Exercise Tips, Tricks, and all that good junk
Sun May 15, 2005 5:52 am
I dunno about some of you peeps.. but I need as much help as I can get when it comes to exercising.
So.. thought to myself.. why not just start a thread where hopefully more than just me can come in and ask about different exercise questions.
One thing I need help with is getting more flexible.
I'm about as flexible as a tree. I can bend a little but other than that.. nuh uh
Standing up straight.. feet together, bending at the waist.. I can BARELY reach my knees. It's really sad and frustrating.
I wanna be able to reach my toes and beyond dernit! rofl
So yeah, any suggestions on stretches that can be done would be most appreciated.
So.. thought to myself.. why not just start a thread where hopefully more than just me can come in and ask about different exercise questions.
One thing I need help with is getting more flexible.
I'm about as flexible as a tree. I can bend a little but other than that.. nuh uh
Standing up straight.. feet together, bending at the waist.. I can BARELY reach my knees. It's really sad and frustrating.
I wanna be able to reach my toes and beyond dernit!
rofl
So yeah, any suggestions on stretches that can be done would be most appreciated.
Sun May 15, 2005 7:00 am
Haha I'm a bit of a gym junkie and sport junkie so I'll answer as many questions as I can 
If you want to be more flexible.. STRETCH... every morning when you wake up and right before you go to sleep to ensure some consistancy and an easy way to remember.
Warm up a bit before you stretch by jogging on the spot etc to get the blood flowing. Then when you stretch, hold the stretch for 30 seconds. Go through a set of stretches... then do it again. You're done! Should only take around 5 minutes!
If you want to be more flexible.. STRETCH... every morning when you wake up and right before you go to sleep to ensure some consistancy and an easy way to remember.
Warm up a bit before you stretch by jogging on the spot etc to get the blood flowing. Then when you stretch, hold the stretch for 30 seconds. Go through a set of stretches... then do it again. You're done! Should only take around 5 minutes!
Sun May 15, 2005 8:02 am
Aaah good old flexibility. I'm a dancer (or try to be!) so flexibilty is essential. I'm not going to lie to you here, it's very painful to become truly flexible. My tip is practise, practise and more practise.
Like SL said, warm up a bit before you begin stretching and set yourself a little rountine you do every day. Put some upbeat music on to take your mind of the pain.
This is my little rountine I do each night:
Sitting down, legs in front. Reach past toes 16 times. Reach up to the ceiling, breathe in and then fold over legs. Repeat twice more but at the end stay down there.
Legs wide. Lean over right leg for eight, lean over left leg for eight, head on floor in the centre for eight. Try to get stomach flat on floor.
Lie on back. Eight kicks with the right leg, eight kicks with the left kick. Make sure other leg stays flat on the floor as it will be of no benefit. Grab right leg and pull until it's on the floor behind you, same with left leg. (The more you do it, the further you can get)
Do splits on right leg, splits on left leg, straddle.
Shake legs out.
Lie on back, knees bent in. Sit half way up and pulse your stomach for the entire song. (Hurts like nothing else!!) Whilst pulsing, go through the five Ballet arm postions. (Heh, working arms as well as stomach). Then pick your legs up and move them forwards and backwards whilst still pulsing and using arms.
Rest.
Roll over onto stomach and lift back slowly. Do it four more times and on the last one, arch right back and touch toes to head.
Stretch out.
Cool down.
**********
Obviously, you'll have to alter this for yourself but it just gives you a few ideas. If you want to get really flexible, you have to keep it up as flexibilty is one of these things you can gain or lose.
Like SL said, warm up a bit before you begin stretching and set yourself a little rountine you do every day. Put some upbeat music on to take your mind of the pain.
This is my little rountine I do each night:
Sitting down, legs in front. Reach past toes 16 times. Reach up to the ceiling, breathe in and then fold over legs. Repeat twice more but at the end stay down there.
Legs wide. Lean over right leg for eight, lean over left leg for eight, head on floor in the centre for eight. Try to get stomach flat on floor.
Lie on back. Eight kicks with the right leg, eight kicks with the left kick. Make sure other leg stays flat on the floor as it will be of no benefit. Grab right leg and pull until it's on the floor behind you, same with left leg. (The more you do it, the further you can get)
Do splits on right leg, splits on left leg, straddle.
Shake legs out.
Lie on back, knees bent in. Sit half way up and pulse your stomach for the entire song. (Hurts like nothing else!!) Whilst pulsing, go through the five Ballet arm postions. (Heh, working arms as well as stomach). Then pick your legs up and move them forwards and backwards whilst still pulsing and using arms.
Rest.
Roll over onto stomach and lift back slowly. Do it four more times and on the last one, arch right back and touch toes to head.
Stretch out.
Cool down.
**********
Obviously, you'll have to alter this for yourself but it just gives you a few ideas. If you want to get really flexible, you have to keep it up as flexibilty is one of these things you can gain or lose.
Sun May 15, 2005 9:11 am
Yay for people posting everything I would have to save me time.
Twinkle's last point is very true. I stopped dancing for about 6 months after I moved. Before I moved, I'd gotten myself down into full splits either side. Now I'm a good six inches off the ground, and it's gonna take a while for me to get it back. If you want to keep flexibility, you have to keep up stretching after you get it.
Twinkle's last point is very true. I stopped dancing for about 6 months after I moved. Before I moved, I'd gotten myself down into full splits either side. Now I'm a good six inches off the ground, and it's gonna take a while for me to get it back. If you want to keep flexibility, you have to keep up stretching after you get it.
Sun May 15, 2005 3:26 pm
I'll take a quote frm Mew Mew Power.
"Bend, stretch, lean, CRACK!"
"Crack?!?!?"
"How do you think we gymnasts get so flexible?"
"Bend, stretch, lean, CRACK!"
"Crack?!?!?"
"How do you think we gymnasts get so flexible?"
Mon May 16, 2005 7:34 am
Thanks all
Well.. getting at least a bit more flexible than I am is better than nothing
I plan on starting some routines tomorrow.
Not really looking forward to pain but.. oh welp!
Well.. getting at least a bit more flexible than I am is better than nothing
I plan on starting some routines tomorrow.
Not really looking forward to pain but.. oh welp!
Mon May 16, 2005 7:53 am
I'm a dancer and every time before we dance.. we chuck on some funky tunes and stretch for about 45 minutes... it's pretty hardcore lol
Mon May 16, 2005 3:54 pm
Shoyru_Lover wrote:I'm a dancer and every time before we dance.. we chuck on some funky tunes and stretch for about 45 minutes... it's pretty hardcore lol
Wow, I never knew that! SL, you've just shot up my "cool" scale!
Mon May 16, 2005 5:31 pm
Be sure to do some exercises to stretch your neck and calves before doing any major type of exercise. One of the best for the neck is to super slowly turn your head to the left, then super slowly back to front position. Ten times. Then do the same to the right. Ten times.
Good ones for calves are lunges and also both feet flat, then go slowly up on tiptoes and then down.
There is a good book out, quite old actually, called Callenetics. The author also made a few videos. Some of the exercises in that book are quite good. Particularly the stretches and warmups. It was written to help a person firm up, yet be easy on the knees and the back.
Good ones for calves are lunges and also both feet flat, then go slowly up on tiptoes and then down.
There is a good book out, quite old actually, called Callenetics. The author also made a few videos. Some of the exercises in that book are quite good. Particularly the stretches and warmups. It was written to help a person firm up, yet be easy on the knees and the back.
Mon May 16, 2005 8:16 pm
I'm little miss non-flexable over here, so I can't help with that.
But.. to anyone who really wants to loose weight, spit a lot. A lot lot lot.
But.. to anyone who really wants to loose weight, spit a lot. A lot lot lot.