Introduction Hey guys, I'm 18 years old and have been extremely inflexible in pretty much every area of my body for as long as I can remember and it's really limited me in my martial arts training. I've tried starting stretching routines multiple times, but quit after a couple of weeks every time. This time I'm determined to stick with a program and hopefully get to at least a respectful level of flexibility. I've got a couple questions on Dynamic, Isometric, and Static stretching. Any help you guys can provide would be much appreciated. Dynamic Stretching I know it was mentioned by Van Zandt that Dynamic stretching should be done within 15 minutes upon first waking. I have night shifts at work, and I normally don't get home and to bed until 5 or 6 am so I normally don't wake up until about 2-3pm. My question is should I stretch before I go to bed for the "morning stretch", wake up in the middle of sleep, stretch and then go back to bed, or just stretch whenever I wake up at 2-3pm? Another note on dynamic stretching, I'm currently only doing side lifts, front lifts and back lifts. Will that suffice or should I add more into the routine? Isometric Stretching I know front splits is one of the suggested stretches for Isometric stretching, but right now I'm not flexible enough to even really get in to front splits. I was wondering if a combination of these two stretches would be a suitable replacement for front splits stretch? Relaxed Stretching Now that school is out I find I have a lot more time on my hands. I was wondering if it would be beneficial to do relaxed stretching more than 1-2 times a day, or if that would be too much? Conclusion I know it's a lot of questions, but any that could be answered would be a huge help. I'm tired of dealing with back pain simply because of inflexibility. Flexibility has moved into one of my top priorities with my time and with your help hopefully I can finally beat this thing. Thanks in advance. -David
Although HOW you stretch is important, WHETHER you stretch matters most. You will see results if you consistently stick to a stretching program, whether or not you're stretching in a very scientific way. Having said that, here are some answers to your questions. Dynamic stretching should be done when you wake up because your body has been immobile for most, if not all, of the night. So this means you should do it when you wake up, whether it's 6 am or 3 pm. It's not about the time of day, it's about the period after you're bodies immobility. Also, yes those stretches can be used as a temporary replacement for the front splits, and they should aid in the flexibility it takes to do the front split. Stick to those stretches, but it's good to attempt the splits (both sides and front) regularly to test and challenge you're flexibility. Good Luck, I hope this helped!
I'd like to add that Van Zandt later stated that dynamic stretching is no longer necessary (with great joy of those who like to stay in bed ), as it can easily turn into ballistic stretching and become dangerous. I can't find the exact post right now, but I'll post a link as soon as I have time. He also placed great emphasis on strength training for the legs (squats, lunges, deadlifts as well as static kicks and slow kicks). Regarding relaxed stretching, you should really listen to your body. I've found that doing it more than once a day gave me problems with my tendons, but I guess it's because I always have problems with them in one way or another . Some friends of mine do it even 3-4 times a day and don't have problems, so I guess it's up to you. Also, back pain seems to me more about lack of strength than flexibility. Do you do strength exercises for the back? EDIT: link found! http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showpost.php?p=34143948&postcount=91 Exact words: "Aside from hurting you, dynamics are not necessary for kicking so you can drop them altogether."
EternityEchoes, I said dynamic stretches should be done first thing after waking because this is when muscle tonus is at its lowest. It's the best time in the entire day for you to reduce the resistance you feel when doing fast kicks (which is different to the tension you feel when doing slow, static stretches - when you can do splits, both types of resistance disappear. Hence the importance of splits to kickers!) I say do it within 15 minutes of waking up because: a) this was found to be the best time for doing dynamic stretches over a series of studies I took part in, and b) most people stay in bed way too long for their dynamic stretches to be any good! Note the important bit here: within 15 minutes of waking up. The time on the clock doesn't matter so much (although there is some evidence to suggest it has a bit of an influence... but that's for another thread entirely). The biggest factor is doing it when you wake up. So if that's 2 or 3pm, do them by 2.15 or 3.15! You should never do dynamic stretches when you're tired. You'll make your flexibility worse. So, if you feel tired by the time you get home after your night shift, don't do them. Try to do them during a break at work when you're feeling fresher. Certainly don't disturb your sleeping pattern to do them. You should do dynamic stretches in positions needed for your sport. In my style of karate, for example, we use only the side, roundhouse and hook kick. So if we use dynamic stretches, we do side lifts only. If your martial art does, say, front and back kicks, do front and side lifts also. The key to successful isometric stretching is getting into positions that grant you sufficient leverage to tense maximally. If you're really that inflexible you can't generate enough tension in front splits (which is unlikely, as it is relatively easy to tense hard when you're very high off the ground in a front split), then use whatever positions allow you to tense your hamstrings hard. Just remember to do only one stretch per muscle group to avoid overtraining. There may be a simpler solution to your hamstring flexibility problem: dead lifts. Find a certified coach and get to work with a heavy bar. Your posterior chain flexibility will sky rocket. There is no evidence to suggest two or more applications of relaxed stretches is more effective than just one. Why not save time for other endeavours and do just one relaxed stretching session a day? The point of training is to do the least work necessary to achieve desired results. People get caught up in the idea that the training itself is the goal rather than the end result. Don't become one of them! You can make your relaxed stretches even more effective by doing them at the very end of your regular workouts, or after a thorough warm-up if it's a standalone workout. You can do relaxed stretches cold, but why bother (for now, at least) when you can get results faster and with less effort by warming up? Wildlings raises some excellent points. You do not need to do dynamic stretches if you are working on getting your splits. A lot of people end up hurt because they do them wrong and feel the results of nasty ballistic stretching. And your back pain is likely due to weakness than poor range of motion. You really don't want an excessively flexible spine.
