How to do flexibility training well

The key point is not to blindly pursue the quantitative indicator of "how much to bend it to". Matching your daily usage scenarios and adjusting the method according to body feedback will be more than 10 times more efficient than grinding your teeth and grinning in pain.

I recently met an old man who has been running horses for three years. He used to squat on the side of the road and press his legs for 10 minutes after every run, which made his face wrinkled. As a result, his hamstrings would cramp every time he ran a half marathon to about 15 kilometers. Later, after listening to the coach's advice, I added dynamic stretching such as walking lunges, swinging my legs back and forth, and PNF stretching, which involves stretching to a sore spot and then tensing for 5 seconds before relaxing. In just over two weeks, my stride length has increased by 3 centimeters, and I have never had cramps again.

There is a lot of buzz on the Internet right now about "Is static stretching a waste of time?" In fact, there is nothing wrong with both sides. If you study dance or practice yoga, you need a lot of joint mobility. It is absolutely fine and even necessary to arrange 1-2 minutes of static stretching every day.； But if you are going to run 100 meters or compete in a competitive match next, doing static exercises for more than half a minute during the warm-up will actually reduce the explosive power of the muscles and make them more susceptible to injury. It is better to switch to dynamic activation exercises.

When I was practicing powerlifting, I had to press my ankles hard for almost two months in order to squat until my hip joint was lower than my knees. Every time I walked, I limped, and even sprained my ankles once. Later, when I saw a rehabilitation practitioner, I found out that it was not my Achilles tendon that was short at all, but my gastrocnemius muscle that had been stretched for long periods of time due to long-term sitting. The eyefish muscle was so stiff that it couldn't penetrate at all with just hard pressure. Later, I adjusted the order: first use a foam roller to roll the back of the calf for 3 minutes, then do 10 sets of PNF stretching, and finally do 15 slow heel raises to control the descent. In less than three weeks, there is no need to use a barbell on the heels when squatting.

If you just sit for a long time and want to relax, then you don’t need to do so many chores. When you get home from get off work, don’t press your legs and waist against the wall as soon as you enter the door. Stand and shake your hips for a few minutes, and do a few sets of cat-cow poses to activate the muscles around your spine and hips. Just like a rusty hinge, spray some lubricant on it before opening and closing it. Otherwise, it will easily pull the small muscles in your waist and cause pain for several days.

In fact, there is no need to envy the flexibility of others who can easily move the fork horizontally or vertically. For ordinary people, as long as they squat on the toilet without any effort, raise their hands to reach things on the top of the cabinet without straining, and do not get stuck due to mobility during exercise, it is completely sufficient. If you feel a slight soreness and swelling when you pull, you will definitely have to pull it. If it hurts to the point of holding your breath and tears, it is 100% over. Instead, it will make the muscles protectively tense, making the muscles more and more stiff.