I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was taking part in "Dry January". I didn't make a big song and dance about it, but I decided to go for a calendar month or so with no alcohol. A few people have asked me about my experience, so here are a few points. Why take a break from drinking? Alcohol is an interesting topic. As a drug it is widely accepted in society, central to so much of our socialising and leisure. There seem to be lots of health benefits - so we are told - yet there are also a lot of problems in terms of health, relationships and lifestyle that come from drinking. Over a few years I'd begun to become aware and then concerned that I was drinking too much and too regularly. I am in a busy and stressful job and sometimes a glass of wine after work to relax is really helpful. But over time, one glass became two. Two glasses became ....I might as well finish the bottle. A habit got established....and was starting to get too e...
.......interesting things about fitness, strength, diet and performance.
Comments
Can you make a distinction on what you're advocating. Looks like a stretch but your previous post (and many others) say no stretching
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stretch to address particular deficits, problems and postural issues. Don't stretch to warm up or prevent DOMS or expect to limit injury.
By the way, some of the stuff on here is just material that I find interesting and am thinking through
The muscles that tighten are the medial hip rotators (anterior head of the gluteus medius and the tensor fasciae latae or TFL in the video). The video shows a good sequence for loosening those muscles. Effectively, these are variations on the yoga pigeon pose. Simply cross-legged in any of the yoga sitting poses (other than the so-called easy pose, which is too easy) for 10 minutes a day should also do the trick. The hip muscles are very strong and the body naturally wants these muscles moderately tight so as to protect from dislocations, so it can take a long time to loosen this joint if the muscles get too tight.
The shoulder and neck muscles are two other areas that tend to tighten up and weaken in old people. The shoulder is easy to stretch because the muscles aren't that big, the leverage is very good, and if you screw up and hurt the shoulder, the consequences aren't that serious. But the neck is trickier, which is why yoga spends so much time on the neck (shoulderstand, plough, fish, headstand). If the neck muscles ever get weak and tight, you're in for a world of pain.
You can't really write constantly about stretching being BS and then show a guy with his legs over his head as a suggested resource.
There are people who stretch and contort their body in amazing ways but this is not something one would ever observe in nature.
To advocate any unnatural sustained movements seems ignorant.
do we really need a bunch of studies or blogging "experts" advocating absurd poses just to create a reason for another video
get into that pose while you're crawling through bushes as a more movenat style pose but don't sit there for 5 minutes "stretching" and say this is going to add so much value to an elderly person
what 80 year old could even get close to that pose if they were not already in abnormally good shape
if an average 80 year old did that pose they'd be asking for an injury
consistency = loyal readers
As Michael Winner might say.... "calm down dear" I am not claiming to be an expert.
The consistency you get here is that I consistently put up and share whatever I find that I think is interesting and to which I might want to return in future. My general view of stretching is with the Sock Doc, Maffetone and others who point out that the research is that it doesn't offer benefits and can be harmful. I am also very sympathetic to the Feldenkrais approach of Somatics and Todd Hargrove and think the role of the brain and nervous system in general is under appreciated. However I am interested in how Kelly S gets his results in practice with his athletes.
If you don't like this blog or find it inconsistent, no one is forcing you to read it.
I think Kelly Starret (kStar) gets his results from people because he is a Doctor of Physical Therapy. And he advocates stretching and mobilizing to attain a good bio-mechanical position. Lets keep it that simple. Not saying who's right and who's wrong.
Just saying he, a world class supple-ass doctor, recommends that you stretch AFTER workouts, with gusto, and possibly before if you cannot attain correct positioning. Unless we find substantial evidence to the contrary, I would go with the world-class olympian training therapist over there. My two cents.
-John
P.S. They have flexibility requirements set up specifically to different sports that maximize performance. Olympic lifters need a certain level of hip flexibility while baseball pitchers need a different level of shoulder flexibility. I hate to sound so arrogant but the scientific/training community kind of already figured this stuff out =P.