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Found 6 results

  1. Hi Olivia I have followed Kit (and yourself) for a number of years, and my stretching routine is based on your methods. A question for you please. The hamstring and hip flexor stretches I use both come from a similar starting lunge position, with minor positioning alterations. I find that both stretches stretch both the hamstring and hip flexors but to different degrees. My main question is, does it matter what order they are done in? e.g, hip flexor first, then hamstring, or the other way around? Actually, this question could be expanded to include all stretches, but my question starts with the 2 stretches specifically. I hope this is clear? Olivia's reply: Thanks for your message. My apologies for my slow response – crazy times. In response to your points/question below, yes, the lunge position is indeed the base position for both the hamstring and hip flexor stretches. The cues for each are designed to help you target hamstrings in one exercise, and hip flexors/quads in the second. For both exercises, tension in the other muscle group is desirable in order to position the pelvis (and hips) such that the stretch effect is felt in the muscles you are trying to stretch. For example, take the hip flexor exercise. Tension in the hamstrings of the front leg posteriorly tilts the pelvis so that lumbar extension is not incorporated (extending the lumbar spine is one way the body avoids stretching the hip flexors on the back leg, after all 😀, and for someone with lower back pain, lumbar extension can be very uncomfortable and might cause a recurrence of their pain, so must be avoided). With regard to which order to do the exercises in, there is no strict rule here (we don't really have any 'rules' in ST). In our experience, the hip flexor/quadriceps complex is tight in almost everyone, and loosening it is fundamental to good health, so we suggest people start with it. If your positioning does result in the maximum feeling being experienced in the hip flexors of the back leg, it is still the case that the hamstrings are getting some work as well. As an experiment, you could do a session working only on the hip flexor version of the lunge and then feel where the soreness is in the days following – if it is mainly/only hip flexors/quads, then your positioning was perfect. If it is also hamstrings, then this may suggest to back off the hamstring component the next time you do the lunge to target hip flexors, and/or it may suggest that your hamstrings need the work, so next session (after all soreness has resolved) do the hamstring version of the lunge. "Backing off the hamstring component" is done by letting the front leg's knee flex a few degrees; play with this to find how much. A much shorter answer would have been that you will have to experiment and pay close attention to the responses in your body. One more comment. I encourage my students to vary the order from time to time. We as humans are creatures of habit, and like what we already know, so tend to do the same sequence each time. We know that the more novel the movement is, the greater the effect: this is true of order of exercise practice, just as it is of technique used, frequency of stretching, and many, many other variables.
  2. Hi, I have a problem I've done kit laughlin's hamstring stretch. It's fantastic!! The problem is that I seem to make progress but then the next day when I wake up I notice that my hamstrings have become tense again and I've lost the previous flexibility that I had gained the day before. How do I resolve this problem? Thank you
  3. We made up this stretch on the fly for a student who for medical reasons didnt want to put her head down. I aimed to stretch the posterior chain in the way the downward dog does (though only on one side at a time). The front of the foot is raised on blocks to give a calf stretch and brought a long way forward to give a bit of a hamstring stretch as well. The hip on that side is pressed back strongly. What was surprising is how different it was from the downward dog. Most of us felt it strongly along what might have been the line of the glutes, one student felt it stongly on the inner thigh. I guess it is going to pick out different muscles depending on pre-existing tightnesses and patterns of use, as well as subtle rotations during the stretch. However, because it targeted a different pattern of muscles from a downward dog (and incredibly valuable stretch in my opinion), it might be a useful stretch in peoples' armoury (even if they can do the downward dog). Out of interest, has any one tried this stretch, is it a standard one, and what are your opinions of it? Jim.
  4. Hi people, this is my first post here. (Just starting with Kit's pancake series after doing other types of stretching without getting much results.) I have a situation with my hips and hamstrings that leaves me puzzled: Bending over with straight legs, legs together, my maximum range is flat hand on the floor with the heel of the hand almost touching the ground. However, some days I'm so tight that I can only reach halfway down my calves with my fingertips. Which means about 40 centimeters less range, considering that the heel of my hand is up by the knee! It feels like the tightness is in my hamstrings, to the point where they could be contributing to lower back pain. While hamstring limbering eventually would get me to my end range, it took a lot of work. Then a while ago I tried doing hip flexor stretches first, and after just a little hip stretching, I could get to my end range in the forward bend. And the effect is immediate. For example this morning, again not even able to touch my ankles, I tried the Chinese hip grinder. One little set of five seconds on each hip, and bam! I could get my almost my whole palm on the ground in the forward bend. It's like magic. How can this be? I thought - and it still feels like - my hamstrings are limiting my compression, not the hip flexors. (My top priority right now is getting enough straddle compression to perform a press to handstand.) How can the hip flexors be hindering my compression? I thought that tightness here would limit my ability to open my hip, not close it. I might expect some impact, but not this dramatic. The fact remains, a little hip stretching improves my compression immediately, releases hamstring tightness and alleviates hamstring DOMS and back pain. Has anybody else had similar experiences? Cheers, Børge
  5. Hello all, This is a taste of the programs we start making the day after tomorrow (Tues, Apr. 15 now; I like date stamps). Olivia takes you through a follow-along single leg dog pose: this is THE KEY to ankle and calf flexibility, but that's not all. For many (especially those of you have tight calf muscles) this is the key to unlocking forward bending. Don't just watch; try it—it is very strong, and very effective. Comments most welcome, and please share this as widely as you can.
  6. I attach a photo taken at the recent inaugural Monkey Gym workshop in Chattanooga; in it, Ryan (a participant and keen CrossFitter) is shown using a piece of Pilates equipment (the Cadillac) to stretch all the hip flexors. Getting the back leg to the Cadillac table surface is easy: by leaning forwards, and by hanging the lower leg off the table top, you can get the hips square and in the full front splits position. The string hip flexor stretch is then brought on by taking the trunk away from the front leg, using the Cadillac uprights to assist. The partner holds the hips square, and provides the pivot around which to move, as well as weighting the hip joint itself. Three contractions are done: the standard 'drag the back leg through the table top'; the fold up the back leg until there's a stretch, then 'try to straighten the leg', and the novel 'press the trunk forward and down' (uses psoas very strongly). Then the back lower leg is replaced on the table top, and then you try to lift the shoulders and trunk as far away from the Cadillac table top as you can; Ryan has done a brilliant job here. I should add he's 6' + and 100Kg. Very nice suppleness in such a big man. Try this; you'll like it.
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