I am so tight in the legs

[tubbydrawers]

Hello

I came across this website a few weeks ago and I have been trying my best to stretch into the front side splits. I have also got Tom Kurz's book and the video as well.

I use to train in karate and I wasnt that flexible then but at least i could get my head on my knees when I was 18!!! I am now 34, 35 next week and am thinking about going back to karate soon.

The problem I have is that i do 45mins rowing for my workout to warm my legs before i stretch and then i try the dynamic stretching.

I then go to the front side splits and i do the tensing the floor and moving them apart for 10 or so mins. I also do the butterfly stretch as well using my elbows to get them down and to hold them when I force them back up.

I do this workout for 2 days then take a day off and then back on it again.

The thing is, is that i start off in the same position for the splits every time, I am not increasing it at all.

also when i do the dynamic lifts to the sides my toes are always higher the heel.

is this because I am too tight in the legs? or is it the back.

i try relax stretching as well but that gets me nowhere.

Anybody in melbourne Australia who can help??????!!!!

How long should I be trying to stretch for in the session, is 10 mins too short.?

also I can harldy walk when i get out of my stretching and i am quite sore in the hips sometimes.

i know toooooo many questions but i see all you lot doing the splits and it makes me feel quite crap at times and i feel like giving up and just doing rowing for the rest of life and not going back in karate.

[Sleepy]

http://trickstutorials.com/index.php?page=content/flexibility

Read that. Then ask any questions not covered.

[tubbydrawers]

i have read all that and like some people i find it still quite hard to work out how to stretch.

thing is, i know the idea of it all and how to do it, just doing it is the problem.

i do the stretch test as in tom's book and that seems to tell me i should be able to do splits and everything else.

another problem is when i go down in the front side splits my bum just sticks out as i am trying to tilt my hips to the front with my knees also facing the front. this means i seem to have to lean forward a quite a bit. as it is very tight if i dont.

i use a chair to try and support me as i do have very weak knees from having my knee joints come out of their sockets and also having surgery on them.

[tubbydrawers]

hello again,

i just want to see an improvement as i always thought stretching would help me in whatever excercise i do.

i just dont see any and i seem to be stuck a a point where it is hurting me to get into kiba dachi without stretching for 10 mins before hand.

also back stance is bloody hard as well unless i do 10 mins before hand.!!!!

thats how stiff i am.

i am off to bed now since its 10.30pm at night here in aus land. hope fully i will be able to answer any body else in the morning before i go work.

i do hope somebody can come up with some answers or at least know what i am going through since they had the same probs as me and gone onto high flexiblity.

[Birch]

First of all, gains dont happen in a week. How long now have you been trying for the splits? Improvement can take months.

You shouldn't really need to take a day off from stretching, it is not intense enough for you to need one. So if you are still experiencing pain you may have soreness for other reasons than just the stretching. You may need to see someone about it, depending on how bad it is and if it limits you in any way.

The splits can be acheived in other ways than just doing the splits. Try stretching muscles that are used in the splits and everything around them. Things like, Hamstrings, Hip-flexor and Quads. They are all used for the spilts (these are just examples and are more applicibale to front splits, there are many muscles missing from this list).
This might also help with the pain, it is easier to control the strain you put on yourself becuase they are smaller stretches and target single specific muscles.

Having felxible hips also helps alot.

[short gorilla]

Alright, let me clarify some things for you.

1) Rowing is not a proper warmup for splits. At all.
2) Do dynamic stretches first. Use them as part of your general warmup.
3) Do simpler stretches like butterflies and hurdle stretches before attempting splits.
4) Splits and other stretches shouldn't hurt. If your stances hurt to do, and you have to warm up for ten minutes just to get into proper position, you are over stretching and damaging your muscles/connective tissue.
5) Don't tilt your hips at all when doing the front splits. Start by doing the precursors to the splits, supporting yourself with a chair if you have to to get into the proper position. But don't compromise good form to make it easier. Bad form = doing it wrong.

Lastly because you have had surgery on your knees and they "come out of the sockets" or whatever you meant, you need to be especially careful and patient with yourself, or else you will damage yourself so much that you'll never get the kind of flexibility that you want.

[Sakanem]

That thread title is really asking for an "improvement" by Jan...

[tubbydrawers]

thanks for that,

i will give it another go by stretching other parts of my lower body. i do think that i am very stiff in the lower back as well.

also would it hurt to do relax stretching during the morning before i went to work? i mean would it damage my chances of getting down into the splits, ie too much stretching?!!!!

i have also been stretching now for about 8 weeks. thats why i have had ot come on here and ask cos i dont seem to be getting anywhere, i mean if i could getinto horse stance without having to stretch then i would be happy but that looks like a long way off fo rme.!!!

[Ashtar]

Touching your head to your knees is awesome, keep practicing on it.

[Papa Lazarou]

Welcome to the forum.

You're over-doing it. Short gorilla's advice is good - you should follow it. Also, have you read all of Kurz's book? I'm pretty sure he says stuff about avoiding pain, and ways to improve your strength before doing isometrics.

Go much easier on yourself. If you can't walk after a session, your massively over-stretching. You should NEVER feel pain. Discomfort maybe, but not pain.


Also, as Juji and Kurz say, your workout should look like this:

- Warmup with dynamic stretches, then any specific warmup for training

- Main training (martial arts practice or whatever) [This step can be skipped]

- Isometric stretches (2 or 3 muscle groups, no more than 5 tensions per group, no more than 3 times a week) [This step can also be skipped]

- Cooldown (includes relaxed stretches)

You can also do dynamics right after you wake up (but be sure not to over-do them in the morning session). You can follow these dynamics with some light relaxed stretches, especially if your main workout is late in the day.

When doing relaxed stretches, gradually and easily stretch into your current maximum range, then hold that for 30 seconds. Each stretch should take about 5 minutes or less. You can repeat a stretch after a few minutes, but don't do any one stretch more than about 3 times.

As a guide for avoiding over-training... you should feel better after a session if possible, not worse. And of course, AVOID PAIN!!!

Good luck!

[frozenpeon]

First of all, R E L A X when you are stretching.


Also, as Juji and Kurz say, your workout should look like this:

- Warmup with dynamic stretches, then any specific warmup for training

- Main training (martial arts practice or whatever) [This step can be skipped]

- Isometric stretches (2 or 3 muscle groups, no more than 5 tensions per group, no more than 3 times a week) [This step can also be skipped]

- Cooldown (includes relaxed stretches)


He had a knee surgery so I don't think isometric stretch is a good idea.

[Papa Lazarou]

Good point, frozenpeon. I forgot about that.

[Raven]

haha, mods PLEASE have a toy with this thread title, its seriously asking for it.

Anywho for a serious reply. If your looking for tricksters in Melbourne i'd highly suggest emailing or adding to msn Rob. His email is if_ya_like_@hotmail.com

he is prob the most organized and helpful person to see if your starting out. Anywho, give him a go and pm me a few weeks down the track and tell me how your doing

[mm tacos rock]

The title of this thread should be changed to "I am so tight between the legs".

[kevinhimself]

I giggled when he said he row's to warm up his legs =p I'm gonna start doing handstands so I get better balance on my feet

[Augenatic]

You're gonna do handstands to get better balance on your feet?

[kevinhimself]

yes sir, I figure since they are opposites it will work them out more than my arms =p

[Martialartsguyfl]

to be honest with you if your extremely unflexible, its going to take about a solid year of stretching 2-3x a day really working those splits, hamstring stretches, slow kicks, high leg stretches to get to a good split.

[Graber]

What the fuck u ppl mean 2-3x a day, are u fucking crazy? Stretch only a good sesion 1 times i do like that and is fine. U ppl dont know how to stretch properly, u must admit that no metter what u say in here.
And if u are not down with that I got 2 words for ya SUCK IT!

[frozenpeon]

What the fuck u ppl mean 2-3x a day, are u fucking crazy? Stretch only a good sesion 1 times i do like that and is fine. U ppl dont know how to stretch properly, u must admit that no metter what u say in here.
And if u are not down with that I got 2 words for ya SUCK IT!

hmmm shut the fuck up Graber.

[tubbydrawers]

I giggled when he said he row's to warm up his legs =p I'm gonna start doing handstands so I get better balance on my feet

what i should have said is that i do a lot of rowing so i just assumed it was ok
to do a stretching workout after it.

i cant run anymore, i used to run 10 km's 3-5 times a week but then started to get sore heels. I find the rowing doesnt hurt my joints anymore like the running used to do.

if i cant run and ppl on here are saying rowing is bad and tom kurz says cycling is bad then what warm up do you suggest? i am open to ideas. I was thinking of skipping rope.

[tubbydrawers]

As a guide for avoiding over-training... you should feel better after a session if possible, not worse. And of course, AVOID PAIN!!!

Good luck![/QUOTE]

i do feel kinda better after a stretch workout cos if i do some mid level kicking then i kick ok. if i just do dynamic stretching and a workout i dont kick so well.

i know you are not suppose to do static stretches before say a karate workout but for me it does seem better that way. I dont know of any martial arts instructor,( i have been round quite a few clubs when i lived in the UK) that shows ppl dynamic stretching before a class.

it is always static stretching but I have always wondered why nobody in those classes ,apart from 1 or 2, could get down in the splits.

[Martialartsguyfl]

What the fuck u ppl mean 2-3x a day, are u fucking crazy? Stretch only a good sesion 1 times i do like that and is fine. U ppl dont know how to stretch properly, u must admit that no metter what u say in here.
And if u are not down with that I got 2 words for ya SUCK IT!


you are pretty much a fucking idiot, thats why I am awesome with flexibility now and you probably suck a dick.

PS: i never stretch intensely before a trick session.

[Stallion]

short gorilla suggested hurdler's stretch, which i would avoid. especially if you have knee problems. instead go for something like a deep front lunge that will put the pressure on your hips rather that twisting your knee ligaments up.

other than that, most of the stuff here is right. it might take quite a while before you see improvement. consistency is the key here.