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The flexibility thread.
Well, since we have the "stretching is pointless" thread, it seemed a better idea to start anew than to hijack that one.
So.... What do you do for flexibility, warm up, or recovery?
This is a big area of interest to me, so I'd be curious to see what others are doing. |
I learned this while on a retreat with the late Sheng Yen. I've done it quite a bit over the years.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5761243202468229538# |
Re: Sheng Yen vid: I'm sure the benefits far out weigh the fact that watching him is right up there with watching paint dry.
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I was forced to do gymnastics as a child. It stuck with me.
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Good topic as this is what I am/was working on. Being as I have lower back problems I also have very tight hammy's. So when I got back to riding again I felt it was important to become more flexible as well as balanced. I bought the P90X workout program which is a non weight lifting program. I dont do all the workouts, rather I do the ones that offer what Im trying to improve. That said I do the Yoga, stretching, plyometrics, and core symetrics. I also do the legs and back routing in the base and off season period. The good news is I was gaining flexibility which was making the bike more comfortable. I was able to ride in a more aero position.
I also use a foam roller and occasionally a theracane. Ive found a softball also works well for the harder to reach stuff like the hip flexors. |
What I'm interested in knowing is what my fellow racers are doing to stretch with cold muscles - or if there is even any benefit to stretching pre-workout.
I find it impossible to stretch cold, so before races I warm up, then do a quick stretch. During training sessions, no stretching at the beginning, only at the end. |
I stretch my hamstrings. Hard.
This has allowed a pretty aggressive position in road races and TTs. |
Yoga. I also bought a dvd a while back which is geared toward cyclists, for post-ride stretching. Typically i target my hams, back, thighs/hips, guads.
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I do mobility exercises as recommended by my PT (cat1 racer
I do various forms of yoga, especially right now as I have hung up the wheels for an end-of season break and am working on flexibility and mental exercises over the fall yoga is still getting settled down, I don't have a solid regime at the moment, and I no longer have a membership to the studio that I really liked a few years ago. Foam Roller, and maybe a triggerpoint over the winter? Icebaths FTW |
I take Taekwondo lessons twice a week which include a lot of stretching. It has greatly improved my flexibility and comfort while aero on the bike.
I do a light warm up of running in place or jumping jacks along with light stretching before a ride. Just enough to get the blood flowing. One important stretch pre-ride for me is the cross-leg stretch. It helps with tight hamstrings & ITB. |
I'd love to see more specifics. For example "I do the foam roller." What do you do with it? How much? How often? I didn't even know what one was until a few months ago. I'm sure plenty of others don't as well.
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if you do yoga and use a video or book please post it. i am in the market for more specific knowledge.
the foam roller is the devils work. i use the grid by triggerpoint. i use it on days when the legs are super sore. it works for me as i can really roll out the knots and stretch the muscles. i roll all the leg muscles per the instructions that came with it as well as my back. almost as effective as a real massage for me. http://store.tptherapy.com/ later. |
I love the first 45 minutes of the P90X yoga routine. It's all sun salutation variations. Really hardcore.
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here's a super helpful email a friend, who's a yoga teacher, sent me last october.
Yoga is super for increasing core strength, lengthening muscle and good joint health. Also, yoga's breathing practices are very beneficial. In fact, now really is the perfect time to start a yoga practice, since the level of yoga practice should be inversely proportional to your bike training. My advice is always to start off slowly. You'll need to find a teacher... Athletes have quite specific needs and require a teacher who is highly experienced, and who understands your specific areas of strength and weakness. For someone new, who has specific needs (as a +40 cyclist who wants to work on core strength) and time-specific goals (when does you're racing start again?), one-to-one teaching is definitely the best start, in the same way that a personalised training plan is a far better use of your time than a generic one. It should only take one or two one-to-one lessons to create a personalised plan that would be money and time well spent. Then you can practice at home- lengthening and strengthening- before attending a more generic class. You can follow up in a few weeks, or longer, with another on-to-one session to develop the plan. It is as easy to injure yourself doing yoga, as it is in any other form of physical exercise for which you have not prepared, pushing beyond your personal muscle and joint limits... especially in a class... Starting with a plan specific to you will help you stay injury free, and make the most of your free time. 20 minutes once a day is better than 2 hours once a week. Plus, you'll improve faster. It will still be challenging! Strong muscles are frequently tight muscles, leading to areas of weakness which also have to be addressed. Better to find a teacher highly trained in a tradition which concentrates on alignment and posture correction. It may be slower yoga, but it will be safer for you, and your knowledge will transfer to any subsequent class or style of yoga. Most schools will offer trial a lesson at a reduced rate. Avoid Ashtanga and Bikram for now- too much like aerobics and the greatest potential for injury. Be aware that some schools of yoga incorporate chanting, sanskrit, philosophy, which may or may not interest you. Read carefully between the lines! Iyengar has the best anatomical and structural alignment and correction. The level of detail may seem overwhelming at first. |
I picked up a bunch of yoga stretches from a former fencing coach. Fencing and cycling have a lot of commonality with flexibility requirements. I have no idea what any of these yoga positions I learned are called, but I know how to do them. All I remember is something about "dog" and "pigeon" and there might have been a "butterfly" in there, but don't ask me.
One of the very cool things about doing them is that you can get an "early warning" if something is going wrong because the positions won't feel right if something isn't totally relaxed and aligned. So, do the stretch/position again and maybe even again. I got lazy and stopped doing this regimen multiple times per week and now I am paying the price. When I did them 3 to 4 times per week I didn't have had any flexibility/muscle tightness issues, but now I do. And I'm thinking that my fall racing season is in the dustbin because of that. |
I stretch after a training ride (and/or in the middle, during refueling stops).
I stretch between warmup and race and then after the race. Essential muscle groups for stretching, in order of importance: hamstrings, calves, quads, glutes, hip flexors, neck. I use a tennis ball or racquetball to get at knots in my traps, rhomboids, etc (leaning against a wall) and to massage my arches. Supposedly, this works for the legs and glutes, but I find that laying on a tiny ball is too awkward so that I don't relax whatever I'm trying to massage. I will occasionally use a foam roller on the IT bands and glutes, but I'm kind of a weenie using that or something like The Stick. During race season, I had the need to schedule regular massages (from every week or two to once a month). The above techniques weren't doing enough without deep tissue, MRT, and acupressure therapy to keep me functioning. It is easier to have someone else beating me up than using the rollers. I need to remember to get periodic massages in the off-season, particularly when it gets so cold outside that my post-ride stretching is pretty useless. I hate yoga. |
just last night, our group ride was like "should we do flats or climbing?" and i was like "whatever"
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I do yoga (1-3 x a week) and pilates (1 x a week) and stretch at the end of each of my rides for 3-8 minutes. I do yoga and pilates in class setting.
My hammys are still incredibly stiff. Back mobility is better though, and my neck strength is very good - allowing me to stay in the drops as long as I need to. |
I stretch AFTER every training ride. I'll stretch after a warm-up before a race, but not always. Before a race I tend to focus on the inside of my quads, and the groin. That area bothers me when I get low and fast sometimes.
My routine after a ride is always the same. I don't hold anything very long, probably 30-45 seconds each. Using a wall I lean against it and stretch my toes, then achilles, then calf, then hamstring, then groin, then do the other leg. Then while standing I spread my legs wide and go down to each foot, and then the center, and then stretch backwards from the center working the groin again. I then do one standing hamstring (touch toes thing), and then one left over right, then right over left, then another hamstring. I then work the back of my quads by standing, putting one foot out in front, and getting my chest down to my knee of that leg. I do both legs, then do a standing quad stretch. After both quads I sit down and do my groin with a butterfly stretch (I'm not a huge fan of this as it hurts my knees sometimes). While sitting I put one leg straight out, bend other leg over it, and stretch my back by twisting. From that position I pull the leg that's crossed over towards my chest, which stretches the glutes. I repeat that on the other leg, then I'm done. If I do my core workout I'll also stretch my core by doing the reach for the stars thing. If anyone has a good upper back stretch, or neck/top shoulder area, I'd love to hear them. I have some neck and upper back trouble that I haven't solved yet. |
i need help with neck flexibility/strength. My neck is destroyed after 3-4 hr road races. My bike fit really isn't very extreme, so assuming that's okay, can anyone recommend some stretches or exercises for the neck?
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My wife's a yoga teacher which has helped refine my practice. I was doing yoga before we met because I really enjoyed the relaxation and general good feeling after the postures.
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Originally Posted by dmb2786
(Post 11402343)
i need help with neck flexibility/strength. My neck is destroyed after 3-4 hr road races. My bike fit really isn't very extreme, so assuming that's okay, can anyone recommend some stretches or exercises for the neck?
See my comment about the racquetball. Put one in a pillowcase. Hold open end of pillowcase. Put closed end with ball over your shoulder, lean against a wall, and position the (by pulling the case) so that the ball hits various knots/sore spots. Another one is to lie on your back and put your thumbs or knuckles under your head at the occipital ridge. Use the weight of your head to apply pressure. It helps if someone else holds your head and applies pressure with their fingertips here. The traps should feel looser when you release. A brachial plexus stretch might also help. Along those lines, use the racquetball to massage the pecs up by the collarbone and out near the shoulder socket. |
Originally Posted by dmb2786
(Post 11402343)
i need help with neck flexibility/strength. My neck is destroyed after 3-4 hr road races. My bike fit really isn't very extreme, so assuming that's okay, can anyone recommend some stretches or exercises for the neck?
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Originally Posted by agoodale
(Post 11401211)
I take Taekwondo lessons twice a week which include a lot of stretching. It has greatly improved my flexibility and comfort while aero on the bike.
I do a light warm up of running in place or jumping jacks along with light stretching before a ride. Just enough to get the blood flowing. One important stretch pre-ride for me is the cross-leg stretch. It helps with tight hamstrings & ITB. |
Originally Posted by dasgib
(Post 11405487)
Taekwondo is great for flexibility until you pull a hamstring or groin muscle, then it'll set you back a ton. Take care when doing some of the more fancy kicks and go a little lower than you think you can. FWIW.
I don't have to worry too much about kicking lower. I need to work alot more on my groin stretch and that keeps the kicks fairly low. It just kills me to see little kids come in for their first lesson and they're able to do the splits and put their forehead on the floor. |
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