I've lost my flexibility

[Wu Wei]

I've been on a muscle building routine for a while now, and I obviously haven't been doing enough whole body streching.

I can't side kick anymore. I've been building those muscles just under my ribs which are supposed to aid in side kicks, but I have sacrificed the flexibility. I'm not trying to do the whole 'muscle building=loss of flexibility' since I know thats not true.

What I want to know is:
What types of stretches does everyone do?
and:
Are there any things i can eat or any vitamins that aid in a bodies flexibility?

Im in a bad situation. Its been easily less than a month since I've sacrificed my stretching routine, and now I suck..... Help me....Thanks.

Success is a label made by the insecure.

[Wu Wei]

Unrelated to my previous post:

I hear punches are a good excercise.

How are they good?
and:
How good are they?

:D

Success is a label made by the insecure.

[Lost_Disciple]

Never heard of a loss of flexibility that great in that short of a time.

I like Tom Kurtz' stuff, which is similar to Pavel's stuff I guess; and that entails cycle vaguely resembling the following:
-30~60 seconds of ballistic stretches (relaxed, stretch kicks)
-30~60 seconds of isometric, weight bearing stretches (tensed, standing center splits)
-2~5 minutes of relaxed, non weight bearing stretches (sitting center splits)

You do this cycle a few times, with maybe a lil rest between each. It helps you relax your hips & get into each stretch.

Punches, why are they good? Cuz you're using muscles and causing yourself to breath hard. hehe They build up aerobic endurance. They can even build up "sprinting endurance" or anaerobic endurance if you punch as fast as you can. They're good cuz they get you off the couch (in most cases), get your metabolism going, build endurance, and cuz they help you get more comfortable punching with decent technique & speed. If you're hitting something, then you also develop power as well, and more anaerobic endurance.
.

Just some thoughts from an ignoramus.

[Wu Wei]

I was surprised by how fast I lost my flexibility.
I've never had that fast of a degredation. Im scared :(

Thats why I thought punches were good, but I didnt want to assume. I'll give that routine a shot tomorrow.

BTW: Lost Disciple, was it you who said you grew up in Okinawa but had to leave? Whyd you have to leave there?

Success is a label made by the insecure.

[Lost_Disciple]

Yah that was me.
My dad's in the Air Force and I moved there midway through high school.
I'd been goin to a different school every year for the previous 9 years, so the fact that I got to stay there 2 years straight was a big deal for me- I got attached.

My folks shipped me off to college, I had little choice in the matter, but at least they paid for most of it. I never wanted to leave. I kept goin back for vacations for the next year and a half. I even had plans to stay there vacation and not come back, attending a japanese university part time for fluency, then getting my degree through them as well- but my parents shot that one down.

My id card's long since expired, but I'd love to go back some day. I really doubt I'll be able to. I know a lot of my friends are gone and the place has total changed. But as long as those pretty beaches exist, with those nice winter swells and as long as my Okinawan friends still living there treat me like family; i think there'll always be somethin for me to do if i can ever go back.

Sorry for the sob story. Believe it or not, this is the "I'm over it" version. I used to be a lot worse. :) heheh.

Just some thoughts from an ignoramus.

[Wu Wei]

At least you got to be there.
If I had lived in such a nice place, I'd sob too.

Success is a label made by the insecure.

[danny from miami]

sorry man i think you got it all wrong.no ballistic stretching in toms stuff.and you dont do that whole routine a few times.did you read "stretching scientifically"? i think you should read it again.

[Lost_Disciple]

I don't even own the book; but it wasn't stretching scientifically. I'm not even 100% sure it was Kurtz. By "ballistic" I'm talking relaxed stretch kicks. I'll get back to you on it once I find the ad with the book that my friend has.

I'm not trying to spread disinformation; the problem is that it was a workout that my sihing said he got from a particular video, that we did a few times. Whatever the workout was, it worked..

Just some thoughts from an ignoramus.

[Repulsive Monkey]

That certain muscle building most certainly does go a long towards inflexibility. Your thinking that it isn't true maybe going towards the voidness in misunderstanding as to why you don't have any flexibility.

[namkuen]

Wu Wei, the harder the muscles are, the less flexibility they shall have. Hence, suppleness is the key to flexibility for the muscles. In the words of the Old Sage, Lao Tzu, "When a man is born, he is soft and supple; when he dies, he is hard and rigid. When a tree is young; it is pliant and yielding; when it dies it is stiff and unyielding. Thus, that which is soft and yielding follow after life. That which is hard and unyielding follows after death."

Hence, if you want to make your muscles flexible, then you must first make them supple. This is best done through stillness or sitting meditation. This will allow the muscles to become supple yet not weak, strong yet not hard.

Talk with you teacher about learning sitting meditation and the benefits thereof.

I hope this helps!

Peace!!!

DWR

One who conquers others is strong, but one who conquers himself is mighty! Lao Tzu