Ned's log

[Matt Chung]

> It's been a couple months so it makes sense that my tightest spots have changed

I can relate so much to this statement. I'm also aware others on the forum have suggested that if a particular movement or stretch feels overly painful, then move on and sometime down the line return to the stretch and though I initially struggled with the idea (i.e. not pushing through), it makes perfect sense in light of what you said: the tight spots tend to change. Constant tweaking.

[Nathan]

On 5/27/2025 at 7:11 AM, Gareth O Connor said:

DOMs

Just in case the lowercase "s" was not a case of slippery pinky finger, the acronym should actually be DOMS, which stands for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

[Gareth O Connor]

Thanks for that...I think you know what I meant

[Kit_L]

@Gareth O Connor: precision is a virtue, still. In my case, for example, I thought DOMS stood for delayed onset muscle syndrome, but I was wrong. I appreciate being corrected. This is the way we roll on this site.

[Gareth O Connor]

I've a lot to learn regarding the body and life

 

[Ned]

I did some freestanding Cossack squats this morning, one set of 10 alternating sides each rep.  They're less taxing from a strength perspective than they were, but I still have some lingering tightness in a few spots that prevents me from feeling ease or grace when I do them.  So I did more bent leg Cossack squat practice afterwards to work on those spots.  

Wall calf stretches + contractions.  Not a whole lot that feels significant here, strength and endurance seem to be bigger factors here than range of motion for me so it's probably time to add in some of the calf raises on stair edges to train that specifically.  

Elephant walks.  I always enjoy this one.  It's intriguing to me how much straighter my legs can go as I limber through this one as well.  I know that warmed up flexibility is a whole different thing than cold flexibility, but I'll take it anyway.  

Straight arm back bend.  A pleasant stretch through the abdominal muscles with this one.  Not held too long today, limbering with it rather than seeking more intensity.  

Lying rotation - Just limbering from this one today too.  Pulling my knee towards the floor adds a little bit of piriformis/glute stretch, and some work in the groin/adductors but it isn't what I'm needing at the moment.  

Seated bent-leg forward fold.  I remembering seeing @Matt Chung posting about this one pretty early on in my stretching journey and trying it briefly before realizing that it was going to be one to come back to later.  I stuck a sheet under my feet so they could slide forward smoothly.  I held this one for a pretty long time.  There was lots of stretch [or maybe stiffness, like I haven't moved that way very much] but not a lot of intensity in the lower back and a moderate intensity in the hamstrings.  At some point, I realized that I could just straighten my legs (toes pointed) the last bit without letting my torso move, so I did and just let my torso hover above my legs for a bit.  More hamstring intensity with that, but not an unpleasant amount.  I bent my legs back up to meet my torso and then worked each leg from the bent position again back to straight again a few times.  I wasn't expecting to do any of that when I started this stretch, but it felt right at the time so I went with it.  

I've posted a lot more detail about stretching than I have about relaxation.  So here's a bit of an update on some of what I've noticed over time on that side of things.

I've been trying to be more mindful for the last bunch of months about the degree of habitual tension I carry and how it changes in different positions (sitting, standing, lying, walking, stretching).  It's a wonderful thing to feel habitual tension disappear for the first time somewhere (usually when stretching for me), and then notice how the balance shifts over weeks and months from nearly always tense, towards softer and more relaxed as my instinctive response to different situations and awareness of that part of my body has changed over time.  The lying relaxation practice helps a lot with that since it's time spent deliberately practicing both body awareness and relaxation and the chance of noticing the difference between tense and relaxed through the day increases as the mind gets used to scanning the body and what it feels like when it's relaxed.  I'm far from being continuously aware of tension (or lack thereof), but when I notice it relaxation--at least to some degree--becomes a choice again with the opening of possibilities that brings with it.  It used to be that I would need to deliberately pay a lot of attention to notice I'm not relaxed and maybe I could relax or maybe not.  As I've become more relaxed--though I'm still actively learning this skill--I'll spontaneously notice sometimes that I'm tense and immediately relax with the noticing.  I've spontaneously noticed a few times in the last week that I can just stay relaxed (or pre-emptively not get caught up in the set of mental responses that would've caused the tension to form) in some situations where I previously would have noticed that I was carrying tension a few minutes later.  I still need lots more practice before that becomes routine though.  Or maybe more accurately, until my awareness is at a point where it notices that all the time, since I think there's a lot of interplay between thought, tension, relaxation, and awareness that I'm just starting to get an inkling of.  I'm not sure any of that makes a whole lot of sense, but it's like having the insight sometimes to intervene one link earlier in the chain of cause and effect with all the effort that saves.  Owing to the frequency of leaf blower use around where I live, I expect I'll get a fair bit of practice with this in the coming months.  

LRP.  

[Kit_L]

On 5/29/2025 at 10:53 AM, Ned said:

I know that warmed up flexibility is a whole different thing than cold flexibility, but I'll take it anyway.  

You should, because warmed up flexibility becomes cold flexibility in time – that is a promise.

[Ned]

May 30 

Pullups (5,4,3,2,1).  I'm currently doing these from a 2x12 board.  I'm curious how training with the forced vertical forearm translates to a regular pullup bar when I eventually try one.  Pushups (25).

15s one arm hang/side.  These are currently more limited by chest, upperback, shoulder strength, and discomfort from the board edge digging into my palm than grip for me.  But a lot of that is that I still haven't done enough of them to relax while doing it.

L-sit practice 6x10s (no rest) alternating single leg up, 2x5s L-sits (not perfect form by any means, but not awful either).  Done on fists to avoid aggravating my wrist.  

After several attempts, I managed my first sit to squat from the floor.  Absolutely brutal for the core, I'm going to keep using regressions for a while because I think I'm using strength to compensate for not quite having enough flexibility.

Sit to bottom of pistol squat transitions.  Isometric leg raises (8-10s) from the bottom position of a pistol squat.  The angle of my straight leg is still a lower than the squatting leg, but I'm able to lift it higher than on previous attempts.  

---

Today

Pullups (5,4,3,2,2) I've been loosely following my recollection of this program https://www.strongfirst.com/the-fighter-pullup-program-revisited/ and just found it again, so I figured I should link it.  I'm taking more days off because I can't imagine my elbows would feel great with that volume doing it 6 days a week at this point.  Feet elevated ring rows (8,7,5,4).  Pushups (25).  Pistol squats 1 on the left (first since the fall), 1 best effort on the right (not strong enough to come up yet) + 2 slow negatives on right.  2x8s L-sit.

Program 17, 18: Calves, hip flexors, quads, spinal flexion, squat, ‘Tailor pose’, z-pose recovery, standing legs apart, bent-leg Cossack, floor legs-apart intro

These two programs just felt right today.  The calf stretch was nicely intense.  I'm going to start incorporating it a little more often (or maybe try the single leg dog pose since I ended up dropping my hands down onto the lower rung of the chair I was using).

The hip flexor exercise felt very strong today, but it was easier than my previous attempts and it felt good to do and I'm strong enough now that it didn't feel quite as brutal (not to say it was easy, because it wasn't).  

The quad + insole stretches were both good today.  I kept the mat to keep my hips level, but opted to do the top of the foot/ankle stretch on the floor. 

The spinal flexion requires some doing to feel a stretch at this point.  It's nice as a loosening/limbering movement though.  I admit I skipped the squat (but have done a few getting up and sitting back down through the day--I've chosen to both work and sleep on the floor nearly all my life so even on my laziest of days I end up doing a few).  

The Tailor pose today might be the first time it feels like I've stretched the right muscles and activated the right one.  I can't say for certain that it's the first time, but it felt noticeably more like a muscle stretch and less like hitting a limit on connective tissue today compared to all the other times I've tried it, the contraction of the muscle pulling my knees down feels quite weak which I think also lends some support that I haven't really been doing it right previously.  Knees are still quite high off the floor.  The recovery was quite nice as well.  I had a lot more difficulty with that kind of internal rotation a few months ago than I do now.

The elephant walks were both very pleasant.  I was able to straighten my legs towards the end, but it's quite intense.  The wide legged elephant walk was similar.  I'm able to relax into these a lot more now (or maybe I just appreciate relaxing into them more now) and really enjoy how good they are at warming me up, limbering, strengthening, and stretching.  

The bent leg Cossack squat is still a challenge, but I can feel that I'm relaxing more while I'm doing it which is a good sign.  Quite a strong hamstring stretch for me today.  My torso could relax a bit onto the thigh more than it has previously.  I'm still just sticking with the closer hand, though I can turn enough now to get the second hand onto the foot I still have some difficulty relaxing the hamstrings once it's there.  

The floor legs apart is still a challenge for me.  With this one, I'm still in the massive effort phase (admittedly, it's getting easier over time, but it's still far from feeling natural to me) of Kit's "And in the end, flexibility is nothing more than, in particular positions, feeling natural in the body, whereas before they felt like they were a massive effort."  I do feel like I'm able to move the pelvis a little more than I have previously, and I'm (slowly) lowering the cushion I'm sitting on as well so it's clear to me that the movement is becoming more natural over time.  Intense stretches through the hamstrings, and a little bit in the adductors with some of the leaning positions here.  

[Ned]

A few days ago, I did the foot sequence.  My toe spreads on both feet are now pretty easy to achieve (with or without fingers), and there's a marked reduction in the stiffness of the tissues when I wring the toes or move the foot around so it's mostly maintenance and incremental improvements at this point.  

Daily barefoot walking along the lake shore this week and probably through the summer--a good mix of sand, pebbles, stones, uneven boulders, and driftwood.  

I've been greasing the groove with weight assisted one legged squats (10lb plate) for the last few days.  Yesterday I did quite a bit of calisthenics work, today there's remarkably little soreness all things considered, but I am stiffer than usual.  Pullups (5,4,3,3,2).  Side to side Cossack squat transitions (10-12), mostly high but a few lower ones toward the end.  Hanging bent leg raises (2x10) slow, no momentum, knees above waist, as much hollow body as I can.  Kneeling ab-wheel roll-outs 1x5 also maintaining a hollow body.  1x(20s,25s)/side one arm hangs--much easier today than previously and I was able to relax quite a bit more while doing them.  Offset pushups 1x10/side (one arm somewhat out the the side, straight up and down relative to the close arm).  Wall handstand holds (didn't time them, but pretty short).  

Program 19: Side/back bend, elephant walk, floor back bend, 1/2 bridge, seated rotation, jaw sequence

Side bend, back bend both very pleasant.  The arm overhead and the reaching movements were just what I needed today.  

Elephant walk - I'm quite a bit stiffer than usual today, but given yesterday's training session I'm not surprised.  

The floor back bends gave a remarkably pleasant stretch through the abdomen.  I also quite enjoyed the C-slump recovery after the straight arm version and I spent some time moving my legs forward from side to side to stretch the middle/upper back some more.  

The 1/2 bridge was quite a bit easier to do today than it has been previously.  I find holding the ankles a little bit awkward at times (my head and shoulders want to come up off the floor until I'm in the bridge and pull them forward a bit).  A nice quad stretch and a little bit of pulling sensation (not uncomfortable, but an awareness of the tension) in the sides of the knees which tells me my quads are currently limiting the movement a little bit.  

The seated rotation was lovely as well.  My right trapezius particularly enjoyed the compression and relaxation from this one.

The jaw sequence today was quite relaxing.  I don't generally hold a lot of tension there, but today there was a little more than in previous encounters with this sequence and it was nice to relax it.

LRP.  I sometimes think I have questions about this or things that seem to be related to it.  Invariably though, I find relaxing more and being immersed in the present is the answer to whatever the question happened to be.  

Kit and Olivia I wish you both a truly relaxing (and very long overdue) sabbatical.  

[Kit_L]

6 hours ago, Ned said:

Invariably though, I find relaxing more and being immersed in the present is the answer to whatever the question happened to be.  

It always will be! What you wrote is the summation of Eckhart Tolle's whole book, The power of now.

[Ned]

Program 20: Thoracic extension and flexion, lats, side bend, and lunge hamstring

Each time I work through these programs I learn more, refresh things I'd forgotten, and find myself better able to relax and enjoy the process than the previous time.  Time well spent.

The thoracic extension and flexion felt very good today.  The wall version of this one was lovely, I had less shoulder compression this time, so I was able to relax into it more.  There was some chest stretch with it as well which was most welcome.  The "Three Amigos" stretch is one I've tried a few times since I first encountered it, but I'd forgotten the ever important tail tuck in those attempts so it didn't quite real right on those attempts.  I'm very glad to relearn (and now I'm unlikely to forget) the cues for it.  

The lat stretch was quite interesting to explore again.  I usually get a good one from the hangs, but I enjoyed being able to change the emphasis a bit depending on how I was positioned and where I was breathing into with this one and the contraction was lovely to do.  

The kneeling side bend was very pleasant.  I spent some time in the reaching phase to loosen up one spot in my right upper back that needed it.  

The lunge hamstring was quite intense today.  I spent more time in the end positions.  I'm not up to five minutes, but definitely a couple.  I'm also getting a better sense of how different stretches are connected to each other in terms of how the parts of the body feel in related stretches and how limitations in one (the hamstring/lower back relationship in the pike vs this one--more hamstring, less lower back--for example) feel different across stretches that work on similar areas.  It continues to be an interesting learning process.  

I added a fairly long wall straddle and a floor piriformis stretch afterwards since I felt like I needed them.  

LRP.

[Kit_L]

22 minutes ago, Ned said:

The wall version of this one was lovely, I had less shoulder compression this time, so I was able to relax into it more. 

The secret here is to extend the arms as high up and as far off the body as possible before you load the palms up with your body's weight. Reaching the arms off the body reduces the compression sensation in the shoulders hugely, if you reach actively enough. And you won't be able to get to the maximum reach position if you try to elevate your shoulders once you're in the position – you need to do this before you load it.

[Kit_L]

25 minutes ago, Ned said:

feel different across stretches that work on similar areas

And this is why we stress repetition and feeling so much. Every time you do a stretch, if you're paying enough attention, there will be something that will feel slightly different and something that will need repositioning or readjusting. This is the reason why the 'sets and reps' approach just does not work for flexibility – you need to embody the work as you're already doing and this is the reason why. It is knowledge that only you can gain about yourself, and it's the body telling you, not the other way about! All great insights.

[Ned]

Pullups (5,54,3,2) + training the bottom part with active <-> passive transitions and scapular shrugs, pushups (25 + 1 negative + 2 + 1 negative), elephant walks, wide leg elephant walks, Cossack squat practice + bent leg Cossack squats with an emphasis on rotating my torso towards the leg out to the side.  

Even though my feet arch well and I'm comfortable walking barefoot, I bookmarked this anti-pronation video months ago as something to try later to see if it impacts an old ankle sprain at all.  The range of motion and strength through that range are both excellent, but very occasionally I'll step on something in just the right way to notice it still isn't quite 100%.  I couldn't get the muscles to cramp after what seemed like a fairly long time for an exercise I haven't knowingly done before (90s on the first rep, and 45s holds for the next 4).  I was a little wary of going longer in case it's one of those things that I end up feeling much more the day after.  While writing this, I'm aware of an almost itch-like sensation in the area of the ankle I'm trying to target--below and maybe a touch forward of the bottom part of the fibula.  I plan to incorporate it to see if it helps over time, and will slowly add some weight to reduce the holds to ~30s.  

Shoulder work (Exercises 12 and 13 from Stretching & Flexibility)

I thought that I'd give exercise 60 (shoulder external rotation) a try to see what the shoulder external rotators feel like today, and how strongly I can contract them in that position--better than they used to, and still not strongly it turns out.  I would say it brought new awareness of that region of my shoulder though, and looking at the diagrams I can match some sensations to particular muscles in ways I couldn't before.

Exercise 12 - a small breakthrough today
"In our experience, the next compound shoulder movement reveals the most noticeable reduction in shoulder flexibility in the normal person as they become older and is most dramatically observed on the dominant arm side."  This sums up my experience when I started this exercise pretty well perfectly.  Today, I found a tree branch at the right height that was much easier to hold than the door frame and wall I was trying to use before.  I did the right side first.  I was impressed with the new range of motion I could get without my brain preventing it, even if the awkward semi-squat to move my hand up/back down isn't ideal.  The advantages of partner stretching are becoming more apparent.  

On the left side, the back of my hand was over my spine and touching a part of my back that I think is either overlapping with my right hand in exercise 13, or else very close to overlapping.  Now that my brain knows that range of movement is there, with some contractions to strengthen it, it shouldn't be too long until I'll be able to move it there under its own power, or walk my hands together using the strap.  The right side is lagging behind a little, but it went further up/into the middle of my back than it has previously both initially, and a little more on my re-stretch.  My contractions are very weak, which was expected given how long it's been since my arms have been in that position.  

Exercise 13

I did this one in front of a mirror to confirm that the alignment of my arm, head, and neck are where I think they are.  I have a much easier with this movement than with exercise 12, but I continue to expand the range of motion with C-R.  The range of motion between sides is also much more balanced with this one.  

LRP.  

[Ned]

I've done a lot of kettlebell work in the last week, a roughly even split in overall volumes between the 24kg and 28kg (goblet squats, two hand swings, one hand swings, and Turkish getups), but a session at just 24kg to start the week, a few mixed sessions, and one at just 28kg two days ago.  

My major blocks at the moment are 1) forward folds on the ground in any position where the legs are straight and 2) straddles.  So my plan is to spend some time working on the pancake to work on those.  Very short session, it became obvious to me part way through my planned session that my body just doesn't want to stretch any more today.  

I did what I would describe as an intense Skandasana (L1) session from the pancake mastery course.  Probably more intense than I wanted today, but I was able to stay relaxed.  There was quite a strong sensation in the inner hamstring when the foot turned up.  My hips are able to go quite low (hamstring onto calf), but keeping the body horizontal is difficult without coming up a little bit or reaching out to something for balance.  I did stay in that position for a minute or two on each side to await some relaxation.  

I tried the triangle pose variations, and the wide leg elephant walk (L2).  But it became pretty obvious to me that my body was not impressed by the activity with how it currently feels, so I'm going to have to go back when I'm fresher.  I can tell from how the triangle pose variations felt that I have a lot of work to do in these positions.  

I finished the session off with a blissful lying relaxation practice.  

[Kit_L]

On 7/2/2025 at 9:29 AM, Ned said:

without coming up a little bit or reaching out to something for balance.

That's simply a slight lack of flexibility in the bent leg's ankle, that's all. It's perfectly okay – even desirable – to hang onto something while you complete that movement. In my opinion it's better to work on getting deeper and deeper rather than trying to get your bodies weight further forward to keep balance; this will happen in time. In the meantime, when you're in any version of the squat, you can hold onto something and use the elbow of one arm to push one knee forward, while keeping the heel on the ground. This is definitely the way to increase the ankle flexibility needed in either the Cossack squat or Skandasana. Excellent.

[Ned]

There's not too much to report here in the grand scheme of things just consistency and the changes that happen subtly enough over time that it's hard to pin them down in any given session.  After a fair bit of trial and error, I have a morning limbering routine that seems to give me pretty fair insight into how I'm feeling and moving on a given day and whether there's anything that I need to spend some time stretching long before it gets to the point where I start noticing it while going through my day.  

I'm working on Cossack squats (and the bent leg variation), Skandasana, and exercises 12/13 from Stretching & Flexibility.  They're comfortable enough that I can treat them like limbering exercises rather than stretches until I start looking for the tight lines and working them, or finding where I can't move myself owing to lack of strength somewhere and then doing contractions or isometrics to improve it.  

I'm doing the weighted anti-pronation single leg calf raises a couple times a week and I think the added strength from this when my heel is below the step is letting me keep my heel on the ground more easily in Skandasana.  

I've also started exploring Tailor pose again more systematically.  I struggle with that one quite a bit, but my awareness of what's going on with it and my ability to move and find tight spots is developing.  I can feel a whole lot more detail in the muscles and sensations than I could a few months ago, which was quite a bit more than when I started.  I'm also finding I have some ability to start tilting the pelvis forward in the pose now, and can use that to adjust the intensity of the stretch in a pretty controlled way.  I'm still not sure that my knees are any closer to the floor than when I started, but my awareness of what my particular limitations are and how to deal with them is growing.

LRP.

[Kit_L]

This is genuine progress, Matt. I am always interested to read your insights – and it is absolutely accurate that over sometimes long periods of time, there does not seem to be any progress – then suddenly you can do something you couldn't do a year ago. Your Tailor pose experiences parallel mine, too. When I first tried the Tailor pose my legs were over 45° away from the ground!

The one comment I would make for anyone else reading this is do not make the mistake that the vast majority of beginners make. When nothing seems to happen after a few weeks or a few months, they conclude that the system is no good or not effective and they stop. We have had quite a few of those reporting here over the years, and of course when they stop absolutely nothing happens.

All excellent. Carry on!

[Ned]

On 7/17/2025 at 9:07 PM, Kit_L said:

then suddenly you can do something you couldn't do a year ago

Speaking of things I couldn't do a year ago.  I had an unexpected breakthrough yesterday evening.

I was doing elephant walks for the first time in close to a month as part of a warmup before a planned (and now postponed) lunge focused session.  I noticed that my calves were tight enough that my hamstrings were getting pulled from that direction too so I stopped to do some C&R stretches for them.  I eased back into my elephant walks and after a minute or so straightened both legs independently one after the other a few times, realized the implications of that, and then straightened both of them together for my first (very ugly I'm sure) standing pike a long time.  

I tried a seated one afterwards and I can't get down quite as far, but I could keep my legs straight and fold my torso forward past vertical when sitting on the floor.  My inability to do that was one of the reasons I started stretching.  

I know it's going to take time and practice before those become comfortably normal or even consistently repeatable, but I'm not in any rush.

LRP.

---

Some musings on this:

On 7/17/2025 at 9:07 PM, Kit_L said:

The one comment I would make for anyone else reading this is do not make the mistake that the vast majority of beginners make. When nothing seems to happen after a few weeks or a few months, they conclude that the system is no good or not effective and they stop. We have had quite a few of those reporting here over the years, and of course when they stop absolutely nothing happens.

I'm not sure that I've phrased this next part in a way that I'm happy with, because doubt and wondering if things work are all pretty usual and sometimes beneficial and I don't want it to seem like I'm saying they aren't, but knowing when and how to apply them to make what you're doing more effective is the critical part.  The truly insidious part for a beginner when nothing seems to happen isn't just the decision to stop, which will halt progress, but that the tension that arises during stretching from doubt about whether it's working during the stretching can itself inhibit progress if you don't or can't recognize it for what it is and let it go.  That's no doubt part of why you and Olivia both ask questions along the lines of "How does that feel" or "Can you do this in a way that's even more relaxed" to give the thinking mind something to do that won't interfere with the relaxation the needs to happen.

Somewhere early on I came across something you said or wrote to the effect of: In six months [it might've been a year, but six months is what stuck in my mind] of stretching and LRP you'll be a different person.  So when I started, I decided that I could re-evaluate after six months of consistent stretching and LRP to see if it was working.  That commitment, making this log, and seeing @Matt Chung's progress in his log kept me going when I might otherwise have been more tempted to stop before I had a better idea of how to effectively apply that kind of questioning to make what I was doing more effective rather than just abandon it.  It was pretty obvious to me well before six months in that it works and that I'd keep doing it with, so the odd time I wonder about progress the answer is to breathe and relax because I know from experience that consistency in the long term is what will make the biggest difference.  The more I stretch and the more I practice relaxing, the more I understand how tension in the body and how what's going on in the mind influence each other and just how important it is to work at practice relaxing the two together.

[Kit_L]

10 hours ago, Ned said:

the more I understand how tension in the body and how what's going on in the mind influence each other and just how important it is to work at practice relaxing the two together.

That's the gold, right there.

[Ned]

Before anything else, I think overall everything is going pretty well and more or less as expected.  

I'm dealing with some soreness/muscle tension/knots on the left side of my middle back.  I'm not sure on what the exact cause was for it to happen now, but it's mostly noticeable when it's the compression side of twists, pressing the left arm straight overhead, and on a real deep breath in if I'm in spinal flexion.  Fortunately, my range of motion is mostly unaffected and it doesn't seem to impact the calisthenics I do regularly very much.  

I'm pretty much certain that it's related to a 20+ year old rib injury (the somewhat controversial rib subluxation best describes my experience).  A doctor I saw on the day it happened said it would heal by itself, it did not.  A friend of mine convinced me to go see a chiropractor (my only experience with one) about 8 months later, and she reduced the prominence of the rib end where it met my sternum (not back to normal, just less than it had been) and made it so it no longer hurt to breathe deeply.  I had a knot in that region of my back until I stretched/relaxed it out earlier this year.  As of this week, the prominence of that rib where it meets my sternum (also very slightly sore on a deep breath) is now reduced to about the same size as all of the others so I think it finally found its way back to where it should be and the muscles in my back are finding a new equilibrium/going into protective tension over something that seems non-injurious. 

I've been trying to move, stretch, spend some time on the lacrosse ball working on knots, and let any tension I notice (and can relax) in the area go a few times a day.  Given the history there and how the past week has gone, I'm expecting it will take a some time before it's fully rehabbed.  I'm reading through ON&BP to see if there are other exercises that work the area in the way I want.  At this point though, I think it's less the exercises I'm doing (which stretched that area just fine a few weeks ago) and more about the tension there resisting being stretched.  That is its own fascinating insight, and it's no doubt true for other areas I have difficulties with (Tailor pose comes to mind).  

I'm continuing the morning limbering sessions, with some added stretching afterwards based on how it feels.  I'm still practicing Skandasana, Cossack squats and exercises 12/13 from Stretching & Flexibility as both limbering and occasionally stretching/strengthening exercises.  My improved range of motion with the pike and straight leg forward folds are still there when I'm warmed up, but, as expected, not so much when I'm cold yet.  

LRP.

[Kit_L]

13 hours ago, Ned said:

I think it finally found its way back to where it should be and the muscles in my back are finding a new equilibrium/going into protective tension over something that seems non-injurious. 

I am sure that this is accurate. The position, the precise position, of every bone in the body is governed by the balance of forces acting around that point. Just like the temperomandibular joints, where ribs attach to the sternum has no precise location – there is movement potential there always, and that is to protect the heart and the lungs from impact injuries, most anatomy must believe. All the work you have done in the last little while has changed where the balance point of those forces are, and the bone now sits in what we call its minimum energy configuration. This is very desirable.

13 hours ago, Ned said:

and more about the tension there resisting being stretched

What we called the "apprehension reflex". It is a real thing.

All good; carry on.

[Ned]

The region of my back around the is improved from where it was last week, but still isn't 100%.  I think moving, stretching, and relaxing seems to be the answer there.  

I did the monkey gym bodyline circuit 1 today.  I'm hoping that will help strengthen the region around my rib.  Strength also seems to be more of a limiting factor for some other things and I'm reasonably sure this is a convenient (albeit exhausting) way to strengthen just about everything if I do it regularly.  I'm heartened that I can get through it now though.  I'm also a lot more aware of more muscle activation, so I expect my form has improved since my last try because of that.  L-sits are primarily on my fists because my wrist isn't real thrilled about them otherwise.  After the crocodiles at the end, I did some slow weighted pullups (3 at bodyweight + 10lb) and two arm hangs (one hand on the bar, and the other grabbing a thick towel hanging from the bar to work on grip and longer one arm hangs).  

Otherwise I've been stretching and limbering mostly with:

Calf stretches - they don't feel tight, but I see a big improvement in the ease of my elephant walks when I do them first.

Elephant walks - I usually finish in a standing pike, but still have a small gap between torso and thighs, so I have room for improvement here and my starting position is still fairly tight.  

Cossack squats - my torso is rotating towards the straight leg more easily, but I still have a ways to go before I can comfortably stretch with my opposite hand on that foot.

Skandasana - improving slowly too.  I'm able to get into it without assistance or my heel coming up now.

Exercise 12/13 from S&F - limbering is getting easier here, but I've paused increasing my assisted range of motion while I work on building active strength to get my arms into positions I've already explored.  Some chest stretching with the longer of my sticks overhead and back as well.

Side bends - I'm quite tight here for some reason, so lots of variations to loosen that up.

Quad/hip flexor lunge - I've been neglecting these a bit, and I'm aware enough of the difference in how I feel and move that I'm incorporating them in again more regularly.  

LRP.

[Kit_L]

With respect to the L-sits, two bricks on their flat (or two yoga blocks) with the fingers pointing down can reduce the wrist stress considerably (this is what parallettes do, too).

[Nathan]

Parallettes are great! For L-sit work, those cheap push up handles work fine as an alternative.

You might also try different hand orientations. Fingers pointed backwards tends to be the hardest on the wrists, followed by pointed forward, and then finally, pointed out to the side. Personally, I find pointed to the side with the fingers spread wide to be the easiest on my wrists, while still offering good stability.