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NFT: Q for pro lifters: Gaining muscle w,out loss of flexibility

KooKoo4Giants : 4/23/2014 6:08 pm
I was trying to do sit ups with my legs straight up and I noticed I could barely keep my legs straight. My knees were well beyond bent. I do not really have a lot of leg flexibility overall. I do a lot of squats and lunges with heavy weights.

Now I am trying to stretch my quads for 2-3 minutes before each workout. But I am curious, for the lifting junkies out there, how does lifting and flexibility go hand in hand. I never stretch my forearms or biceps or abs, if that is even possible, before I work out. I read about football athletes being stiff and could that be a result of stretching? Honestly I have no idea what I am talking about right now. I am hoping someone can break it down for me. I am wondering if bad flexibility can impact me in football, does it and how?

Thanks.
lay off the pot  
Pork and Beans : 4/23/2014 6:14 pm : link
And try again.
Muscle gains and flexibility  
Tuckrule : 4/23/2014 7:06 pm : link
Have nothing to do with each other. You should have a stretching routine which is seperate from stretching prior to a workot. There are differnt methods of stretching such as passive stretching and active stretching. Do some research because the path you are headed towards can end up with back pain or worse a tear. People do not realize that back pain can be directly ascociated with tightness in the hamstrings. Stretching can also help with strength gains and size because you are lengthening the muscle.
ddp yoga  
missbibbasdaddy : 4/23/2014 7:16 pm : link
Just started it
have to admit my shoulders feels better when I lift now
Flexibility is your ability to flex  
Kyle : 4/23/2014 7:19 pm : link
If you gain muscle, you can flex more and flex better.

It's science.
another vote for yoga  
WeatherMan : 4/23/2014 7:47 pm : link
also an underrated way to pick up good looking ladies.
Why are you doing  
That Said : 4/23/2014 7:56 pm : link
sit ups? Get an ab wheel and Pavel Tsatsouline's book Relax Into Stretch.
You can thank me later.
Perhaps  
That Said : 4/23/2014 8:13 pm : link
I misread your OP. Do you mean to say you were doing v-ups or jack knife sit ups? In any event, the above advice remains the same.
I  
CapeGman : 4/24/2014 10:52 am : link
don't think the two have much to do with each other either. If you stretch a lot you will remain flexible as you gain muscle. Van Damme does splits on Volvo trucks for example.



a few basics:  
natefit : 4/24/2014 11:10 am : link
- Never stretch a cold muscle. Always warm up adequately first
-Stretching is more effective post workout than pre
-Pre use a dynamic warmup, (google it as too long to explain here)
-Stretching should always be gradual, never ballistic. Breathe into the stretch.
nate  
DanMetroMan : 4/24/2014 12:33 pm : link
any recommendations for improving shoulder flexibility? I've pretty much self diagnosed myself with below average flexibility in his area (watched some online videos/"tests".
use sports specific stretching  
bc4life : 4/24/2014 12:43 pm : link
I have read that Pre-lift stretching can have a negative impact.
RE: Flexibility is your ability to flex  
KooKoo4Giants : 4/24/2014 6:59 pm : link
In comment 11635195 Kyle said:
Quote:
If you gain muscle, you can flex more and flex better.

It's science.


I remember reading a big blue interactive user by the name of B in ALB talk about it. It was a thread about a player who may have gained muscle too fast and lost flexibility. Something like that but I am not entirely sure so I am just assuming that it is about stretching too but I am not sure however. I tried to do a search but no luck. I believe the thread was about Keith Rivers but probably not
Dan  
natefit : 4/24/2014 7:30 pm : link
not uncommon as shoulders are complex yet delicate joints that take a lot of the load in all kinds of activity. There a few stretches for the deltoids and trapezius etc but would be awkward and lengthy to describe here. A theraband will aid in shoulder work, PT exercises will increase integrity which in turn leads to greater flexibility.
Dan:  
That Said : 4/24/2014 8:19 pm : link
search "kettlebell arm bar" (if you don't have kettlebells, use dumbbells) and see if that doesn't work to increase the integrity of your shoulder(s). Go light at first.

KooKoo, don't forget to thank the guys who gave you serious replies. And work on your hip strength and flexibility. That's why you can't do that sit up or whatever it is.
I forgot to mention foam rolling  
natefit : 4/25/2014 9:47 am : link
its a part of my daily regimen and should be in yours too
Link - ( New Window )
+1  
That Said : 4/25/2014 5:05 pm : link
Get a RumbleRoller. Brutal in a good way.

This one holds up better than the cheap foam rollers.
RumbleRoller - ( New Window )
I need to do that rolling for  
Randy in CT : 4/25/2014 5:08 pm : link
my IT bands which still plague me when I run...GAH
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