Becca
01-14-2004, 04:50 PM
I've been working on a regimine to improve the function and strength of my hip flexors. While I can now get into a good horse stance with little effort, I'd also noticed that my over-all strength was going down hill. After talking this over with my Sifu, I came to a grand realization:
I did not loose my strength. I am just not using my "strong" muscles the same way, so my results are different than what I'm used to. I used to use them to make up for a lack of strength in my hip flexors. Now I use them to suport my hip flexors, but make my hips do thier fair share. This is not what my body is used to, so I tire easier. The sign that this is true, Sifu said, was in my stradle splits. I used to stop when the pain got to be more than I could handle. Now it is my stretch that stops me and I have little pain at all because I'm now "doing the stretch right".
Untill that conversation, it had never crossed my mind that I was doing the stretch wrong. I looked like every one else. But I was trying to force muscle to work that were not suposed to be working and letting the muscles that were s'posed to be working slack off.
I did not loose my strength. I am just not using my "strong" muscles the same way, so my results are different than what I'm used to. I used to use them to make up for a lack of strength in my hip flexors. Now I use them to suport my hip flexors, but make my hips do thier fair share. This is not what my body is used to, so I tire easier. The sign that this is true, Sifu said, was in my stradle splits. I used to stop when the pain got to be more than I could handle. Now it is my stretch that stops me and I have little pain at all because I'm now "doing the stretch right".
Untill that conversation, it had never crossed my mind that I was doing the stretch wrong. I looked like every one else. But I was trying to force muscle to work that were not suposed to be working and letting the muscles that were s'posed to be working slack off.