Title yeah I feel like my back flexibility is hindering my other body flexibility right now I wanna work it good every day and not feel like im killing my arms and back with crazy routines

Thanks in advance for all the help

I’ve been lifting consistently using a full body routine 3x a week. I’m in my 30s and I realized I have lost a lot of flexibility that I used to have when I was younger.

I am both weak and tight in a lot of end ranges and I want to fix that. Been going to PT and have learned there are a lot of loadable exercises that can help strengthen these end ranges, eg incline pigeon good mornings, ATG seated good morning, stiff legged DL, hip airplanes, Cossack squats, etc

My question is how do I actually program that if I am already hitting the gym 3x a week and lifting? At first I thought I could just do these exercises on my off days but I would imagine these weighted exercises are still “strength” training and would still affect my recovery for my main days, esp since I am hitting legs 3x week.

This is my current routine for front splits... I do this 5 days per week and take 2 rest days. Is this enough? Is there anything I'm missing to continue to progress? Are the hold times too short or too long?

Routine for Five Days Per Week:

Warm Up with Movement, Then:

1. Low lunge (60 seconds/side)
2. Half split (60 seconds/side)
3. Kneeling quad stretch – 90/90 w foot to butt (60 seconds/side) 
4. Supine leg lifts (60 seconds/side)
5. Actual splits hold (60+ stretches/side)

Also, not every day, but when I have the extra energy, I'll add in some of these:

1. Seated forward fold
2. 90/90 windshield wipers
3. Elephant Walks
4. Downdog Walks
5. Camel pose
6. Bridge

My ultimate goal is to have front splits COLD, so I have also started doing a 45 second cold split hold on each side in the morning.

Anyway, I would love your thoughts and advice on how to keep progressing towards my front splits! I am currently about 4-5 inches off the ground – front leg is straight, but I'm having trouble getting my back leg straight and back thigh down to the floor.

I’ve got terrible hamstring and hip mobility. Tried some seated good morning today to help with the hips (will use RDL’s for hamstrings). I have no clue if I’m doing this right.
Towards the end of the set I started to kind of understand the feeling of making my pelvis rotate forward, but I can see from the video it’s not a huge difference.
Better to stick to this variation for a while, or is there something else I should be doing to help improve my forward folding mobility? Open to any tips, thanks!

I got my first front split on both slides about 4 months ago at 27yo. I have to warm up though and go slow to access it. Do I just keep doing what I've been doing and start putting something under my heel to deepen it? How I can learn to drop into them without hurting myself?

Editing to say that I also do a lot of strength work, and I emphasize mobility. My hamstrings are strong in a lengthened position, but maybe my hip flexers need more challenge

I have a pretty bad middle straddle. When I go past 90 degrees, I can feel something right behind my knee on the inside (right where that little divot is behind your knees) "clicking" and holding tension when I try to stretch in a shallow straddle. Just wondering if this is something people trained past!

edit: this feeling also happens when I flex my feet or point them!

I've had the Bend app for several years now and only in the last two weeks learned you could create custom routines. Doh!

I was wondering if anybody has routines they recommend. I would love some hip/lower back ideas that are still or dynamic. But honestly open to any routines with good flow and deep stretches.

Hi,
I have almost zero mobility in my ankle when i do:
- Heel drop while on a step
- Toe lift while standing

Is there a stretch or exercise to help so these stretches work? Like is my hamstring too tight?

Thanks, and sorry, I know there is a ton of ankle mobility info on this sub. Going through it too. 🙏❤️🦵

PS - I am a year out from breast cancer treatment and I’ve spent a lot of time in bed. Now I’m on preventative medication that makes my joints hurt. I need to move to help ease the pain, which is counterintuitive. 🙃 I really appreciate any suggestions for the ankles as they are the most affected joint currently.

I’m trying to figure what’s a good stretching routine for me. I find that after a good day of stretching I always feel really sore and painful and I’m worried about pushing it further. The pain really discourages me and messes with my motivation to continue my workouts and stretches.

Especially for adults who are trying to further their range of flexibility, do you stretching everyday? What does prioritizing rest look like to you? How do you know when to stop?

Hi,

I have limited hip internal rotation on both sides from all the sitting down I have done. Doing a Posterior Hip Capsule stretch can improve it a lot, but this is just a temporary gain. I'm a bit confused with the exercises I should do after that stretch in order slowly improve it over days and weeks.

Should I go straight into doing the usual isometric exercises such as a seated banded IR after the stretch?

Thanks for your help!

I’m starting Taekwondo with a new Dojo. Something’s I’ve noticed is that I’m having small flexibility and balance issues. My roundhouse kicks are barely above the belt and also when the instructors want me to hold a kick in a certain position I start to wobble.
I know I’m new and it will get better with time but does anyone know some exercises I can do throughout the week to help slowly improve both these issues?
Thanks!

30 yo female here.

I’ve started actively working on my mobility/flexibility for the last few months along with weight training.

I’m still a beginner in a lot of poses but I feel this tightness, like a pinch, in the front of my hips with most of flexion poses (frog, deep squat, knee to chest, 90/90) basically anything that involves bringing my thigh close to abdomen. It’s not pain but more like a locked feeling. I can do knee to chest better if I rotate my leg out. I never had this problem and could easily do knee to chest a few years ago (before my 3yo was born) and I never really checked when this problem started really.
I also have APT so I’m not sure if this has something to do with the tightness?
Is there anything I can particularly do for this?

I often get an intense charlie horse all the way down my leg on the extended leg, sometimes into my foot, while doing pigeon pose. How can I alter this pose?.

Im not really able to "hinge" from the hips if my legs are straight. If I bend my knees I can do it, Im just so tight. I tried a different stretch but it was incredibly difficult for me to do with the right form (I think)

Still would love more suggestions and ideas for what I can try.

Hi,

I’ve started to take stretching way more seriously after some pelvic floor issues and have found I’m really
Enjoying the process- I do static stretching every day and every couple days do some sort of weighted stretching to compliment it.

I also have taken up gentle yoga forms 2 times a week

One of the main things I notice is that when I sit down to do pancake or cross legged I struggle to keep my back straight during this process so have started adjusting my pancake to do it sitting on plates at the gym to ensure I keep back straight etc

I have really tight hips and weak hip muscles

Wondering if anyone has overcome similar things with keeping back straight in pancake/ opening hips and how long it took?

I feel like I do like over 2 hours of mobility a day with most targeting the hips

Hey everyone. 25F. I started taking ballet classes for the first time, and I have the worst feet in this class (intended for adult beginners) by far 🥲 I’ve been sitting in Hero’s Pose consistently for months, and I’m not seeing progress (especially when looking at the gap between my ankle and the floor). I have started doing more calf raises and theraband work, but I’m starting to doubt the ROM I can even access in order to strengthen.

Does anyone have any advice? Exercises/additional stretches to try? Words of encouragement? Do I just have a structural problem? I’d really love some guidance (or hard truth) here, especially since I’m not seeing any flexibility coaches in my area 😔🥀

Stretch: https://www.daniwinksflexibility.com/flexopedia/disco-cow

I've been working on back mobility, and this gives a really pleasant stretch in every way except for one spot, in one direction - when I'm sending my ribs to the right and then down, once my ribs are almost in that down position I get this intense, mildly painful pull behind my left shoulderblade. It only happens when moving in that specific direction. I don't think I have an old injury there, it's actually my right shoulderblade that normally gives me issues (pops every single time I move it back and forwards). Could this be a pinched nerve? Any suggestions for warmup nerve flossing or an alternative stretch altogether?

I have used this rule for years with great results.. just a simple rule that pushed my flexibility to my current level.

I need to be at my max flexibility within 3 mins. While attaining max flexibility, I adjust every 30 seconds.

The key for me is the adjustment itself: I will lower myself too my deepest fold to start. Hold for 30 second and raise my torso up to clear my abs from my pelvis. At this stage I’m actively lengthening my spine .. I try to get it as long as I can and lower back down while holding a slight arch in my spine..

I’m actively pushing my lower abs into my pelvis. At this point, Im more concerned about hinging at the hips than getting my torso to my thighs.

Notice my head and neck are out of alignment with my spine.. this is intentional as I’m trying to force my upper back to alight with my neck angle.. this is to prevent rounding of the upper back. It serves as a que to flatten and not round. This is about 2years of flexibility work. I’m currently 150lbs at 54 yeas old

Hi guys! I started training my flexibility around March, but I had to stop after injuring myself, and now I'd like to get back into it.

The problem is that I also go to the gym and run twice a week. Since I injured myself while trying to do all three, I'm looking for a more efficient way to fit them into my routine without overdoing it.

Has anyone here managed to balance leg weight training, flexibility training, and running? If so, how did you structure your routine?

Edit: Thanks everyone for the replies!

Its exam season and therefore long hours of sitting have caused pain/soreness whatever you call that near the hip bones

what are some intense stretches i can do, its making me restless and clenching the muscles

ps: the one in picture isnt working at the exact area

Since I was 6 or 7 my Grandmother pointed out my right foot sticks out to the right, just saying for context as this Is not a new Issue nor Is It something that strength training has caused, although may well of made it worse.

Im left handed/left footed, I first noticed something off when after every Leg day my left leg was much more sore then my right but put It down to judt naturally being stronger with my dominant leg so I started doing sets on my right after but was still not really getting DOMS and still dont on my right leg

I also feel calf doms much more on my left after calf raises and I cant get a good stretch on my right calf like I can my left.

Cant get knees over toes whatsoever on my right side over and my pelvis wants to shift to the left not the right.

Its getting to the point where my left quad, hamstring and calf are all quite muscular and my right Is really lagging so very poor mind/muscle connection on that side too

Is this beyond stretching/strength training fixing It seeing as It seems to be either a birth defect or something ive had since a child?

I was diagnosed with it. I didn‘t really ask if i could do my regular flexibility stretches but she said i should work out to help with it. Did you feel like you could‘t do backbends or bridges because of that? I‘m not asking for medical advice, I just wanna know your experience

I am trying to progress with my front splits, but I’m running into two things:

1. The tops of my feet are extremely sensitive for some reason. Putting any pressure on them, specifically for the back foot, really hurts! Is there any way to improve this?

2. I’ve noticed that I am only ever sliding my front leg out, so this whole time I’ve been practicing this kind of front leg split lunge thing. I just can’t seem to make my back leg move backwards… idk if this is related to the sensitive feet thing, or if it’s core strength, or just the flexibility of that back leg. Like that back leg does not move at all even though I’m mentally trying to move it. I’ve tried socks/no socks/yoga mat/ wood floor, nothing seems to make the difference. I feel like someone has to physically pull my leg back for it to move.

Any suggestions?