Leaderboard

Great North Run half was last Sunday. Considering much less diligent training and dragging an extra 4kg around 2.5 minutes slower was fine, especially as set out on a goal pace that would have been about 6.5 minutes slower then decided after 5k that was way too slow, and cranked it up and ran quite a heavy negative split, last km in 4'30, 45s faster than average pace, so still had too much in the tank. Most importantly no injuries and very little DOMS afterwards. Definitely time to focus a bit more on strength and mobility and find some variety from the running heading into the cooler weather and shorter days. Otherwise on the golf front having some good matchplay success but scoring rounds have hit a bit of a plateau. Generally life is more settled though still a bit waiting for the big move next year. House goes on sale soon so it's becoming more real progressively. Hope all are well.

Update then on my own transition to a new life. Age 45, I was an uptight inhibited scientist, tight body, in denial of my body and of physical activity generally (also medical issues had held me back when younger). Emigrated from the UK to Australia, which was the beginning of a new life. I then discovered it was difficult sitting cross-legged, and decided to do something about it. Started yoga, tried many different styles, learned a lot, but all the time kept coming back to the same hatha yoga teacher. Not much happened to my tight body for a few years. But then I decided, as a scientist, I should experiment and find out ways to overcome my inflexibility. I discovered that by absolutely exhausting the muscles first, they would not pull back so much, so I could stretch them. I started to make progress. The teacher, seeing my keenness, introduced me to Kit's work. Also meanwhile, I decided to live my dreams, and started classical ballet (age 52). One thing led to another, and my dance school started performing dance pieces in concerts - and we found that dance comedy went over well. Not all of us were good dancers, and if you keep the audience laughing they tend to overlook deficiencies in technique. That led to an interest in clowning, and also performing using flexibility. Performed (solo or small group) in local cabarets, on stage at international Contortion Conventions (among the best contortionists in the world; I contributed by adding some light relief and comedy), have been invited onto Britains Got Talent and Austrlalia's Got Talent (didnt do well in either by the way, but that was OK by me). At 78, still stretching (legs better than ever, spine much worse). I've been teaching regular (bi-weekely at first, now weekly) ST classes using Kit's technique, but am not performing so much now (though havent given up). So what is the conclusion? That you can attempt to live your dreams, at any age. Do so!

I'm in the middle of actively "programming" a 6 week routine for myself. And today, I wanted to start off the morning with practicing the squat position and holding it for several minutes, following (more or less) the same routine (by Olivia) that I had discovered on August 19 (this comment). Unfortunately, as soon as I put myself in the squat position, I felt a twinge of sharp pain located around the IT band, lower part of the hamstring. This sensation is all too familiar and I recalled how, some instances in the past 100 days, I've been able to self-diagnose the problem — something that brings me lots of joy, as someone (like many others here) value independence. So, I eased out of the squat position and then stretched out my right hamstring (again, what once was a source of frustration has now become source of joy) for a couple minutes, then returned to the squat position and: voila, pain gone. There's something truly satisfying about being able to diagnose ones own pain, especially in the past I would see PT after PT after PT, who would prescribe generic exercises (to their defense, I wasn't able to clearly communicate the sensations going on in my body so how could they pinpoint the problem). Of course, I know it'll take time for the "IT" band pain to fully dissipate but I have faith and know that time will come. In any case, almost every time I experience the 1) pain 2) self-diagnose 3) stretch 4) pain relief , I am reminded of a quote from one of Kit's articles. Though the article centered on diagnosing and treating sciatic pain by relaxing the piriformis, I find that the advice can be applied more generally to other muscles: [^1]: https://stretchtherapy.net/piriformis-and-its-role-in-sciatica-for-students/

The chiropractor's tests are not as accurate as the standing test I described in the clip above; there are many reasons for this claim. Nonetheless, let us assume that you do have a structural leg-length difference (let's use the shorthand of LLD from now on) of 1cm, or more. The 11 studies I referred to briefly above were whole-body X-ray studies (just what you measure on a whole-body X-ray to determine LLD led to a vigorous debate all by itself). A 10mm LLD was claimed to be the point of significance but with zero arguments to support this; the 10 studies subsequent to the first one simply accepted that significance point and ran with it. Lesser differences can be significant, depending on lifestyle. 5mm is definitely enough to cause all the problems you have noted and a great many more. Let us accept the chiropractor's assessment of 10mm. Heavy lifting will exacerbate all the adaptations the body must necessarily do to adapt to the asymmetrical forces acting one it, because the body needs to distribute these forces as widely as possible throughout its structure, muscles, bones, fascia. All have to adapt (this is automatic and out of our control, BTW; and not a problem). An induced scoliosis is one such adaptation; I have one myself, but it is of no significance now. You can see my scoliosis in the video above; it is exaggerated when I put the blocks under my longer leg, and when I put the blocks underneath the shorter leg, my spine becomes more or less completely straight. So—what to do? First, adopt a relaxation practice, daily, and commit to three months. If you do this, you will notice many changes, and most will be permanent by then. The nexus here is that the majority of the discomfort in your body is coming from the asymmetrical adaptations your body must have made; all the stronger places are also holding more tension. Learning how to really relax will make an unimaginably large difference in your daily life, more than literally anything else you can do. Held tension is what is causing the "irritability" in the body you mention in your first post. As many others have reported in this forums, you cannot imagine the effects of this before you feel them—so get started today. Some background here: https://stretchtherapy.net/relaxation-wiki/ Next, a simple stretching program is needed, and the key muscle groups to loosen are the three hip flexors. You will need to concentrate especially on the partner hip flexor stretches, and the quad-hip flexors stretches—it's possible to have loose quads (when stretched on their own) and loose hip flexors (when stretched by themselves), and very reduced ROM when both ends of these muscles groups are stretched at the same time—this is completely unexpected by flexible people (like dancers and gymnasts) but we have seen this literally hundreds of times, both in the clinic and on workshops. Here are the best exercises: https://www.youtube.com/@KitLaughlin/search?query=quad hip flexor You will notice that you are much tighter on one side with any of these exercises—this is a major consequence of your LLD, and the main cause of the SIJ "rigidity and stiffness", too. You'll recall that the origins of all the fibres of psoas and iliacus are the anterior surfaces of all the lumbar vertebrae, and they share fascia with the lowest part of the diaphragm, and quadratus lumborum, and their insertions in the femur mean these muscles have significant leverage on the rotational positions of the vertebrae (as well, this is a major factor in the scoliosis you mentioned). The reason it's essential to balance quad length is because of its attachment (anterior inferior iliac spine, or AIIS)—asymmetric resting length here is a very significant contributor to anterior pelvic tilt and rotation; again visualise the scoliosis. We have found that the greatest bang for the buck (in terms of results gained for time spent) is to do two strong stretching sessions a week only (one session can concentrate on the quad-hip flexor exercises; the other on only the partner hip flexor exercise) and need take no longer than 15–20 minutes. The third recommendation is a small (5mm I suggest) heel lift in the shoes you train in. If you train in bare feet a quarter kg plate underneath your heel when doing any of the vertical load-bearing exercises will work just fine. Use something thinner if this feels too much. This heel lift needs to be relatively non-compressible. I used a piece of leather that was about 6 mm thick in my Olympic lifting boots, and in the days when I used to wear shoes a similar lift in them as well. The fourth recommendation is to concentrate on unilateral training for six months or so (single-leg strengthening in particular) because while you might not feel this, one leg and glute will be weaker than the other. The general rule is to loosen the tighter of any pair of muscles, and to strengthen the weaker of the pair. This way whole body symmetry will be attained, in time. Doing the relaxation exercises speeds these adaptations, too. Comfort in the body (along with improved function) will be the result.

Although I am going to post updates for second pass in program 20, just wanted to share that today I finished the second pass for the starter course, wrapping up with program 21 earlier today. Hooray! I'm experiencing excitement, joy, and pride because again, stretching is not something I had previously been able to stick to, after many failed attempts spread across 2 decades. Historically, I'd pick up some program (paid and free) or some YouTube series, only to let it fall to the wayside. I'm certain there are other factors here: perhaps timing with the universe. Anyways, I'll elaborate on this more later but for the time being, I think (for me personally) that a second pass at program 02 was the right call. I can imagine doing it even a third time (maybe I will at some point) but for the time being, I feel a little more confident about what target muscles I am going to be working on and plan on creating little 6 week programs that will target the following ordered by importance to me: shoulder, hips, ankles. That is not to say all the other target muscles groups are not important nor will be neglected. Rather, it is I want to double down on those target muscle groups because they have been sources of chronic pain for many years and I feel ready to tackle them head on now.

Finally got around to not only finishing listening to this interview between @Kit_Land Yusuf, but also extracted and compiled 2.5 minutes (from 2 hour interview) worth of gold nuggets that resonated with me the most:

@Matt Chung: I love this: This is 100% accurate, and what abbots and monks in Buddhist monasteries have told me many times while Patrick Kearney and I were teaching there.

Second pass at Program 14 August 12, 2024 Day 89 of stretching and flexibility journey Summary Video footage / photos help me gain insight since it helps shine a light on limited range of motion (ROM). For instance, during the Piriformis cross leg. It felt as though I was leaning ALL THE WAY forward however upon watching the footage, I actually moved very little. There are times where I feel so stiff and yet, the footage reveals that I was able to move beyond the range I thought I was limited by. Finally, I found it interesting that performing the piriformis stretch reduced the pain in what I thought was my TFL (maybe it is, maybe it's the glute min, unsure and that's okay). Significant discrepancy between tension in right side (more tension) of neck vs left side Exercise 1 - Piriformis Cross Leg At the end of this exercise, I felt release in what I thought was my TFL (perhaps min glute) I'll likely add this stretch to future programs of mine Enjoyed the Contract and Relax (push foot into knee, drag out) Exercise 2 - Spinal felt stretch in spine, particularly during twisting portion surprised when reviewing footage how limited ROM I had (often I feel like I have more but video/photo reveals otherwise) Exercise 3 - Chair Forward Bend I had anticipated feeling pain in my right shoulder rotator cuff but didn't (this was surprising) Overall wasn't able to really "feel" the stretch in my shoulders Unlikely to add to my own list of custom programs Exercise 4 - Neck stretch Significant difference in tension - looking to the right and tilting head to the left produces very tight tension along right side of neck

Great to hear from you, Danny. We also have moved (to a South Coast town called Kiama, pron. Kie-yama); just beautiful. Surf Beach (and park) directly across the road from our front door. We bought a small two bedroom apartment (deliberately; downsizing became a necessity!) with a great kitchen. It's three minutes from the electric train station (I mention this, because this station is the beginning of the electric line that goes to the heart of Sydney, in two hours). We walk everywhere. And between the front door and the surf beach is a set of decent chinup bars... I was sold immediately! Great result from the Great North Run—"very little DOMS" is what we all hope for! I am going to write up my current play routine; my legs are the strongest they've been in years, and no weights! And then there was the debate last night... I am hoping for a reprieve from the madness of recent years!

Day 117 of stretching With second pass of starter program complete, I'm now on day 02 of following my own stretching routine: screenshot of my "plan" below. I have become aware of my (very ingrained) habit of overthinking to a point of paralysis and resisted the urge to create the "perfect" program and instead, continued on the theme of just showing up and stretching. Though the first 100 days of stretching I deliberately tossed out all expectations, objectives, goals — apart from developing consistency — I'm noticing that with certain positions (like the forward fold below) that suddenly, as if overnight, there's been an exponential increase in range of motion (ROM). It's true what I read about in the forums, blogs, videos: at first, there's little to none, visible progress. Very glacial. Then as if suddenly, there seems to be what appears (and feels) like sudden bursts of breakthroughs. I'm mindful of my desire to "push"; I feel confident in doing so as long as 1) I move slowly and 2) I'm relaxed 3) I'm deeply and rhythmically breathing. In the past, "pushing" was accompanying with tension running throughout my whole body and unable to breath. Not anymore. Really excited about the forward fold progress. I used to think that this position was ALL hamstrings and now have become aware of the lower back's significant role in this movement.

Keeping this one short. Final post (related to second pass / round at Starter Course). Program 21 out of 21 ✅

Neither did they—and (we think not coincidentally) many of these students had back pain that had not responded to other interventions. Loosening the quads–hip flexors together was perceived by these students as a massive release of tension in the lower back muscles. And yes, they were surprised by both their own inflexibility in this particular ROM, and the same in other flexible people. Many of these students had decent front splits (but always through hamstring length and not hip flexor length) too, but the ROM at the hip joint was radically reduced when the back leg was flexed at the knee. This is why we have so many HF and quad exercises. My solo quad-HF exercise reveals this dramatically on workshops and in classes: We ask everyone to do the relaxed back leg version first, and see/feel what depth they can get that way (we teach in mirrored spaces, so this is readily visible) then we repeat the exercise with the back leg loosely folded. The majority can't even get the thigh aligned with the spine in this version—but consider this for a moment: how can you run efficiently if you don't have this ROM when in a loaded stretch position? To run efficiently, you need this ROM in a completely relaxed way!

August 27, 2024 Day 103 Second pass: Program 20 of 21 (Penultimate follow along for starter course!!!) Wall Stretch Again (and again) the cues are helpful and in this case, the "raise shoulder" and "lift chest" increased awareness of desired target muscles Surprising observation: my (chronically injured) right shoulder felt LESS tension during the exercise compared to my left, which experienced a spicy pinch Lats Truly intense stretch in the lat (both sides) The C+R (i.e. drag arm / hand through floor) was very effective Imbalance observation: ONLY on left, did I felt stiffness in the left hip flexor while performing the stretch (I think it might be my rectus femoris but unsure) Side Bend Sensation initially started in the outside hip, then moved its way towards my lats No C+R Lunge Love love love this stretch. 100% going into the program that I am creating for myself (which will share here over next few days) Though it hasn't been the focus, my range of motion has substantially and observably increased. Most importantly, the stretch FEELS different 100 days into it

August 26, 2024 Day 102 Second pass: Program 19 of 21 Summary: 1) Though I've probably performed the elephant walk about a dozen times now (combined between first and second pass of the Starter Program), I only JUST started be able to sense the stiffness in my lower back 2) Could not get into (floor) back bend position since my hands could not grab my ankles (I think limited range of motion in lats or hamstrings, not sure for now and will revisit this some time in the future) Back Stretch No C+R Felt stretch in hip/waist, then when reaching out with arm, sensation moved to lat, then to lower back Elephant Walk Instantly my body warmed up and I started sweating in about 30 seconds Stretch feels different now, able to sense tightness in lower back (repetition of exercise combined with recent desire to obtain forward fold) Back bend In second (more intense version), arms were very shaky due to what I consider weakness No C+R Like others cues, this one (i.e. belly on the ground) helped remind me to relax The "recovery" position (i.e. Seiza) currently not a position I can comfortably sit in due to sharp pain around IT band / hamstring (the Seiza is a position I am actively working on by focusing on ankle and hamstring flexibility) Floor back bend Tightness in my lat, which prevents me from grabbing my ankle; potentially hamstring limiting motion as well In short, could not comfortably get into this position (i.e. too advanced for me for now) Jaw Kit's statement on "99% of people" experience that the jaw is stiff was spot on, despite me initially thinking to myself (Nah, I don't have a tight jaw — I definitely do)

Been walking on gravel on and off for the past few weeks and surprised at how much easier its getting. Easier in the sense of "less sensitive". I swear, just a few months ago, before transitioning to minimal shoes, before doing foot strengthening exercises, I could not even tolerate STANDING on gravel without wincing in pain. Little victories

August 23, 2024 Day 99 Second pass: Program 18 of 21 Summary When developing my own stretch routine, ensure to include not only the stretches, but include the cues themselves. For example, for elephant walk, bend knees as much as necessary and make chest contact the thigh. Finally, consider another exercise for floor legs apart exercise since the (I think) rectus femoris — where muscle goes over the hip — spasmed. Tailor's Pose Super deep, enjoyable stretch Both C+R were very effective at increasing intensity of stretch 1) drive feet together and 20 place hands on knees and resist Throughout the exercise, mind wandered and thought of what the "bottom" muscles were (this has been answered somewhere in this thread and will take a look) Elephant Walk Cues again are helpful Bend as much as possible / as necessary Make chest contact with thigh Wide Elephant Walk Cue very helpful This exercise exposed weakness in thighs because I felt a burning sensation (in the thighs) when bending over Cossack "Find own rhythm" - liked this quote Right side, I could stretch further than left (i.e. imbalance) On left side, felt sciatic nerve pain when performing intense version Floor legs apart spasm in location where bicep femoris goes over the hip joint produce significant sweat and challenging to relax (probably pushed a bit too far)

Love this whole thread and while it has been (almost a decade) since there's been activity, I just want to share my enthusiasm not only for others who are embarking on a new path, a new journey, but for myself as well. Like others in this thread, I am in some ways drastically transitioning to a new era in my life (though multiple life changes, I would say that the biggest catalyst was my divorce) and ST has played an important role in the discovery process. Would love to hear updates from others in this thread, especially those who took the leap of faith.

Yesterday, I had plans to follow along on the second pass of Program 18 (so excited to be almost finished again) but instead, felt inspired and motivated to work on the squat so I doubled down on squatting - will get there! ankle flexibility and mobility - I'm going to get you Seiza kneeling position! shoulder flexibility and mobility - really motivated to continue alleviating pain from shoulder rotation cuff (noticeable improvements over last 3 months of stretching) Followed along Olivia's Squat sequence

A couple tiny updates unrelated to the starter program journey: (Finally) Started daily meditation practice - after watching that 2 hour YouTube video Kit mentioned, I'm a bit more motivated to return to the practice, something I used to do in my 20s ritually and fell off the band wagon after a few years Started strengthening exercises in order to work towards being able to stand up (like my 5 year old daughter below) without the use of hands - did a couple repetitions of assisted (and very very slow) get up / reverse squat and tibialis anterior were SCREAMING (probably due to lack of ankle mobility); will probably practice the squat with an assist (I stumbled upon Olivia's squat video where she suggests using an assist as to avoid tibialis anterior spasms) Also, sharing @Kit_L advice that he provided over email back in May, before I had discovered the forums: "The secret to that move is to reverse it—squat, with hands assistance as required. Get up any way you can. Once you’ve done this a few times, slow it down. This then becomes a strengthening exercise. Then, when everything feels like it might be strong enough, try getting up the way she does. And you can help this by letting yourself roll onto your back, then roll into the squat position with speed—and in time that will be enough to get onto your feet. She (at her age) has the advantage of a long trunk and short, flexible legs and flexible ankles (look at the angles) and her knees are 100% flexed, so has no trouble pulling her feet far enough under her to put her mass in front of her balance point. Most adults can’t do this; I’ll explain why if we get a chance to talk some time."

Yesterday (Sunday, August 18) I met up with Devika (certified Stretch Therapy instructor) in London. This is the second time we've met in person and initially the intention of yesterday's meeting was to do some partner hip flexor stretches. However, we ended up not doing any hip flexor partner stretches (totally okay with me) and instead, discussed some of my chronic pains (i.e. shoulder rotator cuff) and some of my long term goals (see vision board below) so that we could work backwards from that. Starting with the pain, we worked on shoulder stretches (many of which I've done thanks to the starter program) and then towards the tail end of the 1 hour session, I pulled up one of my vision boards and cherry picked two near term objectives (many of the others are aspirational and will take years): the Seiza position and forward fold. For the Seiza position, she helped me raise awareness of some restrictions preventing me from getting into the position, most notably the lack of ankle flexibility. Coincidentally, the exercises she showed me yesterday were the exact same ones that I just did a few minutes ago as part of the Program 17 in the starter course. Finally, for the forward fold, she helped demystify and clear up some confusion I had. I had originally thought that the forward fold predominately was a hamstring stretch but in reality, though it plays a part, the stretch is mainly of the lower back. Anyways, having someone in person to geek out with has been both fun and insightful. Ankle Stretch we did we is very intense and lovely

Tiny victories: these are the best! I remember my friend Ryan Hurst, from GMB, who once said experts are just people who are better at the basics. It is absolutely accurate. And becoming aware of a habit that you know doubt have had since you started work, if not well before, is a truly wonderful thing. Awareness is like this: once you know something; once you feel something, you cannot unlearn it. In other words you're on a one-way road now and you're on that road because you started doing some very small things some months ago. Keep going! Another note that might help. Any time you feel yourself feeling frustrated, particularly at the re-occurrence of a habit that you've had per very long time, internally smile and say, 'there's that thing again!' and really actually smile. It will be an effort in the beginning, but that frustration will literally melt away. As well, let your tummy go completely soft. It's just your mind doing what it's programmed to do, which is to create suffering. If there's no suffering, there's no spur to wake up. When you have the time you might consider watching the very long (nearly 2 hours) program on our YouTube channel recorded with Dr Yusuf Smith, called "Why your meditation is not working." Thanks so much for posting these little gems so regularly. They are gold.

One of the great virtues of following a program is that you get to discover all sorts of a symmetries in yourself that your normal daily life movement patterns literally hide (we unconsciously adapt to them). There's no hiding here! And redressing these symmetries will provide you with a phenomenal sense of grace and ease in the body. Bear in mind that old saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day". All of these changes take much longer than we want them to, but they are all changing right now even if you can't feel it directly. Keep going.

It looks beautiful Kit! Had a virtual visit courtesy of google street view. Delighted you have both found a new nest to settle in after some quite tumultuous years! Do you have a mooring for the boat nearby too? Our place is gradually revealing itself in 3D having committed the project off 2D plans and site visits. The first floor slab has been poured, the amount of concrete and rebar is mind boggling. The lake is the Vierwaldstättersee, about 250m away, you can just see the "Badi" bathing area and there's a rowing club next to that I will definitely look into. Patience. We cant influence the US outcome so there's not much point fretting about it imo, but the quality of the people and debate is indeed depressing.

Day 118 of stretching and flexibility journey Day 03 of following my own program Squaring the hips seems to be, for me, the biggest bang for the bunk, in terms of body adjustments when stretching the quads during the lunge position. Yes, the contract and relax (i.e. dragging knee towards front) and driving the heel (of the target leg) back towards the wall increase the intensity of the stretch, but my current feeling is that it's easy to cheat/avoid hitting the hip flexor when the hips are not squared. Anyways, I'll probably start introducing some adjustments (i.e. revert back to some earlier modifications) to reduce the intensity of the lunge since I'm struggling to hold the lunge position for more than 5 deep breathes (whereas with certain hamstring stretches — my previous worst enemy, now friend — I can hold for as long as 2-3 minutes). Also, I am constantly experiencing joy when I happen to find myself get into a position (e.g. cross legged at the computer) that normally I hesitate due to anticipatory pain. Yes — there's still lingering pain but the magnitude of the pain has reduced substantially. Another tiny little victory.

Oh, also did some more Yamana body rolling and welcome back stretch marks (which tend to only show up when working pecs and shoulders; other areas like quads and hamstrings unaffected)

"both inspiring and intimidating, surrounding by many people who've been practicing long before they could even speak." To learn classical ballet, you have to be able to put up with humiliation. Because if the teacher is good, you will be getting lots of corrections (in front of the whole class, of course). You only know when you've got something right, when they start correcting you on something else. Of course one tries to hide in the crowd. That falls to pieces rather when in the big travelling moves they say "why dont we do it from the corner in twos?" (I know why not!). Then you have to do it in front of everyone else, with everyone looking on. The trick I learned, is to go early, and pair yourself with a good one. Then you hope the class will all be looking at the good one (to learn if possible), not at you. The tendency is to go as late as possible, then you will have two useless ones going together (and nobody to model yourself on if its a complicated sequence). Even worse, if they run out of pairs, you may have to do it on your OWN. No escaping everyones' eyes then. But you do get to hang out with lots of gorgeous young women with perfect bodies in figure-hugging clothing. And they're NICE to you as well! (out of pity, probably).

I love everything about this post. From denial to acceptance about one's own (stiff) body. What did really surprise me was that even after several years of yoga, your body was still tight (unless the type of Yoga didn't focus on flexibility because in that case, that makes sense). Now, as a 36 year old who got into street style dance within the last year, I admire your willingness to live your dreams, to pursue classical ballet — at age 52! I've taken a couple ballet classes and find the whole environment both inspiring and intimidating, surrounding by many people who've been practicing long before they could even speak. Not only that, you continued on and proceeded to perform too. Bravo! It's fascinating and motivating and admiring to see someone go from "hmm, I'm having challenges sitting crossed leg" to eventually teaching stretch therapy classes.

Spend time on your toes (I do this every day) and shift your weight back and forth, and go higher and lower. Strength in the feet is critical. If you have some weights, hold these in front of you while you do this.

> it's possible to have loose quads (when stretched on their own) and loose hip flexors (when stretched by themselves), and very reduced ROM when both ends of these muscles groups are stretched at the same time—this is completely unexpected by flexible people (like dancers and gymnasts) but we have seen this literally hundreds of times, both in the clinic and on workshops. This is very interesting and not something I would've expected. Out of plain curiosity: were the flexible people (e.g. dancers, gymnasts) surprised to see OTHER individuals who had loose quads and loose hip flexors with reduced ROM on both ends when stretched at the same time, or surprised that they themselves (i.e. the dancer/gymnastic) had reduced ROM in that same scenario?

I'm about to start creating my own 6 week program for the target muscle groups — shoulders, feet/ankles, hips — and last night (while practicing dance), I had reattempted a beginner version of a dance move (Hopak) where in a squat position, you kick out alternate legs. I noticed a huge discrepancy in both feeling and inability between the two sides. When single leg squatting (on the tip toes) of my leg side, I can kick out my right leg. At the moment, I cannot perform the same movement on the other (right side). Looking at the photo/videos below, I had originally thought that the sole issue was a tight (RIGHT) hamstring. However, I actually think that is PART of the challenge but looking it a bit closer, I noticed that I cannot support my full body weight on the tip toes of the right foot. Perhaps the two (tightness in hips, weakness in foot/ankle) are related however as part of the next six weeks, I'm going to (continue) loosening the hamstring AND (continue) strengthening the foot/ankle muscles. Then I'll retest in about 6 weeks.

That is the gold, my friend: we cannot feel these changes happening when they're happening, but in time the results become obvious to everyone.

Way to go, @Matt Chung. My recommendation would include not only concentrating on the exercises that your body tells you it needs, but when you just feel like doing a follow along, pick one of the part three programs which are approximately intermediate standard. That is the kind of flexibility that most people really need after all. And thank you so much for your detailed commentary and experiences.

Awesome. I have a hard time getting to the side of the leg with the side hangs (torso too tight I guess), but I've found the tight line using Boxing the Compass, so I'll work on it that way. Thanks again @Kit_L

In that case, we must suspect tensor fascia lata. Again, quite common, and not a problem. Do this instead: There will be on position (towards the end of the first side) that will get straight into that. Another is: You can emphasise TFL by bringing the outside leg across closer to the support.

@Rik and @Matt Chung: there is one more critical detail, but first a distinction: When we are talking, thinking, writing, and describing, we are explicitly in the conceptual realm. When we are feeling the movements in the body we call 'breathing', we are in the experiential realm. Both realms supervene on the physical body involved. In important ways these realms are separate, and everyone has a preference for one of these! One of the goals of a relaxation practise is, once that state is experienced and established in the body (by this I mean that a new habit has been acquired) you are then able to access this state at will. This is simply the larger version of what @Matt Chung wrote about in another thread when he mentioned becoming aware of one of his shoulders lifting while working at the computer, and then describing that he let it go back to where it was. That is relaxation 101. It is the essential first step to mastery.

The making the "aaaaaah" sound is very helpful to start the process, I think. Thanks @Rik, for that. And not coincidentally, this is how we start all public relaxation exercises (the sound is usually three times). Speaking generally, @Matt Chung, you can be certain that relaxation is a state, and there is a substantial literature on this. Relaxation is a parasympathetic nervous system response that has been studied extensively. Now, in asking these questions (and thanks for asking them; they are great questions), you are overthinking this and relaxation is not a state you can think yourself into. It's the opposite, in fact. In saying this, I am not making the claim that you can stop your thinking voluntarily, but rather that as you relax (and are aware of this process happening, usually by using a meditation object like the sensations in the body we label "breathing" and perhaps counting the breaths, though not essential) thinking slows, gaps open by themselves (so thoughts, then space, then next though), the gaps become longer, breathing may stop for up to 30", and much later, only gaps. In this state you are fully present aware of everything around and inside you, and you notice that there are no thoughts. How do I know this? Counting 120 breaths in 60 minutes in a practise session is one way, and being aware of each of those breaths. There is no evidence to support this claim, only the direct personal experience of this.

I think this is a thing that becomes clear as you develop a relaxation practice. The act of relaxing is letting go of tension. Easiest way to experience it is by taking deep breath in, and letting it all out with a big "aaaaaah" sound. Relaxation practice often involves a fully body scan so I suppose that's how you "know" that you are not "hiding" tension somewhere. Air quotes because that's not the point. The point is to develop deep relaxation, and be able to access that state also outside of your practice. Whether or not there is some more even deeper or "truer" relaxation is irrelevant.

How important is the tucking of the toe, and associated heel backward / knee lifting with hips staying down contraction, relative other versions of the stretch? These cues are emphasised right from the start; in lesson 9 Olivia introduces them, then they're gone when Kit first treats Hip Flexors in Part 3 (lesson 16), return in lesson 21, and then are gone again in the Mastery courses Hip Flexor stretches. I still need the bolster under the back knee to get a good hip flexor stretch, as per lesson 9, so it seems counter-intuitive to skip ahead to more advanced lessons. But my toes are extremely tight so they become a limiting factor. Is there any reason not to just forget about the cocked toe / heel back contractions and use the Solo Hip Flexor limber from the Mastery course, but with a bolster, until my toes are less tight?

Sounds like a plan! Thanks Kit.

August 17, 2024 Day 93 Second pass: Program 17 of 21 Summary A sarcastic voice popped up in my head during the tail end of the session when Kit was performing the internal hip rotation exercise, my thought prompted by him saying "what a fantastic sensation that is". At the moment, when I perform the sitting internal hip rotation, the sensation sort of feels like gears grinding in my hip joint. One of the stiffest areas (there are many!) in my body. I recognize this will pass over time and I imagine the internal hip rotation stiffness will feel more lubricated. Cross Leg Sequence When crossing left leg in front, felt nerve sensation / stiffness in IT band along right side of leg, and I suspect the upper part of the hamstring as the culprit because more than once, I've stretched the hamstring and IT band sensation relieves immediately following Hips Very tight line, in almost all directions I leaned towards Feel the stretch less in my back leg, more in front leg, particularly top of hamstring Hip Flexors Super tight and had to move slower than usual and increase level of awareness during breathing As per usual, enjoyed the C+R (both the drive front knee into ground and the sweeping motion) In the future, as part of my own program I carve out for myself, will experiment with the 3 differnet lines Internal hip rotation See above but in short, feels like gear grinding and needs lubrication

I'm sure others have experienced something similar but since starting stretching (almost 3 months ago — a tiny victory), I'm becoming more aware of these (previously unconscious) adaptations. For instance, over this past week — since the second pass on the program 14 (about to post a comment in this movement log) where I focused on my shoulder mobility — I've noticed that when sitting behind the computer and typing, my right shoulder and traps tends to lift up (for whatever reason), tension held. And I continue to mindfully (and as compassionately as possible, despite continuing frustration) and gently relax my shoulder back into a resting position. I'm certain there's a reason adaption however at least 12 times throughout the day — that I'm aware of — I find my body holding the shoulder in this tension filled position. Ultimately, I am appreciative (and a little frustrated at times) of this increase awareness and recognize I probably been holding on to this habit for decades (as a keyboard warrior).

In preparation for the forthcoming book 'Stretching for Every Body', Kit has asked me to post the recommended reading for the larger body of work, known as Stretch Therapy. These texts provide relevant fine details for practitioners, and make fascinating reading for the interested layman. Kit Wrote: "All of the references mentioned here have helped me to understand what happens to us as we stretch. Some readers may be surprised by the age of the books mentioned in this list, as there is a widespread tendency to place greater reliance on more recent publications, on the assumption that the scientific enterprise moves forwards continually. In my experience, however, the earliest possible sources are often the best, even if subsequent work reveals errors of various kinds. Innovators create fields of enquiry; subsequent researchers plough the same ground and—if effective—provide refinement of detail. Both kinds of enquiry are necessary to fuller understanding. The big ideas usually appear in earlier works. Achterberg, J., 1985. Imagery in Healing: Shamanism and Modern Medicine. New Science Library, Boston and London. A very readable introduction to psychoneuroimmunology, the study of the interactions between mind and body, and an analysis that will change your understanding of the patient-practitioner relationship forever. Albrecht, K., 1979. Stress and the Manager: making it work for you. Simon & Schuster, New York, Touchstone edition, 1986. Foreword by Hans Selye. One of the earliest texts in the field of occupational stress; relevant and practical. Contains a good relaxation script. Alter, M. J., 1988. Science of Stretching. Human Kinetics Books, Champaign, Illinois. A wealth of scientific detail underlying the practical dimensions of stretching. Benson, H., 1976. The Relaxation Response. Collins, London. This very small book is a minor gem, condensing a great deal of technical research into meditation recommendations and related practices. Chiba, S., Ishibashi, Y., and Kasai, T., 1994. Perforation of dorsal branches of the sacral nerve plexus through the piriformis muscle and its relation to changes of segmental arrangements of the vertebral column and others. Kaibogaku Zasshi (Acta Anatomica Nippon). Damasio, A. R., 1994. Descartes’ Error: emotion, reason and the human brain. Macmillan, London, Papermac edition, 1996. The most influential book I read in 1997, and which provides a deep understanding of the relation between what we call the ‘mind’ and the ‘body’. My sincere hope is that Stretching for Every Body can provide some of the tools to alter the perception of, experience of, and the function of, this dualism (which distinction is motivated, as G. Spencer-Brown would say). Foss, L., and Rothenberg, K., 1987. The Second Medical Revolution: From Biomedicine to Infomedicine. Shambala, New Science Library, Boston & London. The 'infomedical' model locates the human being in an ecological, social and psychological framework with important implications for treatment of illness and analysis of cause - especially the degenerative diseases of our time - while preserving the deep insights into process provided by the scientific world view. The model is fairly described as revolutionary in the Kuhnian sense. Jerome, J., 1987. Staying Supple: the bountiful pleasures of stretching. Bantam Books, New York. The ‘Unnumbered lesson’ in my "Stretching & Flexibility" derives much from this slim but rich publication. I had extolled the pleasure of stretching long before I found this book, but Jerome made me think again about how the points between the cardinal points on our stretching compass need to be explored. His insistence on the necessity of listening to what the body is trying to tell you cannot be overemphasised in achieving the goal of flexibility. Are you listening? Johnson, M., 1987. The Body in the Mind: the bodily basis of meaning, imagination, and reason. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. This brilliant book examines the ways in which our body and its movement through time and space is constitutive of thought, from basic awareness to abstract concepts, via image schemata and metaphor. Although Johnson’s focus is different, his insights are compatible with Damasio’s. Perhaps the negative prejudice accorded the body (in comparison with the mind) explains why Johnson’s ideas are not more central to mainstream philosophy today. Juhan, D., 1987. Job’s Body: A Handbook for Bodywork. Station Hill Press, New York. Foreword by Ken Dychtwald. I read this wonderful book many years before Damasio’s; when I read the latter I was reminded of the many insights Juhan had achieved without the new biochemical and neurological evidence presented in Descartes’ Error. The understanding provided by direct experience, and acts of imagination constrained by this experience, can be far-reaching indeed. Juhan’s book should be read by all who describe themselves as body workers. Kapandji, I. A., 1974. The Physiology of the Joints. Volumes I–III. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh. This is the first and finest exposition of the anatomy and physiology of the bones and muscles of the body, presented from an engineering and Newtonian physics perspective. The sheer comprehensiveness of these texts is humbling and they are beautifully and innovatively illustrated. Kapandji’s capacity to draw the fundamental physical principles involved in joint movement in a simple, though anything but simplistic, way is an inspiration. This is a must-have set of books for anyone interested in exercise or rehabilitation. Keleman, S., 1985. Emotional Anatomy: the structure of experience. Center Press, Berkeley. Keleman argues persuasively that one’s own body shape is a dynamic interaction between one’s genetic inheritance and one’s personal emotional history. His work is a considerable elaboration of Reich’s insights (see below) into character armoring. Of particular interest is his analysis of the internal implications of this history, and its effect on organ function, the musculoskeletal dimension, and the emotional choices that are made as a result, all of which constrain options for future adaptation. Remarks made above in relation to Damasio’s work are relevant here, too. Kendall, H. O., Kendall, F .P., and Wadsworth, G. P., 1971. Muscles, Testing and Function. Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, 2nd edition. Again, the original and, in many ways, the best. A newer revised edition is available. Knott, M., and Voss, D. E., 1968. Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation. Harper & Row, New York. The first of its kind; two subsequent editions have been released. Kurz, T., 1994. Stretching Scientifically: a guide to flexibility training. Stadion, Island Pond, Vermont, USA, revised 3rd edition. Kurz’s book has some useful ideas on developing dynamic flexibility; athletes in sports requiring this kind of flexibility would do well to read it. He is critical of partner stretching, though: too dangerous and inefficient, on his account. His theory chapter is brief and excellent. Laughlin, K., 1998. Overcome Neck & Back Pain, first published 1995, by BodyPress, Canberra; second edition Simon & Schuster, Sydney; revised third edition, Simon & Schuster, New York; full rewrite fourth edition, Simon & Schuster, Sydney, 2007. All relevant details of how we approach the treatment of neck and back problems will be found here, as will the references on which the approach draws. For example, the Chiba et al. research that revealed the high percentage of the general population whose piriformis muscle is pierced by the sciatic nerve will be found here. This reference is included, above. Laughlin, K., 1999. Stretching & Flexibility. My initial attempt to present a lesson-based approach to improving flexibility, much of this remains relevant today. As the world has moved, though, from a logo-centric perspective to an image-based one, I realised that I needed to rewrite this from top to bottom. Hence the present work. I have précised (if there is such a word) much of the technical explanations of that original here in recognition of this change, so you may care to find an old copy and see what I was thinking then. All remains relevant, and the lesson plans are still operative. Reich, W., 1989. The Function of the Orgasm. Souvenir Press, London. First published in English, 1942, as The Discovery of the Orgone, Volume I: the function of the orgasm, Orgone Institute Press. Through his insistence that ‘muscular attitudes and character attitudes have the same function in the psychic mechanism ... they cannot be separated ... [and] are identical in their function’, Reich gave modern voice to what are now called schools of body work. Selye, H., 1976. The Stress of Life. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York. Revised edition 1976, paperback edition 1978. This book, first published in 1956, spawned a major field of research and remains relevant today. Selye’s insights are one of the longest-lasting major revisions in modern medicine and the full weight of his research is yet to be felt, in my view. Travell, J. G., and Simons, D. G., Volume 1, 1983; Volume 2, 1992. Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: the trigger point manual. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore. Another monument of scholarship, Travell and Simons’s two volumes are, in my experience, owned by many but understood by few. Like Kapandji, these books repay constant revisiting, and one cannot help feeling awed by the sheer hard work involved in their preparation. The illustrations of muscles and bones by Barbara Cummings are the best I have ever seen."

Loved this article and thanks for sharing. The following quote jumped out to me: "If you don’t feel at home in your body, you will never feel at home in the world."

Day 83, August 06, 2024 Program 12 (second pass): wall calf, squat, quads, toe point, sit on heels Summary I'm a big fan of C+R (contract and release) method and outside of daily limbering, will continue using them for increasing both ROM and strength Overall, sensing more increased range of motion across almost all muscle groups Cues never get old (e.g. "maintain the tail tuck") Exercise 01 - wall calf Loved the increased intensity when performing the C+R (ball of the foot) Since doing Toe Yoga, I'm more aware that I was previously pressing the toes into the ground during the C+R, not the ball of the foot Feels like relatively short range of motion (ROM) when transitioning to the bend knee version, which I think ends up targeting the ankle mobility more Sensing increased range of motion in this stretch, particularly in my soleus muscle Exercise 02 - (chair) squat I feel that I'm able to grip the chair with less force this time around I'm starting to (outside of the stretch therapy routines that I'm following) just squat for extended periods of time and often feel the most intensity in my psoas Exercise 03 - quads C+R of straightening the leg increases the intensity remarkably and the increased intensity is pleasurable Compared to the left side, my right leg felt more tight and I felt a slightly sharp pain in the knee region of the right leg only I also warmed up my quads before hand for about 30 minutes using the Yamana ball Exercise 04 - toe point Started off stretching on the hardwood floor but pain in the toe joint against friction of hardwood floor required me to use my Pilates mat C+R of dragging toes (like other C+R above) increased intensity and of course range of motion The cue of "maintain that tail tuck" was a useful reminder because it's easy to forget about maintaining that position Ankles were on fire and I felt burning sensation in my quads Exercise 05 - sit on heels

Though this thread is mainly intended to track my exercises, progress etc I thought I'd share this short reel that I had created this past weekend that I made after my daughter and I jumped around at the trampoline park. For me, this is ONE of the primary motivators for stretching and mobility and strengthening work. In the video, half way through our 1 hour jump session, I became aware of how grateful I was of the work I've been putting: "I'm really grateful for all the stretching I've been doing and mobility work because I am able to bear crawl around with Elliott (in the soft play area) without much joint pain so things are starting to pay off" In short, continuing to reap the benefits of stretching.

https://www.thepodcasthost.com/planning/using-anchor-to-make-a-podcast/ Apparently, Spotify bought Anchor FM, and they are moving to a subscription pricing plan, as so many others are. Still looking. @Emmet Louis does have a podcast superstar voice, though, and I recall telling him this in the early days!

The link is broken

1. They are variations. 2. They're just numbers. The L indicates it's a limbering movement, while the E indicate it's a contract-relax movement. 3. It's related. Isometric stretching is a bit broader, but I wouldn't worry too much about the distinction. Remember, do whatever you feel works for you! 4. No idea why it's E. Effort maybe? 5. You'll have to figure out for yourself. Starting point is the most useful E stretches for you 1-2x a week and limbering daily. 6. Limbering, stretching what feels tight. There's always work to be done! 7. They will build strength, but only at the ends of ROM. Contract-relax stretching is no substitute for real strength work like squats and deadlifts. 8. You skip it. Or you MacGuyver something up. 1. Only do as much limbering as you need to get in the positions required by the low bar squat. 2. Depends on your current strength level. I'd get at least two levels. 3. That depends on you. In most cases you can rig something up. For instance, you can do the single arm ring hang with a bookcase, and the stall bar lat stretch with a door. Be creative!

Yes, my view is in agreement - the lumbar spine will get a workout anyway in any backbend, no matter how well it is done, so you do not need to specifically target it - in fact you need to protect it. This protection is primarily done with transversus abdominis tightness (which will translate into tightness of the lumbar fascia). You target upper lumbar and thoracic vertebrae to get a curve that is as even as possible along the length of the spine. But I am really replying to "why backbend anyway?" If you can't bend beyond your normal position, it means that in normal life you are already working at your limits. As you age, your tissues will tend to get tighter and tighter. This means that as you age and the ligaments and muscles gradually shorten over time, your vertebral disks will undergo greater and greater compression. This will lead to potentially a slipped disk, or earlier degeneration of the vertebral cartilage*. So you need to regularly go beyond the positions you use in daily life to easily maintain the positions you currently use in daily life. As well, the strength and control you build up in backbending, will increase the protection of your spine for daily activities. * A few points. Some people are tight and muscular. They tend to get slipped disks, as their vertebral disks come under greater and greater compression. Loose and lanky people tend to injure their spines in other ways, because they tend to let their ligaments do the work of providing stability, rather than the muscles. Secondly, the vertebrae degenerate in ageing primarily because the supply of nutrients to the centres of the disks (which dont have their own blood vessels; they get nutrients by diffusion of substances from the blood vessels on the surface of the adjacent bone) gets reduced. Movement of the cartilage helps to relieve compression of the blood vessels and helps transfer of nutrients. Hence having a mobile (and moving) spine is likely to delay the effects of ageing. Jim.

On the topic of generalism...actually its more of a feeling of independence for me. So what am I actually dependent on: I need food to survive, that's obvious. So what happens when food stops arriving at the grocery store, or if I stop having enough money to pay for it...do I know what to do? Checklist for this: - practising bow hunting - what if i can't afford a bow? - practising bow making (sweet I can make one from scratch now...soon will be learning to do it with stone tools that I also make! - practising foraging and edible plant identification - butchery and meat preservation without power - making veggie gardens and maintaining them - understanding rain catchment (see plumbing below) Ok cool so that's almost covered, but I do need much more practise. What else? Shelter and living arrangements! OK so I need a few things here: - practising basic wood work and building skills. I have been helping my friend renovate his house, which includes building walls and other structures, learning basics of building and carpentry. Also currently learning some hand tool basics to get even better - basic plumbing skills.... need to do more of this - other basics such as fire making (can do it with a flint and a bow-drill now...booyah!) - hide tanning (blankets alright! also other clothes! gunna get into some shoe making soon) - basic tailoring for clothes....still haven't gotten into this yet but it's on the to-do list. Its quite an interesting feeling when I'm reasonably close to being confident without being totally reliant on the system like some sort of large baby person. This is true independence! I'm off to the USA to do this course soon: http://www.lynxvilden.com/ Also working closely with a bunch of pro bushcrafters around the place. On a side note, once you learn how to forage you really never look at the world in the same way again. YOU CAN EAT SO MUCH. seriously its like a sweet salad garden just growing everywhere. I know a few guys who don't even buy food that much anymore. They have veggie gardens, and they forage and hunt and also eat roadkill and whatnot. Interesting!