(Part 2) Top products from r/flexibility

Kit Laughlin has some amazing material on this that goes into much more detail than most stretching programs. His basic approach is provide stretches not just for the hamstrings, but for all of the muscles which might limit your forward bend - so you stretch your calves, your piriformis (muscle on the side of your thigh), and of course your hamstrings.

I'd highly recommend either buying his book, or his hamstring-specific video program - I own both, and they're really good. The video series has over an hour of different hamstring-related stretches that you can go through to help find your tight points.

If you just want some quick stretches without buying any of the material, I'd try doing:

• This calf stretch
  
• This piriformis stretch
  
• This hamstring stretch
  
  Edit: Another good resource is Antranik's Toe Touching routine, which is probably a bit easier to approach for beginners than Kit Laughlin's stuff, and free to boot.

> First, you need to commit to spending some time addressing these issues

This is so important, I think. A little each day is leaps and bounds better than trying to make up for it with occasional long/intense sessions of stretching/yoga/etc...

I can't speak much about the Fedlenkrais method, but my massage therapist recommended [this book] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738209570/) to me after I tweaked my back pretty badly and was taking a long time to recover since sitting at work kept hindering my recovery. The author was a student of Feldenkrais (I think?).

It's an easy read and the exercises are really basic and not at all intimidating, so it'd be a great place to start!

It focuses on learning how to become more aware of your your body and muscles and get back to a healthy steady state, and teaches a simple 10 minute daily exercise meant to engage and bring awareness key muscle groups. I can feel myself get more tight and achey when I don't do it regularly, even if I still manage to do one or two sessions of yoga a week.

You've got to get The Happy Body. The only cost is buying the book ($20 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Body-Nutrition-Exercise-Relaxation/dp/0982403828). The people who wrote it set records in olympic weightlifting and were the head coaches for the UCLA weightlifting team. They're now personal trainers. They created The Happy Body Program as a beginner weightlifting/flexibility program for people of all ages and abilities. Buy some light weights and do it every single day. You measure your progress every 6 weeks objectively against pictures so that you can score yourself. I'm 12 weeks in and I'm more flexible than I've ever been in my life. I'm also the strongest and the leanest. The program addresses flexibility and strength in every joint in your body: feet, ankles, knees, hips, all through your spine, shoulders, elbows, and wrists.

Lots to unpack here but let me give you two main concepts to ponder that I do not believe anyone has addressed thus far.

1. An ankle can only be mobile on a strong platform. That means foot strength is paramount to ankle mobility.
   
   
2. Overworked calves that are usually a result of having weak glutes that is usually a result of being seated are another frequent offending party when it comes to ankle mobility. If your calves are busy trying to be your ass, they're always going to be tight, overworked, and holding on for dear life.
   
   So you can stretch all you want but until you assess the problem and likely strengthen your intrinsic foot muscles and strengthen glute muscles you are probably going to be fighting a losing battle.
   
   Foot strength ideas. Go barefoot more often, play foot games like moving marbles with your feet, splaying toes, etc or using toe spreaders like CorrectToes or the much cheaper ones I posted below. Follow GaitHappens on Instagram for more ideas.
   
   Glute strength ideas. Open hip flexors, strength train glutes - single leg glute bridges, hip thrusts, RDLs, kettlebell swings especially banded swings (done properly from the hinge and not a squat), sumo deadlifts, pistol squats, skater squats, etc.
   
   You would be the exception if you were a guy that was in the military and had to be in combat boots all the time or a figure skater that is in ice skates all the time. Even for these situations, the foot muscles would likely still be weak from being in shoe prisons and the calves and quads would still probably be more dominant than the glutes.
   
   Tldr: Assess where the weak areas are - you have a dorsiflexion assessment but have not tested foot strength and dexterity. You can test tib anterior strength by walking with on your heels with your toes extended (lifted). You can also palpate the muscle to see if it's hypertonic.
   
   My first step would be going barefoot more often and spending $5 on these toe spreaders. Those things will only serve to help even if they are not the only problem. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0713S97J5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8pkCCbWP0A15W
   
   Link to GaitHappens
   https://instagram.com/gaithappens?utm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=1xoed36orisgm
   
   Link to Katy Bowman's book on the foot. Whole Body Barefoot.
   Whole Body Barefoot: Transitioning Well to Minimal Footwear https://www.amazon.com/dp/0989653986/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xfkCCb7QPWPP3
   
   Dr Stuart McGill has more info on foot strength or what he calls "foot athleticism" in his book The Gift of Injury.
   Gift of Injury https://www.amazon.com/dp/0973501863/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_IskCCbCHDSXZP

I started with this, and it worked for me. At a minimum you'll learn some simple exercises/stretches and it's a small investment.

Also, if you see a doctor whose primary tool for fixing things is surgery, they are probably going to recommend surgery. My final advice-from-a-stranger-on-the-internet is to not get cut as a first treatment option.

Best of luck, when you make progress please post!

I've been using Muay- Winning Strategy - Ultra Flexibility & Strength: Preparation for life and battle and it's been working great

Oh lord. Increasing fiber is excellent advice for most people. Unless the fibers you're eating are causing overgrowth of gut microbes. It's the overgrowth that causes problems -- think fermenting beer or rising bread dough: lots of gas is produced. Plus if the microbe colonies in your gut get too large they pull fluid into your intestines, causing loose stools, you get the picture. Why this happens for some people with some fibers isn't clear yet, but we can at least treat it.

Huge disclaimer here that I'm not your doctor, I don't know your weight or diet history.. and there are some situations where I wouldn't recommend this because it can be triggering for anyone with a history of eating disorders and it would be a bad idea if you are low weight, but look up FODMAPs if they haven't had you try it yet.

The key point is that it is not a diet you stay on forever, it's just a trial to see which particular starches are causing your problem, and how much of them you can tolerate. It's supported by lots of studies in the medical literature. The first week or so is a full elimination, and if that doesn't give you relief, stop the trial because the problem is somewhere else. If it does give you relief, the best book for a good explanation of how to do the full protocol is here:

https://www.amazon.com/IBS-Change-Carbs-FODMAP-Elimination/dp/0982063520/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

I know, the title sounds like some fad diet book or something, but the author is a professional RD and GI stuff is her specialty, it actually is a very high-quality and thorough guide.

The other thing I was thinking of.. if you're have a lot of bowel movements a day, we see that in people with insufficient pancreatic enzymes. I've seen it in particular with patients after partial removal of the pancreas, when doctors forget to prescribe supplemental enzymes. Basically, your pancreas secretes enzymes into your small intestine that help digest the food you eat. If for some reason you're not producing enough, or there's a blockage so the enzymes aren't getting into the intestines (common in cystic fibrosis) doctors can provides the enzymes in pill form to take with your meals.

But this is really rare. The IBS stuff is faaar more likely so I would try the FODMAP trial first.

Yes I read his book Deskbound and I began practicing his flossing/smashing techniques. I'm not fully through it, but I have noticed significant flexibility gains in my hips from his squat exercises/tests and I'm working on ankle mobility now.

Here's a good link with video and docs listing the exercise routines. It's important to do the exercises in strict order!


https://thepostureguy.com/what-condition-is-your-posture-in-832584ce0fb0


I'd recommend Egoscue's 1st book to get the background on the conditions - The Egoscue Method of Health through Motion


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Egoscue-Method-Health-through-Motion/dp/0060924306

The topic of neural tension may apply, especially if muscle fatigue/cramping don't make sense. There may also be a more serious underlying issue that would merit a good history and physical by a physician and/or PT. Here is one book on the subject of neural tension: Sensitive Nervous System (829S) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0975091026/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_.oPKzb4EQQBJC. A final thought: intracellular Mg may be best measured using RBC-Mg instead of the standard serum Mg lab test. Keep us posted!

This seems to be the authoritative text:

Movement - Functional Movement Systems: Screening, Assessment, Corrective Strategies – Gray Cook
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1931046301/

I think Kelly Starrett has some of this info in his books.

These are all kind of pricey books. Starrett has tons of Youtube videos and you might find what you need there. Can also pay a bit to access his full website http://mobilitywod.com

Also I just found that Gray Cook has a number of Youtube videos. (I am very interested in digging into those!)

Stretching Anatomy by Arnold G. Nelson and Jouko Kokkonen

Delavier's Stretching Anatomy by Frederic Delavier

Anatomy of Stretching by Craig Ramsay

Prescriptive Stretching by Kristian Berg

There's about 100 pages of sources: https://www.amazon.com/Fitness-Fiction-Truth-About-Exercise/dp/0615503012

http://www.amazon.com/MELT-Method-Breakthrough-Self-Treatment-Eliminate/dp/0062065351

I don't know much about low back pain. But Kit Laughlin has written a book on solving back pain. My library has a copy, maybe yours does too. It has a chapter on assessment and the rest of the book is stretches.

If the outsides of your hips are tight then you might find foam rolling the area will help.

Because it is. The evidence is overwhelming.

Here's your sources. https://www.amazon.com/Waterlogged-Serious-Problem-Overhydration-Endurance/dp/145042497X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1479759251&sr=1-1&keywords=waterlogged

It's one detailed analysis after another of many studies on the topic.

Conventional wisdom is simply wrong (and Gatorade is, unsurprisingly, to blame for a portion of it).