You can train your body to bend the same way you train it to be strong: systematically and progressively.

When I began practicing yoga thirteen years ago, the sensation of stretching was extremely uncomfortable. There are two things that have helped me significantly over the years:

Focus on which joints are involved in the action, and isolate those joints.
For instance, when I do a pancake stretch, I do not feel my hamstrings or my calves. I feel my abs. A lot. This is because I focus on flexing at the hip while keeping my legs strong. A pancake stretch is simply seated hip flexion with the legs wide. Once I am settled into the position, I breathe, inhaling for a count of four and exhaling for a count of six, for 30-60 seconds. Breathing calms the nervous system and overrides the part of your brain that says, “no! I don’t want to be here!”

Get into a position near the point of stretch and do something there.
If you are working on hip extension (pure hip extension, not lumbar extension), get into a tall half-kneeling position with your right leg back. See if you can set yourself up so you feel strong with a sense of the beginning of a stretch in your right hip. As you exhale, raise your arm overhead. Inhale, lower the arm down. Perform 6-8 repetitions and switch sides.

Many people think they have tight hips. But is it tightness? Or is it something else?

If you practiced folding forward to touch your toes regularly for three weeks, you would notice it getting easier.

Maybe what you are experiencing is actually hip weakness.

Youtube videos:

• Sit to tuck
• Hip Flexor Strengthining
• Hip Flex to Squat
• Hip Shrimp
• Squat walk

You will need a strap to follow this segment, so that the muscles get the full opening effect while staying in a contracted state.

Loosen up tight hamstrings with these easy hamstring stretches to increase flexibility and prevent pain.

1. Tipover Tuck Hamstring Stretch
2. Scissor Hamstring Stretch
3. Standing Hamstring Stretch
4. Modified Hurdler Stretch
5. Forward Bend With Rounded Back
6. Reclined Hamstring Stretch

Makko Ho (真向法) are 4 simple exercises developed in Japan and said to be beneficial for the body. They take 5 minutes to carry out and should be done every day, twice a day. The story behind Makko Ho (真向法) These 4 simple exercises are taught in an old, out-of-print book, called ‘Makko Ho’, which wasContinue reading "Makko Ho (真向法): 4 simple Japanese exercises to regain a loose, flexible, childlike body again"

1. Soccer stretch
2. Straight-leg stretch (60º ankles)
3. Legs spread
4. Heel sit (ankle touching floor, butt on floor)

Repeat exercise 1 to 3 ten times for about thirty seconds. This takes 1 minute and 30 seconds. This is ‘one round’. Then carry out another round of the first three exercises. (3 minutes in total)
Then when performing exercise 4, lean back and stay in the pose fo 1 minute. (In total 4 minutes. There are some additional variations to make it 5 minutes, but they are not necessary for beginners.

I was talking to my grandfather when I brought up how he had pretty good posture and mobility for someone quite old. He’s still walking around, working, climbing stairs, and sitting up straight.

makko ho

2. Cuban Rotations
   These are just great. Cuban rotations strengthen all four rotator cuffs, and rotator cuffs are one of the main culprits in a shoulder injury. There isn't enough time for all the good things I have to say about this exercise.

3. Work Your Extension
   Most folks have terrible shoulder extension. Shoulder extension is a seriously undertrained range that your shoulder should have.

3. Dynamic Wrist Stretch
   On all fours, flip your hand upside down so the back of your hand is on the ground and press your elbow straight into a deep wrist flexion. Bounce back and forth a couple of times in this wrist flexion position.

• hamstrings
• calves
• hip flexors

Grumpy calves can also lead to pain in other parts of the body. For example, poor calf mobility may lead to knee and ankle pain, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, and even back issues.

To perform the Brettzel stretch, start on the ground. Lay on one side, extending your bottom arm and leg straight out. Bend your top leg at the knee over the other at a 90-degree angle and rest it on the ground as you reach behind yourself with your top arm. Grip your bent knee with the bottom hand, pulling slightly to drive your knee into the ground. Bend your bottom leg and grab your foot with your top hand, pulling your heel toward your butt. Finally, release any tension in your neck and allow your head to relax.

Atkins suggests doing 8 to 10 full circles every morning (or before your workout) with each arm to improve your shoulder mobility.

But if you find yourself unable to work through the full range of motion, you're not out of luck. "If you find this exercise challenging, try decreasing the beginning angle (when the arm is overhead, bicep near the ear) by taking the arm a little bit further away from the head," Atkins suggests. "You can also do this exercise standing next to a wall (ball side to the wall), and as your mobility improves, eventually relocate to the ground."

GST Insider Ep 31 Prone weighted arm circle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cDJsaLMlDE

If a good stretch or warming up aren't part of your workout routine, you're missing out on some serious benefits for your mobility. Dr. Aaron Horschig, DPT, of Squat University, shares the one stretch that he believes you should be doing to maximize both your upper and lower body mobility.

1. Bird Dog
2. Cat-Cow
3. Y Hold Into Handcuff Position
4. Glute Bridge
5. Deadbug
6. Quadruped Rotation
7. Plank
8. Reverse Lunge With Torso Twist

1 minute for each exercise, or at least 10 reps

• Neck CARs
• Protraction
• Retraction
• Rotation
• Isometric Hold

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4f8HnJniAV/?utm_source=ig_embed

1. Glute Bridge
2. Pigeon Pose
3. Stacked Knee Glute Stretch
4. Standing Figure-Four Stretch

1. Half Kneeling Lat Stretch
2. Bottom of the Feet Massage
3. Simple Wrist Stretches
4. Frog Stretch
5. Shoulder Extension Stretch
6. Dowel Sit
7. Low Back

Iliopsoas weakness may result in a “sway back” posture or “flat back” posture.

Hanging Leg Lifts (Knee to Elbows)
Hang from a pull up bar. Lift both knees in towards the chest. It’s important to reach the knees to the chest area, or you can aim for your elbows like the knee to elbow movement.

Forearm stretches can feel great as well, and Pavel’s book Super Joints is a very good option. It could be as simple as going on your hands and knees and walking your hands to the outside and back until your fingers are pointing at your knees. From here, shift your weight to the rear while keeping the heels of your hands on the floor.