Today's Monday Madness is aimed at helping you get flexible and fast without spending hours a day stretching. The way you are going to accomplish this is by following the four steps I outline below.
Determine Your Flexibility Needs
You first need to determine why you need to be more flexible. Some common reasons are listed directly below.
- Decrease muscle soreness after a workout
- Decrease the risk of injury
- Improve performance
- Improve range of motion
- Reduce pain
Find your personal reason for needing more flexibility and you will more likely stick to it.
Find What's Holding You Back
Once you have a goal in mind your next step is to determine what is stopping you from achieving it.You may have a difficult time bending forward to touch your toes, and that would naturally make you think that your hamstrings are too tight but there are quite a few other things that could be restrictors as well, such as your low back, hip flexors, glutes, etc.
You will need a good way to quickly assess what is specifically binding up your movement.
The best way I’ve found to do that is to go through a targeted series of positions that tests your whole body, and to note where you feel most restricted.
- Squat
- Cross legged sitting
- Hip flexion
- Knee flexion
- Neck motions
Once you complete these movements you will have a good idea of where to focus your stretching time.
Slow Down to Reach Flexibility Faster
This is where patience comes into play. You have to take your time when stretching. Don't overdo it. By taking your time you will accomplish your goals in a shorter amount of time.
Be as Consistent as Possible with Your Plan
At this point you have everything in place and just need to do the work. Be consistent. Consistency is the key to all things.
