Am I stretching wrong at all? After about a while (5 months or more. I dont really keep track), flexibility anywhere on my body does not increase. When I stretch each part of my body, I stretch to where it's comfortable and if I go farther, my stretches don't feel comfortable. Am I stretching wrong? Am I suppose to not be comfortable when I stretch? Is it just like weightraining where you have to push yourself to gain muscle?
If I cannot touch my toes by now and flexibility has been the same (no change at all), then I know somethings wrong and I'm not doing it right...same thing with hands behind my back and trying to touch hands together.
These are the stretches I do after I warm up my body before I exercise (cardio, sprinting, sports practice, or whatever)... and yes I need new full body stretches so I can get done quick with stretching.
- Ankle stretch on one leg (ankle around and circles one direction and then the other 10x each direction)
All other stretches..I hold for 10 seconds each side.
Lower Calves/Higher Calves stretch (in push up position with one foot over the other)
-hamstring stretch (laying down and trying to put both hands behind feet and hold..something stops me. I can do one hand (ex. right hand can touch foot of right leg), but not both hands at once on one leg or on both legs at once. If I try and touch my toes standing up, I will look stupid because something is blocking me from touching my toes and bending my back all the way down)
- Butterfly (inner thigh)
- Quadricep Stretch (I can do it on the floor or standing on one leg. I do it on the floor more because if I do it standing without having anything to hang onto, my foot loses balance)
- Hip Flexor Lunge Stretch (can be done with one knee down if I want)
- Glute Stretch (laying down on back with one leg over the other knee and hands are pushing the other leg towards chess)
- Lower Back/hip (right leg over left or left leg over right sitting down)
- Middle Back stretch (standing up with hands on hips with knees slighty flexed. turn torso to stretch)
- Cat/Cow stretch for the back
- Abdominal stretch (laying on stomach and forearms resting on grass in front of the chest with chess up)
- tricep stretch (standing up with one arm behind the head, and the other arm pulling it down)
- bicep stretch (standing up with hands in back of me like I'm reaching back for something..arms straight)
- arm extension (rhomboid, arm..pulling arm across from body)
- forearm stretch (in a table position, instead of hands being forward, put them backwards towards body)
If I cannot touch my toes by now and flexibility has been the same (no change at all), then I know somethings wrong and I'm not doing it right...same thing with hands behind my back and trying to touch hands together.
These are the stretches I do after I warm up my body before I exercise (cardio, sprinting, sports practice, or whatever)... and yes I need new full body stretches so I can get done quick with stretching.
- Ankle stretch on one leg (ankle around and circles one direction and then the other 10x each direction)
All other stretches..I hold for 10 seconds each side.
Lower Calves/Higher Calves stretch (in push up position with one foot over the other)
-hamstring stretch (laying down and trying to put both hands behind feet and hold..something stops me. I can do one hand (ex. right hand can touch foot of right leg), but not both hands at once on one leg or on both legs at once. If I try and touch my toes standing up, I will look stupid because something is blocking me from touching my toes and bending my back all the way down)
- Butterfly (inner thigh)
- Quadricep Stretch (I can do it on the floor or standing on one leg. I do it on the floor more because if I do it standing without having anything to hang onto, my foot loses balance)
- Hip Flexor Lunge Stretch (can be done with one knee down if I want)
- Glute Stretch (laying down on back with one leg over the other knee and hands are pushing the other leg towards chess)
- Lower Back/hip (right leg over left or left leg over right sitting down)
- Middle Back stretch (standing up with hands on hips with knees slighty flexed. turn torso to stretch)
- Cat/Cow stretch for the back
- Abdominal stretch (laying on stomach and forearms resting on grass in front of the chest with chess up)
- tricep stretch (standing up with one arm behind the head, and the other arm pulling it down)
- bicep stretch (standing up with hands in back of me like I'm reaching back for something..arms straight)
- arm extension (rhomboid, arm..pulling arm across from body)
- forearm stretch (in a table position, instead of hands being forward, put them backwards towards body)