This Stretch Actually Made Me More Flexible.
Even though I started this stretch with the thought of seeing if I could become more flexible, I have to admit that I secretly hoped it would n’t work. After all, if it doesn’t work, then I can walk away guilt-free.
But damn it, it worked and now I have to suffer the consequences. Keep stretching and going on a journey where I have to constantly think about how far I am from what I consider to be success? Or quit knowing that I could do the splits if I only took the time, but I didn’t because I’m a quitter?
I think this is a dilemma that I should think about in my spare time. For now, let’s recap what happened:
- I have stretched 20 times in the last 6 weeks, averaging about 3 stretches per week.
- Most days I did this stretch or something very similar. This took about 15 minutes.
- In my last 5 sessions, in the last two weeks, I have followed the same procedure, but with PNF methods (also known as PAILS and RAILS) as described here .
A well-known flexibility phenomenon is that you can go deep into stretching after any or all of (1) a warm-up, such as with cardio or another movement; (2) stretching for several minutes; and (3) using advanced stretching techniques such as PNF. This means that at the end of each session I will always be able to split deeper or lower at the touch of my toe than at the beginning.
So, to give myself a clear basis for comparison, I decided to take cold before and after photos. I didn’t do cardio at first (I usually warm up on a spin bike) and took photos within a few seconds of entering each position for the first time of the day. If I can stretch further in a session with my stretching technique, who cares? But if I was able to stretch even further, then I know that I actually became more flexible in the real world.
Well, look at this:
These are my attempts at the front split. I’m clearly far from putting my ass on the floor, but there is a noticeable difference between the before (red shirt, top row) and after (black shirt, bottom row) photos. My front foot is below the ground, which you can tell by comparing where it is in relation to my forearm. This is the result of better hamstring flexibility. I can also keep my torso more upright thanks to better hip flexor flexibility in the back leg.
(I realized a few weeks ago that if my ultimate goal is the front split when my torso is upright, it makes sense to support myself with supports so I can stand upright during the stretch. So these days I lean my forearms on two chairs during while working on it, but since I didn’t do it in the “before” photo, I made sure to pose appropriately in the “after”.)
How about upper body progress? Check this:
Again, this is subtle. In the “before” photos, I need to use an object (here, a red shirt) to connect two hands. But in the “after” photo on my bad side (right arm down), I can bring my hands close enough together that I can actually touch my index finger to my thumb. On my side, with my left hand down, I can now clasp my hands without the help of a T-shirt.
The difference is only about an inch. But man, the first time I was able to put my fingers together without a shirt, I was shocked .
Okay, one more. Remember that we started this whole adventure with a video in which I went from not touching my toes to putting my palms on the floor in three minutes . This is an example of in-session adaptation. But for our before and after finale, I compared my before photo from that previous session with the one where I touch cold toes today.
Well damn . It is working. I am crazy. And yes, the differences after stretching are also comparable. On the first day after stretching, I was able to reach my palms to the floor with soft knees. These days, by the end of a workout, I can often place my palms on the floor with my knees locked . Stretching works and I will probably continue to do so, and you can too if you want to. Blurg.