If You're Pro-Flexibility but Anti-CS/Essentrics...

marya · 02-27-16, 03:44 PM

what workouts have most increased your flexibility and range of motion?

What I find displeasing about CS:

• Miranda’s contortions. Too ballet-ish/“modern”-dancey for my liking. (I have a ballet dancer’s bone structure, but I’ve never been a fan of ballet-type moves.)
• Like Alta (per one of her CS reviews), I don’t want to tone, strengthen, or slim during a stretch workout. No multi-tasking, thank you!
• Miranda’s routines don’t seem very well-organized to me. I like workouts wherein the parts interlock like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle—making a beautiful and satisfying whole.
• Pacing. My preference is for slow, steady, and methodical. Miranda moves too fast. I could probably keep up with her comfortably if I’d likewise been a ballerina for umpteen years, but since I haven’t been—!

So, I’m undertaking a quest for the un-Miranda!

Joni O · 02-27-16, 03:53 PM

Thanks for asking this question! I'm not anti-CS, but I just want to stretch and increase my flexibility, too.

Demeris · 02-27-16, 04:09 PM

I'm not anti-CS, but I do love all things related to flexibility. Here are a couple of dvds I love:

Scott Sonnon's Ageless Mobility and the original Lastics. Both of them are much slower than Miranda AND they are carefully constructed (like jigsaw puzzles).

I have Tangoflex but haven't done it yet. Maybe I'll pop it in instead of a CS/Essentrics next time.

I have Bendy Body's Flex-stability workout. I really like it, but it's for someone who's a bit more of an advanced flexibilitizer than I am. I have done it twice and put it aside until I feel I have gained some flexibility. I recently purged near to 90 dvds I knew I would never do again but deliberately kept this one.

wishiwasinhawaii · 02-27-16, 04:40 PM

Miranda doesn't bother me. CS is the only flexibility stuff that I do and I actually like all the things about it that you dislike, lol. Yoga, barre, etc. is just too slow for me and I get bored. I never did any ballet or any dance for that matter, but I don't find her moves difficult to follow at all. I do agree that she doesn't seem all that organized, but I personally don't do CS as a rotation (is that even possible?), I do whatever one fits the mood I'm in that day.

txhsmom · 02-27-16, 05:17 PM

Bar Method workouts have done the most of all the things I've tried.

Carol

bubbles76 · 02-27-16, 05:21 PM

I found that when I did Rodney Yee's AM Yoga for Your Week mixed with Blissology that I became much more flexible. I would do my regular workouts in the evening and yoga in the morning. I did yoga every day, even the weekends.

Demeris · 02-27-16, 05:27 PM

OK, I just remembered. This is going to sound very odd, but I was at my most flexible about 18 years ago, and all I was doing was Oxycise--I was in grad school, my career had me flying to different cities every weekend, and I was in a madly dysfunctional relationship with the biggest narcissist living.

Lorelai · 02-27-16, 05:39 PM

Also not anti-CS, but for me, Pilates mat work increases my flexibility. It's multitasking, yes, but I'm really tight through the back of my body and just laying on my back with my legs up in the air is a stretch for me. I still need to have a bend in my knees, but I'm improving. I've been doing Ellen Barrett's workouts primarily... she often includes this move that I don't know the name of, maybe she calls them knee drops? Where you drop both knees towards the floor and then extend the top leg out. I feel a huge stretch all down the side of my leg when I do that. Lately I've been adding in some more Pilates, such as segments from Tracey Mallett's Pilates Super Sculpt (which has a flexibility segment... in fact, most of the 10 Minute Solution Pilates dvds have a segment for flexibility/stretching).

ETA - I haven't tried it, but some reviews of Tone and Tighten with Michelle Abbruzzese suggest that it might be up your alley. I guess it's barre like in that there are lots of pulsing type movements, but there's a significant amount of stretching included as well. I would think this kind of approach would be wonderful for functional flexibility.

txhsmom · 02-27-16, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demeris

I was in a madly dysfunctional relationship with the biggest narcissist living.

You were in a relationship with my ex-husband????

Carol

A-Bot · 02-27-16, 05:44 PM

How much time do you want to spend stretching? I think that makes a huge difference. If you like hour long stretching segments, Tony Horton's from P90X is great - and he has a mobility one in P90X2 that I've heard is great. An hour is too long for me, but I imagine that would be ones I would like if I did spend an hour stretching. I think Tony's yoga is really great too.

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02-27-16, 03:44 PM
marya Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Pacific Northwest	If You're Pro-Flexibility but Anti-CS/Essentrics... what workouts have most increased your flexibility and range of motion? What I find displeasing about CS: • Miranda’s contortions. Too ballet-ish/“modern”-dancey for my liking. (I have a ballet dancer’s bone structure, but I’ve never been a fan of ballet-type moves.) • Like Alta (per one of her CS reviews), I don’t want to tone, strengthen, or slim during a stretch workout. No multi-tasking, thank you! • Miranda’s routines don’t seem very well-organized to me. I like workouts wherein the parts interlock like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle—making a beautiful and satisfying whole. • Pacing. My preference is for slow, steady, and methodical. Miranda moves too fast. I could probably keep up with her comfortably if I’d likewise been a ballerina for umpteen years, but since I haven’t been—! So, I’m undertaking a quest for the un-Miranda!

02-27-16, 03:53 PM
Joni O VF Supporter Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Twin Cities, MN	Thanks for asking this question! I'm not anti-CS, but I just want to stretch and increase my flexibility, too.

02-27-16, 04:09 PM
Demeris Join Date: Dec 2006	I'm not anti-CS, but I do love all things related to flexibility. Here are a couple of dvds I love: Scott Sonnon's Ageless Mobility and the original Lastics. Both of them are much slower than Miranda AND they are carefully constructed (like jigsaw puzzles). I have Tangoflex but haven't done it yet. Maybe I'll pop it in instead of a CS/Essentrics next time. I have Bendy Body's Flex-stability workout. I really like it, but it's for someone who's a bit more of an advanced flexibilitizer than I am. I have done it twice and put it aside until I feel I have gained some flexibility. I recently purged near to 90 dvds I knew I would never do again but deliberately kept this one.

02-27-16, 04:40 PM
wishiwasinhawaii Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: NJ	Miranda doesn't bother me. CS is the only flexibility stuff that I do and I actually like all the things about it that you dislike, lol. Yoga, barre, etc. is just too slow for me and I get bored. I never did any ballet or any dance for that matter, but I don't find her moves difficult to follow at all. I do agree that she doesn't seem all that organized, but I personally don't do CS as a rotation (is that even possible?), I do whatever one fits the mood I'm in that day.

02-27-16, 05:17 PM
txhsmom VF Supporter Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Texas	Bar Method workouts have done the most of all the things I've tried. Carol

02-27-16, 05:21 PM
bubbles76 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: New Jersey	I found that when I did Rodney Yee's AM Yoga for Your Week mixed with Blissology that I became much more flexible. I would do my regular workouts in the evening and yoga in the morning. I did yoga every day, even the weekends. __________________ "You humans have the potential to be the most wonderful beings there are - if you can get past all these enormous stupid spots you seem to have in your hearts. It's not your fault. You just don't know how to work your hearts right yet. That's why there are dogs." - Jim Butcher, Zoo Day

02-27-16, 05:27 PM
Demeris Join Date: Dec 2006	OK, I just remembered. This is going to sound very odd, but I was at my most flexible about 18 years ago, and all I was doing was Oxycise--I was in grad school, my career had me flying to different cities every weekend, and I was in a madly dysfunctional relationship with the biggest narcissist living.

02-27-16, 05:39 PM
Lorelai Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Missouri	Also not anti-CS, but for me, Pilates mat work increases my flexibility. It's multitasking, yes, but I'm really tight through the back of my body and just laying on my back with my legs up in the air is a stretch for me. I still need to have a bend in my knees, but I'm improving. I've been doing Ellen Barrett's workouts primarily... she often includes this move that I don't know the name of, maybe she calls them knee drops? Where you drop both knees towards the floor and then extend the top leg out. I feel a huge stretch all down the side of my leg when I do that. Lately I've been adding in some more Pilates, such as segments from Tracey Mallett's Pilates Super Sculpt (which has a flexibility segment... in fact, most of the 10 Minute Solution Pilates dvds have a segment for flexibility/stretching). ETA - I haven't tried it, but some reviews of Tone and Tighten with Michelle Abbruzzese suggest that it might be up your alley. I guess it's barre like in that there are lots of pulsing type movements, but there's a significant amount of stretching included as well. I would think this kind of approach would be wonderful for functional flexibility. __________________ Laura "Practice makes progress." Jessica Smith "There's always an option before we quit." Jessica Smith "You don't have to be a ballerina to feel like one." Ellen Barrett

02-27-16, 05:44 PM
A-Bot VF Supporter Join Date: Sep 2010	How much time do you want to spend stretching? I think that makes a huge difference. If you like hour long stretching segments, Tony Horton's from P90X is great - and he has a mobility one in P90X2 that I've heard is great. An hour is too long for me, but I imagine that would be ones I would like if I did spend an hour stretching. I think Tony's yoga is really great too. __________________ - Ali "Fitness is like evolution - you walk before you run, you jump before you fly" - Michael Olajide Jr.