How to become flexible???

[Littlemiss]

Hello Everyone,

I am a newbie posting for the first time. I've lurked for a least a year on this website reading the posts intently (and I've collected quite a few videos to prove it). I've lurked mainly because although I own quite a few videos and need to use them I really haven't so far. Mainly because I live on the second floor of an apartment with neighbors that have complained in the past when I've tried to exercise.

Anyway, what actually pushed me out of lurkdom was this topic. I too suffer from inflexibility. What has helped me tremendously in the past is the Allaire Back Fitness program. It aired for months on my public tv station but they've stopped showing it in the last month. It is a 26 part program that uses a stability ball, foam roller, and if needed yoga bricks and a yoga strap.

The program starts off by assuming that you are inflexible and shows ways of using the yoga blocks and straps to deepen stretches and uses a few simple crunches. Each week the intensity slowly increases by modification of the exercises, additional exercises, additional reps etc to increase flexibility and strengthen the core. Each program is about 25 minutes long (about 20 mins of exercise and a few minutes of exercise hints at the end which she calls Back in a Minute. Dr. Allaire (a chiropractor) states that you will start off as a beginner and by the end of the program you will be intermediate/advanced.

I really like this program. I was able to tape the episodes off of my local pbs station and it was worth getting up early every saturday until I was able to get them (even though I taped them on vhs).

The only complaint that I have about the program is that she doesn't count (perhaps so that we can go at our own paces) and I sometimes have to look at the tv to make sure that I am doing the exercises in sync with her. She also doesn't give a recomendation as to how often one should do the program but I really liked it so I tried to do it five days a week.

Here's a link to a quick you tube trailer sorry I don't know how to make a link active. http:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL876i93wyk

I hope the link works if you cut and paste it.

She also sells the videos on her website allairebackfitness.com, although as I've stated I've only seen the public tv version. I can't say enough good things about this program.

Thanks for all the information you've all shared.

Littlemiss

[actionwoman]

Thanks, Littlemiss - did you greatly improve your flexibility?

I'm taking ballet classes now and really want to try and get to full splits. I have stretches that I do from class, but I wonder if there are more effective ways.

Someone on a ballet board recommended Elasticsteel.com, which is a martial arts site, but the videos are $49 each even though the flexibility one looks excellent.

[beyond.omega]

Originally Posted by sheepla

Some kind of stretch, even 10 minutes, EVERY DAY.

Yup.

[Littlemiss]

[QUOTE=actionwoman;1760195]Thanks, Littlemiss - did you greatly improve your flexibility?

I'm taking ballet classes now and really want to try and get to full splits. I have stretches that I do from class, but I wonder if there are more effective ways.]


I don't know if it will enable to you to be able to do full splits. I was (am) truly overweight and wasn't able to comfortably bend down and tie my shoe strings. I've only completed up to week six in the program. I got off track and haven't picked it back up again. But I remember bending down to tie my shoe strings without thinking about it and picking up paper clips off the floor at work musing that I wasn't able to do that before. Also, I remember that my posture improved. I walked straighter and was more concious of my posture.

Hope that helps,
Littlemiss

[Judith L]

I posted this on 5-2-09 in the thread linked below:

I've seen a huge change in my flexibility just this last week by finally, seriously, incorporating deep breathing exercises into my stretches.

I start off the day with about 20-30 minutes of yoga stretches but as someone who moved from Ashtanga and power yoga to more static stretches I never really took several deep breaths on each asana. Then one day I came across a post here in which someone mentioned that she was never as flexible as when she was doing the Oxycise breathing exercises, and I took that to heart and started incorporating that type of breathing into my practice just a week ago.

This week, for the first time, I'm able to get my forehead to my knees in all the seated forward bends. -- I'm so glad I have the opportunity to share my triumph!

-- Thread: Has anyone gone from inflexible to flexible

Mornings, I take long deep breaths, as many as necessary to get where I want and the results always amaze me. For example, some mornings when I do my seated forward bends my head is pretty far from my knee(s), but if I just keep taking deep breaths I'm able to go a little further each time till my head reaches my knee(s). After workouts I hold all my stretches for 30 seconds, and repeat a stretch if I think I need it. BTW, I'm 65 and probably more flexible than I ever was.

[Cassy]

Judith - thanks for that link and the info about breathing into the stretch. I'm going to try this.

[Gymmie]

Originally Posted by sheepla

Some kind of stretch, even 10 minutes, EVERY DAY.

Ditto. The only way is to keep plugging away each day.