Are there any ultra-beg stretching routines that aren't already "touch your toes lol" level? I can't even sit with straight legs without falling, not even talking about doing leg raises.
I have never been able to do it btw, so It's not just because of sitting too much.
I want to be able to
- do straight leg raises
- touch my toes with a straight back
My hamstrings get literally rock hard when I try to get them straight and the pain is unbearable.
Same problem w/ feet - unable to do a squat without fully standing on my toes.
>Are there any ultra-beg stretching routines that aren't already "touch your toes lol" level?
I don't get it either, like what the frick are you supposed to do? Just keep trying every day to touch toes and eventually it'll work? I would assume it would but I never read that shit anywhere.
>Just keep trying every day to touch toes and eventually it'll work?
Pretty much. For any stretch where the goal is to increase range of motion you pretty much need to do static stretches for a couple minutes every day. It can take months.
>- do straight leg raises
Isn't that just a straight leg sit up?
>- touch my toes with a straight back
Why?
Just pick every major muscle group (priority should be the legs) and look up stretches for them
Example:
>Hamstring stretch
>Quad stretch
And pick the ones that you like the most and/or respond well to
ez
Jesus that looks painful
It is. But it's one of the best spine decompression stretches out there, it also helps with herniated discs. Always move slow and don't overdo it or you risk overstretching your lower back and leg muscles. No sudden movements.
>decompression
Wat
Isn't he putting a ton of pressure on his spine by doing this?
Maybe. In my experience it does decompress even though I have a herniated disc. I don't know how it works but the decompression is so strong you feel release and relief even after holding it for as little as 10 seconds. You just have to sit there after you're done for about a minute. It's like having a deep tissue massage and after they're done your muscles feel good and rejuvenated, or after stretching a sore calf. It's kind of like that, but for your spine, only 5x stronger. Pretty powerful. It's like you're massaging and stretching your spine and discs with that. Sensation is the same with and without a disc issue, with the benefit of pain relief in the lower back, I've done that before and after an incident, completely unrelated to this stretch. I looked it up, it's called 'halasana'.
There is a similar decompression effect that can be achieved without self torture:
>you lay flat on your back (preferrably hard ground) with your feet planted on a wall, knees bent at 45 degrees
>take one leg and cross it over the other with the heel, like wide crossing your legs, where you form a triangle in between, not like a woman crosses her legs
>hold for 5 minutes then switch
Takes longer and not as strong but still good. Waste of time if you can do the 'halasana'
>I have never been able to do it btw, so It's not just because of sitting too much.
>I have been sedentary my whole life, it isn't just because I'm sedentary.
No worries, most of the population has swiss cheese hamstrings.
Stretching is a process.
> Reach for your toes, go as deep as you can.
> Feel stretch and hold.
> Repeat.
> Reach for your toes, go deeper than last time.
> Feel stretch and hold.
> Repeat.
Maybe look for fattie yoga videos which might dumb this down enough this for you.
Kek. Fair. I'm not fat, though. I'm skeleton-level skinny and I couldn't do these things even as a small child (I have/had mild cerebral palsy which probably changes some things
>Isn't that just a straight leg sit up?
Can't do them. I can't sit with straight legs.
You just go as far as you can and hold 15 seconds, recover, do it again, recover. Here's what I do for lower body.
>the bend and reach
Just google it. You're kinda throwing yourself down, it's not a slow stretch. Unlocks the hammies a bit
>the fricking one leg thing
Sit on the floor with legs straight. Bend one so your knee kicks out and foot is flat against the other knee. Observe a triangle. Put hands together and run them along the straight leg towards toes. Doesn't matter if you get there or not, it's about the stretch you feel
>the groin thing
Same shit but both legs bent and soles of feet together. Grab them with your hands and pull them inward while also leaning forward. Feel the groin stretch
>the thigh stretch
Another army one just google it
>the wall thing
I get in a doorway and put one asscheek against the frame, the other leg straight and on the ground. The cheeked leg is straight going up the wall. Then just sit like that for a hot ass minute. If you can't get flush, work into it
>the calf one
Standing, cross feet (so feet together but left on right and right on left) then reach for your toes. Feel the calf stretch
>shin stretch
On your knees with feet plantar flexed, lean back. Don't overdo this one
>IT band
Same as the wall thing but using a belt around your foot instead. Then when you get it raised, point the leg 90 deg to the opposite side. You're just letting it fall basically but maintaining the straight leg. Keep shoulders on the ground
>Sit on the floor with legs straight.
This is what I'm trying to achieve as the end-goal, but right now I can't do it, which in turn doesn't get any feeling of stretch.
So start flat on your back, get the position, then sit up as much as possible. I hate stretching but it's the only way to get that flexibility and is great for alleviating soreness. Also enables you to train more frequently. No off days in active recoveryland
I wouldn't
These are good stretches but won’t help OP overcome the fundamental problem: his posterior chain is so weak that his CNS prevents hyperextension because the opposing force could tear the small and weak muscle.
Large hamstrings tend to be more flexible.
How do you fix that?
Like I said. Romanian deadlifts. You need larger leg muscles. Your CNS knows they are weak.
Your hamstrings are small and weak. Your whole posterior chain is most likely weak because you can’t train your squat or deadlift.
How do you fix this? Make these muscles stronger through their whole range of motion.
Romanian deadlifts are the god tier exercise for lengthening and strengthening weak hamstrings. Go gentle and light to start with. When fully extended, pause in the stretched position.
Do 10 reps for 5 sets 3 times a week. Prepare by doing a set of unloaded (20kg) good mornings (reduce if form is bad) followed by an attempt to touch toes. Repeat until warm.
Honest question: If I do static stretches with weights, like holding a 15kg barbell, will I eventually be able to reach my toes?
Based. I'm unable to do proper squats and my legs look almost like the legs from the weak people thread.
Are romanian deadlifts pretty much using the same posture as rows?
> Honest question: If I do static stretches with weights, like holding a 15kg barbell, will I eventually be able to reach my toes?
Maybe. Probably not. It is a valuable stretch. I personally do this with 40kg on a deficit platform with my hands below my feet.
I’d rather you not do this right now focus on building up some leg strength first.
> my legs look almost like the legs from the weak people thread.
well obviously
but lets fix that
> Are romanian deadlifts pretty much using the same posture as rows?
I think so, although I legitimately never row.
All you’re doing is keeping the legs stiff as you grip the weight. I would use straps for this, since I care that your legs get stronger rather than be limited by your presumably shitty grip. It’s basically a good morning that you hold.
OP here.
So my biggest issue is weak leg muscles (both hamstrings and quads), which means I have to slowly train them while stretching them at the same time. My squat is shit and I'm struggling w/o a smith machine (literally less than an untrained individual) + like I said, also have mild cerebral palsy.
I have to start doing Romanian deadlifts then (probably with an empty bar) + keep stretching. You guys have been pretty helpful, thanks!
You have weak stabiliser muscles and the smith machine will not help you develop this.
Do 10x goblet squats. This is just holding a counterweight in front of you which will help you squat deeper.
Counterintuitively this exercise is easier with more weight (up to a point) because the weight held in your hands will take the strain of weak stabiliser muscle groups.
So do 10 of these. Then do some hip mobility stretches. And repeat for 10 sets.
Also do these goblet squats slowly. Muscle builds when its under tension.
You don’t need big weights to make progress. Because your body is so detrained you’ll respond to this more than you think.
Hopefully you’ll develop the mobility to move onto a barbel and make massive gains
Thanks!
I'm doing Smith machine because I don't have balance and can't do squats without heels raising, so goblet squats will be fairly difficult, but I can probably do them with a wall.
Have you tried doing them though?
Hey btw when you stretch your breathing matters. Big deep breaths in and out
do this
find a beginners yoga routine on youtube--- anything with plenty of views will be fine--- and follow it somewhere where you're not afraid to frick up or look stupid. Or if not yoga, a more conventional stretching routine. The nice thing about flexibility is that it's cumulative and if you do it every day for maybe 5 days of the week you WILL get better and you WILL get to the level of touching your toes. Now that I know what stretches I like to do and which are good for me, I can do them while I watch TV and it's not like I have to carve out time every day to do a second workout... stretching feels like part of relaxing now
Best of all, getting better at flexibility makes you feel like a million bucks
That's what my post is about - all of the "beginner yoga routines" are already too difficult, because I can't do the basic-basic stretches.
Not that anon but I guess you just gotta do them anyway. You feel tight when you're attempting to do the stretches, right? That's it. Just keep doing it.
My PE teacher once said literally everyone can touch their toes
Trick is to exhale completely when you reach the last inches
OP here
This also might be a good progression to start with.
The two main problems I've noticed is:
>1. Being fat
it limits range of motion and makes you compensate by rounding back
>2. Being weak
Your body won't stretch right when it's afraid of injury from weakness
The best you can do is bouncing around in down dog without trying to force it but rather lift your ass and shit back and forth side to side. Use your brain to feel the stretch or pain and figure it out from there because you'll be tight where others are not tight so there's no simple math formula besides hunting in the dark.
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I'm nr2. Pic related: my torso looks "okay" and my shoulders are weirdly wide compared to the rest of my body, obv. still on the DYEL level, but my legs are skelly cerebral palsy legs.
Think having a 60kg bench-press and being unable to do one single proper bodyweight squat without losing balance type of shit.