find out.

yes but stretching the ligaments between your thoracic vertebrae in your spine can cause porblems

[Tickle]

i thought that the lower back is stretched when you stretch your hamstrings usually? if you're doing a sit-and-reach that is...

and the word flexibility doesnt mean how far it can flex, it's on a smaller scale, like...the tissue itself is more "flexible", not talking about flexion/extension

damn i've never really done active stretching before, maybe i should learn how

[Ashtar]

There's a risk of over-stretching the back ligaments causing problems, but surely there's some way of doing it that they adapt. Might be genetic, but a lot of people describe doing extreme contortion pain-free while staying strong.

They're usually stretched together but you can emphasize either depending on how you do your form. Like, if you wanted to stretch hams but not lower back you would keep your spine straight during forward bending, doing it only at the hips instead of folding down. Doing spine-only is trickier, usually it's nice to have hips flexed a bit for something to grab onto and pull, though if you're doing that thing lying on your back with your legs over your head on the ground behind you then you could gradually straighten them as your back got more flexible.