The flexibility associated with Rubber Guard...

Those all sound great Heidi, thanks for the tips

I wanted to bump this bad boy, figure it might be a good idea to freshen it up. I saw a post on Dubl Lotus while I was scrolling earlier, anyone got good ideas to help with DL?

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Originally Posted by Heidi McCreery

Start with your basic stretches and work your way up. Don't strain your stretches. Flexibility is a gradual thing. I started with the basic sit on the floor, spread your legs, and lean forward. Keep your back straight and lean from your hips. Get to where you can put your elbows on the floor. That stretches your inner thighs and your hips a bit. Also your basic butterfly stretch is awesome. Lift up on your feet with both hands and push down with your elbows and pull your feet as far in as you can. A great rubber guard stretch is to sit down and pull your shin as far into your chest as you can (it helps to put your left foot in your right elbow and hug your knee like you are in New York). Work on it until you can put it on your chest right under your neck. The biggest thing is just to work on it. Stretch whenever and wherever possible. When you're at home cooking a 2 minute tv dinner, stretch while you wait for it to cook. Anytime you sit down do whatever stretches possible.

Sorry for the novel. :P I hope it helps.

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That part is so crucial. I thought I could lean all the way to the floor, well I can if I'm torquing my lower back, which probably contributed to some of my back problems. With my back straight, I can't reach nearly as far as I thought I could demonstrating my real hip flexibility. Great advice.

Get your hands on the P90X-YogaX and P90X-Stretching... It's freaking awesome and you'll put in some serious stretching time. Listen to others on here and stretch every chance you get!

Hey guys aside from all of the great ideas that have been shared thus far I just wanted to throw in a few more ideas.

I run the beginning of all of my classes like clock work... 12-15 minutes cardio followed by 5-10 minutes of dedicated GROUP stretching. I lead and run through the following stretches single leg ham stretch L/R, Crazy knee stretch L/R, split/ham stretch to center, lotus, split/ham stretch to center again. Triangle stretch L/R, Plow w/ half lotus L/R, S-mount stretch L/R,
rubber guard/heal hook stretch, legs together toe touch, cat stretch, cat/cow... Thats it. I believe the key is warm up and consistency. I personally do the same stretch routine AFTER class as well. On Monday, Wed and Friday I also do Yoga and Stand-up before 10th Planet so I get 3x as much on those days

I stretch alot... ;) Add in some stretches before bed (a requirement for me) and upon waking up and you'll make it there in no time :)

If I were you, I would be careful in reading these posts.

I am a Yoga Alliance RYT Registered Yoga Instructor. I went through a rigorous training to get certified as such, anatomy being a huge focus of my training.

Do dynamic stretches, not static and get to an actual yoga class with a certified instructor. Alignment is key. Just because you can do a stretch improperly a few times and not get hurt, does not mean that that is gonna last forever. You will eventually get injured if not practicing with proper alignment.

If you want good flexibility, you can't cut corners. Train your flexibility like you would your BJJ, strength and conditioning, and mental game. Do it with someone who knows what they are talking about and put in the work.

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Originally Posted by Jason Eisner

Do dynamic stretches, not static

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Exactly, you can't look past Yoga for flexibility. Static stretches are actually bad for you and can cause serious injury, whereas dynamic you are keeping the body moving and it's also great for dexterity. I always try to arrive to class early so I can get 10 minutes at least of repeating a Vinyasa

pilates is not bad for you either

Pilates is really basic stuff though, seriously, Yoga is better than anything.

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Originally Posted by Jason Eisner

If I were you, I wouldn't read any of these posts, except for Coringao's, but even then, I am not a fan of P90X Yoga.

I am a Yoga Alliance RYT Registered Yoga Instructor. That means that I went through a rigorous training to get certified as such, anatomy being a huge focus of my training. I also got my certification at one of the most famous Yoga schools in Los Angeles, which has some of the best instructors in the world. I'm not saying this to brag, only to make the point that I know what I am talking about on the subject. My yoga instructors have credentials. Many of them have Master's Degrees from good schools who hold other certificates in things like Massage Therapy and Physical Therapy. They know the body.

I will address one thing here and save the rest for my own posts on BJJ flexibility.

Do dynamic stretches, not static and get to an actual yoga class with a certified instructor. Alignment is key. Just because you can do a stretch improperly a few times and not get hurt, does not mean that that is gonna last forever. You will eventually get injured if not practicing with proper alignment.

If you want good flexibility, you can't cut corners. Train your flexibility like you would your BJJ, strength and conditioning, and mental game. Do it with someone who knows what they are talking about and put in the work.

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Yoga is good but if you want crazy flexibility then you really need to also develop and stretch your kicking muscles. Stretches that I did in Taekwondo for years as well as yoga has led me to becoming alien flexible. Being able to do the vertical splits is something that requires lots of leg strength especially if you were born unflexible with stiff joints (like me and most of you). So the exercises I listed is what Koreans do as well as most Karate Black belts who are known for their competition kicking. I say we post pics of our flexibility like foot behind the head etc etc. Be a cool thread.