i am 31 and male. this took me roughly 3-4 months of training 3 times a week to achieve. my training sessions were about 60 to 75 minutes long.

exercises used in my training sessions:

>sciatic nerve stretch
>peacock pose
>child pose
>pelvic butterflies
>pike pose
>standing pike pose
>bridge pose
>frog pose
>pancake pose - Wide AND narrow
>wall assisted side splits
>windshield wipers
>cobra pushups
>cobra feet to head
>half splits/forward folded half splits

I also used peptides, creatine, fish oils, whey protein, and supplemented vitamin D/magnesium to improve recovery from training.

my next goal: to achieve full side splits!!!

I (50f) have always been pretty flexible - I don’t have a stretching routine but I can fairly easily do things like forward splits, palms on floor etc. I only score 1 on the hypermobility test though.

The exception is my shoulders, where I’ve got significant asymmetry. I’m right handed but can’t explain the difference otherwise.

Any suggestions on how I can become more balanced?

The other photos are just to show general range but feedback on those would also be appreciated.

To be clear, I have no idea what I’m doing so it could all be completely incorrect form! 😂

Thank you for any advice

Edit: What’s with the DMs? Save it, I’m not interested.

Which exercises could I do to improve my strength to have a more controlled final drop down.

Reposting because I messed up the title.

I'm very confused with this because some people say to absolutely not do both close to each other but other people say that is good to do the flexibility class after a weight trainining because the muscles would be warm already so to just go ahead and do weights and then flexibility class.

I'm specifically speaking about legs glutes workout and split work out. My plan is to do a split train on wednesday, same day I also do weight training focused on the glutes and legs. It is true that is good to do it before the flexibility class because the muscles will be warmed up? Can I do glute/leg workout and follow it with a split workout?

Thank you in advance.

Please forgive any mistakes, english is not my main language.

How can I get my inner/outer thighs to loosen up? Maybe its my groin or hip everything around my pelvic section is extremely tight and I don't know what to do

My overall flexibility is around a 6.8, I have done many hours of yoga, massages and stretching and yet still I'm stuck please can someone help what am I doing wrong ?

I'm quite inconsistent with my stretching. If I'm doing something like the butterfly stretch, I just stay in that position while watching a movie or TV, I don't really time things or do specific sets/reps. With other things like chin tucks or chest stretches, I just do a random number of sets and hold each until it becomes uncomfortable. Is it much better to hold stretches for only a set amount of time and to do a specific number of sets and reps? If so, what numbers would you recommend? Like hold each stretch for a minute for 10 reps of 3 sets? Ik it's a bit vague and open to interpretation, but I'm just hoping to see what other people do and what theyd suggest

Title yeah I feel like my back flexibility is hindering my other body flexibility right now I wanna work it good every day and not feel like im killing my arms and back with crazy routines

Thanks in advance for all the help

I’ve been lifting consistently using a full body routine 3x a week. I’m in my 30s and I realized I have lost a lot of flexibility that I used to have when I was younger.

I am both weak and tight in a lot of end ranges and I want to fix that. Been going to PT and have learned there are a lot of loadable exercises that can help strengthen these end ranges, eg incline pigeon good mornings, ATG seated good morning, stiff legged DL, hip airplanes, Cossack squats, etc

My question is how do I actually program that if I am already hitting the gym 3x a week and lifting? At first I thought I could just do these exercises on my off days but I would imagine these weighted exercises are still “strength” training and would still affect my recovery for my main days, esp since I am hitting legs 3x week.

This is my current routine for front splits... I do this 5 days per week and take 2 rest days. Is this enough? Is there anything I'm missing to continue to progress? Are the hold times too short or too long?

Routine for Five Days Per Week:

Warm Up with Movement, Then:

1. Low lunge (60 seconds/side)
2. Half split (60 seconds/side)
3. Kneeling quad stretch – 90/90 w foot to butt (60 seconds/side) 
4. Supine leg lifts (60 seconds/side)
5. Actual splits hold (60+ stretches/side)

Also, not every day, but when I have the extra energy, I'll add in some of these:

1. Seated forward fold
2. 90/90 windshield wipers
3. Elephant Walks
4. Downdog Walks
5. Camel pose
6. Bridge

My ultimate goal is to have front splits COLD, so I have also started doing a 45 second cold split hold on each side in the morning.

Anyway, I would love your thoughts and advice on how to keep progressing towards my front splits! I am currently about 4-5 inches off the ground – front leg is straight, but I'm having trouble getting my back leg straight and back thigh down to the floor.

I’ve got terrible hamstring and hip mobility. Tried some seated good morning today to help with the hips (will use RDL’s for hamstrings). I have no clue if I’m doing this right.
Towards the end of the set I started to kind of understand the feeling of making my pelvis rotate forward, but I can see from the video it’s not a huge difference.
Better to stick to this variation for a while, or is there something else I should be doing to help improve my forward folding mobility? Open to any tips, thanks!

I got my first front split on both slides about 4 months ago at 27yo. I have to warm up though and go slow to access it. Do I just keep doing what I've been doing and start putting something under my heel to deepen it? How I can learn to drop into them without hurting myself?

Editing to say that I also do a lot of strength work, and I emphasize mobility. My hamstrings are strong in a lengthened position, but maybe my hip flexers need more challenge

I have a pretty bad middle straddle. When I go past 90 degrees, I can feel something right behind my knee on the inside (right where that little divot is behind your knees) "clicking" and holding tension when I try to stretch in a shallow straddle. Just wondering if this is something people trained past!

edit: this feeling also happens when I flex my feet or point them!

I’m trying to figure what’s a good stretching routine for me. I find that after a good day of stretching I always feel really sore and painful and I’m worried about pushing it further. The pain really discourages me and messes with my motivation to continue my workouts and stretches.

Especially for adults who are trying to further their range of flexibility, do you stretching everyday? What does prioritizing rest look like to you? How do you know when to stop?

30 yo female here.

I’ve started actively working on my mobility/flexibility for the last few months along with weight training.

I’m still a beginner in a lot of poses but I feel this tightness, like a pinch, in the front of my hips with most of flexion poses (frog, deep squat, knee to chest, 90/90) basically anything that involves bringing my thigh close to abdomen. It’s not pain but more like a locked feeling. I can do knee to chest better if I rotate my leg out. I never had this problem and could easily do knee to chest a few years ago (before my 3yo was born) and I never really checked when this problem started really.
I also have APT so I’m not sure if this has something to do with the tightness?
Is there anything I can particularly do for this?

Hi,
I have almost zero mobility in my ankle when i do:
- Heel drop while on a step
- Toe lift while standing

Is there a stretch or exercise to help so these stretches work? Like is my hamstring too tight?

Thanks, and sorry, I know there is a ton of ankle mobility info on this sub. Going through it too. 🙏❤️🦵

PS - I am a year out from breast cancer treatment and I’ve spent a lot of time in bed. Now I’m on preventative medication that makes my joints hurt. I need to move to help ease the pain, which is counterintuitive. 🙃 I really appreciate any suggestions for the ankles as they are the most affected joint currently.

Hi,

I have limited hip internal rotation on both sides from all the sitting down I have done. Doing a Posterior Hip Capsule stretch can improve it a lot, but this is just a temporary gain. I'm a bit confused with the exercises I should do after that stretch in order slowly improve it over days and weeks.

Should I go straight into doing the usual isometric exercises such as a seated banded IR after the stretch?

Thanks for your help!

I've had the Bend app for several years now and only in the last two weeks learned you could create custom routines. Doh!

I was wondering if anybody has routines they recommend. I would love some hip/lower back ideas that are still or dynamic. But honestly open to any routines with good flow and deep stretches.

Im not really able to "hinge" from the hips if my legs are straight. If I bend my knees I can do it, Im just so tight. I tried a different stretch but it was incredibly difficult for me to do with the right form (I think)

Still would love more suggestions and ideas for what I can try.

I’m starting Taekwondo with a new Dojo. Something’s I’ve noticed is that I’m having small flexibility and balance issues. My roundhouse kicks are barely above the belt and also when the instructors want me to hold a kick in a certain position I start to wobble.
I know I’m new and it will get better with time but does anyone know some exercises I can do throughout the week to help slowly improve both these issues?
Thanks!

I often get an intense charlie horse all the way down my leg on the extended leg, sometimes into my foot, while doing pigeon pose. How can I alter this pose?.

I have used this rule for years with great results.. just a simple rule that pushed my flexibility to my current level.

I need to be at my max flexibility within 3 mins. While attaining max flexibility, I adjust every 30 seconds.

The key for me is the adjustment itself: I will lower myself too my deepest fold to start. Hold for 30 second and raise my torso up to clear my abs from my pelvis. At this stage I’m actively lengthening my spine .. I try to get it as long as I can and lower back down while holding a slight arch in my spine..

I’m actively pushing my lower abs into my pelvis. At this point, Im more concerned about hinging at the hips than getting my torso to my thighs.

Notice my head and neck are out of alignment with my spine.. this is intentional as I’m trying to force my upper back to alight with my neck angle.. this is to prevent rounding of the upper back. It serves as a que to flatten and not round. This is about 2years of flexibility work. I’m currently 150lbs at 54 yeas old

Hi,

I’ve started to take stretching way more seriously after some pelvic floor issues and have found I’m really
Enjoying the process- I do static stretching every day and every couple days do some sort of weighted stretching to compliment it.

I also have taken up gentle yoga forms 2 times a week

One of the main things I notice is that when I sit down to do pancake or cross legged I struggle to keep my back straight during this process so have started adjusting my pancake to do it sitting on plates at the gym to ensure I keep back straight etc

I have really tight hips and weak hip muscles

Wondering if anyone has overcome similar things with keeping back straight in pancake/ opening hips and how long it took?

I feel like I do like over 2 hours of mobility a day with most targeting the hips