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What I am looking for is a set of flexibility or stretching exercises, call it a program, which I can do once a week as my primary workout for that day. Then I'd like to be able to use some from that same set as warm up/cool down exercises before/after hitting the cardio or strength training on other days. Realistic? I would have thought so but thus far I have not come across good program for flexibility training. There are a zillion sites out there with such exercises but I've yet to find a flex program I am comfortable with. And it well could be that I am just not where I need to be physically yet to feel comfortable doing the exercises. Yeah, I sound so confused I am sure with this post.
The best I have come up with thus far are the charts you see in this post. The chart at the top is very basic and I see it as decent for the warm up/cool down want that I have.
Below is a chart that focuses on stretching the back, a good thing. They look simple but looks can be deceiving...
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Between those two charts I think I have the basics and the back well accounted for. For whatever reason the program I am trying to find seemed to need more so a hundred or so more mouse clicks and I found this comprehensive chart below. The problem with it is I cannot view the text since it is an image associated with a product for sale. I can see the images well enough to get a handle on the moves themselves which is good, but I'd really like to read that text. But for $285, regardless the currency, that text will remain a mystery forever...
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How about you; do you do any flexibility exercises as a matter of routine? Or do you just do a few basic stretches and get on with it?
Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!
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Do you use resistance bands? They are lightweight, and portable.
ReplyDeleteAnd maybe in a pinch you could stretch one across two tree trunks - Rambo Style - and snag a deer!
Maybe!
Patrick I could definitely ramble on about stretching. All the stuff you show above though I do now faithfully several times a week and some of them before and after cardio.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was doing all that walking and was having all the ankle problems I also had very stiff leg muscles and doing these exercises (in addition to just ankle exercises several times a day) I realized how much of a benefit to my body they were. As far as doing them as the only thing you do for the day well if it's a day off why not but if you are actually wanting a workout from them you really won't be getting much other than more flexibility. I do my ab workout with these too so that would be a decent workout together I think. Really it's about what feels best for you and what works best for you.
My gym has one of these stretch stations, and I enjoy using it! http://www.performbetter.com/detail.aspx_Q_ID_E_4690_A_CategoryID_E_280
ReplyDeleteWould you have any interest in an inversion machine? My mom has one that she doesn't use anymore. http://www.losethebackpain.com/inversion3.html
I will make the argument, as I have for 30 years, the strength training, done properly, IS stretching. It is just stretching with weights in your hands or at the ends of your feet.
ReplyDeleteMost of the more common strength exercises, practiced slowly, and through a full range of motion will contribute to, and enhance one's flexibility.
Does this mean I don't agree with stretch rouintes...? Absolutely not and I stretch daily during my morning shower. I just think it's important to acknowledge one commonly misunderstood and under appreciated value with strength training.
My TKD training is filled with flexibility work. So, that's where I get most of mine. I also stretch after all my cardio. I'm not a big before stretcher. The experts argue about this. I have wanted to try yoga, maybe someday. Right now TKD and regular exercise is all I can handle.
ReplyDeletePatrick, my suggestion is to see a physical therapist, if that is realistic. The can check you out and spot places were you have lost your flexibility due to age or inactivity. Then they will give you specific exercises to target the problem areas. If your insurance will cover it it will be well worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the few basic stretches category, but I won't say that's the best plan. I'm not a huge fan of stretching, and used to avoid it entirely. To do a few stretches regularly following a run is a step for me.
ReplyDeletePatrick, I do stretching every workout day. So important for keeping the muscles healthy & also from not getting injured by doing just every day things. Did you know that most people hurt their back & other muscles doing day to day activities & not the workout.
ReplyDeleteAlso the older I get, the more I need that stretching... I am way less "pliable" then when I was young & this is with my stretching routine!
Steve over at Log My Loss does something called IntuFlow if you want to check with him.
BTW, I so a shorter stretch after my workout & then do more later in the day at home after warming up first... so the muscles don't "pop"!
I found a yoga video to use for stretching. It has different routines focusing on a different thing (flexibility, relaxation, or something else... can't remember) and each one is 15 minutes. I prefer that method to trying to remember a routine or working off a chart.
ReplyDeleteNo "routine" really here either. I will do some basic stretching during a workout, probably not as much as I should.
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